LVT flooring down before or after fitting kitchen?

[Scam]

As subject. We have this flooring (warning sexy pics there!) down throughout the ground floor courtesy of the previous owners. And to be fair, it's perfectly decent stuff. What with knocking down walls in between our dining room and kitchen we now have gaps in the floor. Currently up for discussion is whether or not we can simply plug those gaps and make it match (thoughts on that?) or have to redo from the dining room doorway through all the way into the kitchen which is about 20m/sq. A cost we'd rather avoid.

Trying to figure this out whilst work is starting in the kitchen (electrics, boiler move, plastering etc.) and feel like by the time we get anyone in to do the floor before the kitchen, we'll be the ones holding everything up.

With that in mind, would you fit flooring like this before or after the kitchen? Totally mixed opinions online.. but the important thing to consider is that although all of our appliances are integrated, we have a beast of a range cooker coming which obviously is not, and you will see under it. So I'm assuming we can't exactly fit the kitchen, install the cooker, and then do the flooring around it. Or can they? Initially we were all-for doing it properly.. flooring down first, nice and neat, then the kitchen. But timing, budget etc. all comes into play at this stage. And some opinion's online say you shouldn't fit kitchens on top of LVT, too. Dunno..

 

[Doobedoo]

Before. Our kitchen Lino was fitted after the units by the previous owner and it annoys me.

 

[gingergundog]

When we did ours we fitted the kitchen first, setting the height of the units but allowed for the thickness of the floor. You can then lay the flooring just so its past the where the plinth will be and into to the gap where your cooker will sit, waste of flooring laying it all the way underneath(don't know if its bad practice). You will probably find that the existing planks may have faded a bit compared to a new pack, I would have thought it would blend in over time though.

 

[{SAS}TB]

We had this debate when we had our new kitchen year before last and everyone from the building company owner, joiner / floor layer and kitchen installer all said before. Glad I listened to them, looks a lot smarter job (including before the skirtings) and less cut edges to get mess / water and general detritus in (even under / behind units)

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Most kitchen unit pelmets will overhang the floor so it shouldn't make any difference.

 

[Scam]

(including before the skirtings) and less cut edges to get mess / water and general detritus in (even under / behind units)

That's a good point. My girlfriend's friend was saying lay the flooring first so there's zero gaps for mice

Before. Our kitchen Lino was fitted after the units by the previous owner and it annoys me.

Where/how does it annoy you? Plinths should easily overhang it so you shouldn't see it anywhere..

The other argument for doing it after is that actually, seen as we're "stuck" (budget wise) for this LVT across the whole ground floor.. if we ever decide we could upgrade to parquet or something nicer, we'd only be able to do that if we fit it around after the kitchen is in. Whereas if we lay it all under the kitchen first, there's no chance to do that. There's likely more chance of us changing the flooring than the kitchen!*

*We do actually plan to tile the front hallway at some point, but it won't go into the lounge or dining/kitchen.

 

[gingergundog]

The plinths, end panels and skirting will cover all edges of flooring, it will look exactly the same as if you were to lay it under the units plus its less waste of effort/money/time. I wouldn't want to risk it getting damaged by the kitchen fitters, I know it can be covered but its not foolproof.

 

[Buffman]

It doesn't really matter / can be done both ways. If you fit it after you may need to take off end panels and skirting and possibly cut them. After that you wouldn't be able to tell

If you have a concrete floor, and have a lot of self Levelling /screeding to be done I would probably get it done before to prevent damage to your kitchen.

FYI a wear layer of 0.2mm on the floor you linked is quite low.

 

[scarps]

Just do it after. If you buy new flooring you don't take your kitchen units out to lay it do you, so there's no you have to lay floor first for it to be right.

However careful the fitters will be there's a chance of the floor getting scratched etc. If the floor fitter is different to the kitchen fitters just get the kitchen fitters to either leave the plinths completely or cut them to the height the floor will be.

 

[IvanDobskey]

After I would say. You don't want a floating floor under units. Ceramic floor tiles are another thing though, I'd lay those first.

