Laminate flooring in kitchen

[lizzy]

Do you need a special kind of laminate in the kitchen?

Also, we will be having new kitchen units, is it best to lay the laminate first and do the whole floor i.e. under where the new units will be? I've heard conflicting reports. Thanks.

 

[Davey]

You should really use special laminate for kitchens as it needs to be hardwearing and water resistant. Most DIY stores sell laminate that is marked as being suitable for kitchens.

Two schools of thought regarding when to lay the floor. If you lay it first you will get a better result as you do not have to worry about cutting around the edges accurately - these will be hidden by the units. This will also completely seal the floor and make it impossible for any water to get under the floor.On the downside you will use more laminate this way and you need to be very careful not to scratch the floor when assembling the units and moving them into position. Its your choice

 

[neflamingo]

You need to be very careful when deciding to install laminate under anything stationary. The laminate has to be able to expand, and if it is locked into place it will "tent". Here in the US, most people fasten the cabinets to the subfloor which wouldn't allow the laminate floor to expand. This is solved by installing the floor after the cabinets, and leaving the appropriate expansion gap as required by the manufacturer. The gap is then covered by quarter round affixed to the cabinet.