Kitchen first or laminate floor??

[xxwispxx]

Hi All,

i'm fitting a kitchen at the weekend but i also have some laminate flooring to fit. At the moment it is an empty shell.
Do i fit all the floor units first, then lay the floor up to and under the plinth, or do i lay the floor first then fit the kitchen on top?
I'm guessing the weight of the units will stop the allowance of expansion.

Cheers

Darren

[silver_star]

If I were doing it I would fit the laminate after. It may be easier to fit it before the units go in, however I would think the kitchen will outlast the laminate so it could be a nightmare when you come to change it. You will also save a few ££ on not fitting it under the units.

Just my 2 penneth.

[joinerjohn]

I've never rated laminate flooring in a kitchen. The potential for getting it wet is always there.

[kellys_eye]

Whatever you use I'd go wall-to-wall as, if you ever consider changing the layout, you'll inevitably end up with having to recover the whole floor to hide 'holes'.

[big-all]

several considerations most already mentioned

if you lay the floor first then you may have expansion problems but are relying on the floor outlasting the units

if you lay the units first you need to allow for the fact your floor will reduce the clearance under worktops by around 12mm

[Loosenup]

fit tiles

[fredmila]

Laminate flooring is cheap, I would install it wall to wall first. It is only when I use a fancy floor finish like granite that I do not install it wall to wall but still lay it first to leave some of it under the units.

Also, like other people said, I am suspicious of laminate flooring in bathrooms and kitchens unless somebody sells one that has a warranty against damage by water.