 

[Doobedoo]

Where/how does it annoy you? Plinths should easily overhang it so you shouldn't see it anywhere..

We don’t have plinths and therefore I can see it, I know it’s there and it just bugs me. The extra cost is minimal unless you have a huge kitchen, it’s just a better, smarter job especially if the units have been removed anyway.

It’s like doing laminate flooring, if you remove, replace the skirting it’ll always look and be a better job than just putting beading around the edges.

By all means do what you want but if given the choice/ asked the question, I’d do it properly.

 

[gingergundog]

It doesn't really matter / can be done both ways. If you fit it after you may need to take off end panels and skirting and possibly cut them. After that you wouldn't be able to tell

If you have a concrete floor, and have a lot of self Levelling /screeding to be done I would probably get it done before to prevent damage to your kitchen.

FYI a wear layer of 0.2mm on the floor you linked is quite low.

Cutting can be avoided if they are left off and fitted last

 

[JBuk]

After I would say. You don't want a floating floor under units. Ceramic floor tiles are another thing though, I'd lay those first.

never had any issues with mine


op. It can be done both ways but everyone recommend floor first when I was getting my kitchen in, it would have been a pain in the bum to do it after imo

 

[gingergundog]

never had any issues with mine


op. It can be done both ways but everyone recommend floor first when I was getting my kitchen in, it would have been a pain in the bum to do it after imo

Wouldn't say its harder with the units fitted. The only advantage I can see is for the kitchen fitter so he doesn't have to come back to fit the plinths etc. Makes barely any difference to the floorer. I dare say that the advice to do it before was not to the benefit of the customer but to make their lives easier. Chances are you will change the floor before the kitchen, so it makes more sense to not have kitchen units fitted on it.

 

[200sols]

After.

 

[Fuzz]

Self levelling compound trowelled over all the gaps.
Then a basic lino floor.
Fit kitchen
Leave kickboards off kitchen units.
Lay clickboard flooring allowing a couple inches /cm under the units
Refit kickboards and hide edges.

Options with range cooker maybe to put it on its own "hearth" (concrete / Resin base) if the flooring can take the weight and heat of range cooker then its a no brainer to just put the cooker on top of it like a normal floor.

 

[jellybeard999]

Floor after IMO as the flooring may be replaced in future and it saves buying flooring you won't see.

If you're not fitting plinths etc and having it open underneath, then yes, youd want to finish the underneath and skirting at the back of the units. This would be pointless if it's hidden though.

 

[Scam]

We don’t have plinths and therefore I can see it, I know it’s there and it just bugs me.

Ah right, yes that would bug me. Fair enough!

If you're not fitting plinths etc and having it open underneath, then yes, youd want to finish the underneath and skirting at the back of the units. This would be pointless if it's hidden though.

Yeah, someone mentioned end units, the only ends we'll have is next to the range (not really visible anyway). The kitchen is a j shape with both ends finishing into wall so that's good. Everything else is integrated with plinths. So really it's just the range we'll need to hold off installing until after the floor. How the heck so I find out if the floor linked above would take the weight? Is that likely to be an issue?

 

[jellybeard999]

Yeah, someone mentioned end units, the only ends we'll have is next to the range (not really visible anyway). The kitchen is a j shape with both ends finishing into wall so that's good. Everything else is integrated with plinths. So really it's just the range we'll need to hold off installing until after the floor. How the heck so I find out if the floor linked above would take the weight? Is that likely to be an issue?

Fit the units, then flooring up to the feet, then plinths/end panels/skirting and slide the range in last. For clarity, I'd put flooring down under the range and either end panels either side, or a return on the plinth to keep debris from going underneath.

I would imagine the weight of the range would be ok. Is it just a wide cooker or something like an aga/Rayburn?

Is it a suspended wooden floor? You could look to reinforce the joists with extra noggins or replace the floorboards (I'm assuming the existing isn't floorboards, not sheets of chipboard) where the range goes with a bit thick piece of ply to spread the load if you're concerned.

 

[aVdub]

I fitted mine before because what we put down is long lasting and being a large square kitchen, it might all be changed long before the floor needed doing.