Should Flooring Go Before or After Kitchen Installation?

The General Rule

Kitchen units are typically installed on top of the finished floor (or a subfloor at the same level). This means rigid flooring is usually laid before unit installation. The alternative — laying flooring after kitchen installation — makes it harder to achieve a clean finish around plinths and can cause problems if units ever need to be replaced.

Exceptions and Considerations

• Underfloor heating systems need to be installed and commissioned before units go in
• If you are fitting directly onto the subfloor and adding a floating floor layer later, your kitchen fitter needs to account for the floor height in their levelling
• Tiled floors in particular benefit from being fully laid and grouted before units arrive

Co-ordinating Your Trades

Discuss the flooring sequence with your kitchen fitter at survey stage. A good fitter will tell you exactly what floor state they need to work on and how much height to allow for any floor coverings being added later.

Flooring Sequence by Material

What If You're Not Changing the Flooring at All?

If your existing floor is staying, your kitchen fitter simply levels off it using adjustable plinth legs, regardless of whether it's tile, wood or vinyl. The sequencing question above only applies where new flooring is being laid as part of the same project.

What About Skirting and Trim?

Skirting boards are usually fitted after both the flooring and the kitchen units, scribed to meet the plinth line neatly. Discuss this with whichever trade is doing your skirting so it isn't fitted too early and then has to be cut back.