{"id":5202,"date":"2022-08-24T17:27:52","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T21:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diywithchristine.com\/?p=5202"},"modified":"2024-03-04T13:28:09","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T18:28:09","slug":"kitchen-island-before-or-after-flooring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diywithchristine.com\/kitchen-island-before-or-after-flooring\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Kitchen Islands Installed Before Or After Flooring? 4 Things To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Wondering if you should install your kitchen island before or after the flooring? Well, look no further because I have your answer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kitchen islands should be installed before floating floors such as laminate flooring and LVP and after linoleum, tile, and hardwood flooring for best results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s break into the details further so you can easily finish your kitchen renovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The type of flooring determines whether the kitchen island should be installed first or second. Here is a summary of when to install the flooring or the island first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s go over why the order of operations matters per type of flooring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Floating floors such as laminate flooring, LVP, and LVT are the only type of flooring that do better when installed AFTER the kitchen island is installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because the weight of the kitchen island (plus the fact that the island is attached to the subfloor) locks the flooring in place. Floating floors hate to be locked in place like this because they are meant to expand and contract and just \u201cfloat\u201d on the floor.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the weight of the island locks the flooring in place, it can cause the flooring to buckle over time. (This is not always the case but happens often enough that most people opt to install the island first. I\u2019ll explain what I mean further below<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, if the flooring does get damaged and needs to be replaced, floating floors are usually really nice to repair because you just pull them apart and replace the single damaged piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the island is sitting on top of the flooring, you no longer get that advantage because the island will prevent you from lifting up and replacing any pieces that are underneath the island.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, floating floors can be quite thick (sometimes 8-12mm thick), which makes the island sit up higher. This is not a problem while the original flooring is in good condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if you ever want to replace the flooring down the line and want to use thinner flooring like tile or linoleum or just a thinner floating floor, then the island will be sitting too high for the new flooring to cover the bottom. You can easily cover the bottom with new trim, but this is an extra step that most people don\u2019t think about.<\/p>\n\n\nQuick Navigation: Kitchen Island Before Or After Flooring<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When To Install A Kitchen Island Before Vs After Flooring<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Type of Flooring<\/th> Order Of Installation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Floating Floors (Laminate Flooring, Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), or Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)<\/td> Kitchen island first<\/td><\/tr> Tile<\/td> Flooring first<\/td><\/tr> Linoleum\/Sheet Vinyl Flooring<\/td> Flooring first<\/td><\/tr> Hardwood floors<\/td> Flooring first<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> Install Kitchen Islands Before Floating Floors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n