Wooden/laminate flooring in kitchen

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Is the best option to completly floor evry inch of kitchen flooring before putting washing machine cooker fridge/freezer base units back down or what?. I have heard soem say this woudl be waste of money. Interested to see replies ty
 
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It's probably better to install the kitchen, fit the floor without the appliances in place, then put everything together. If you fit the floor first, it can be a nightmare to uplift the floor in an emergency or if it is damaged as the units etc will be fitted over the top and not resting on the subfloor.

Just make sure your installed height of work surfaces etc allows for appliances to fit with the additional height of the floor added!
 
No, you misunderstood....

fit the base units, but not the kickboards...

fit the floor up to the legs of the units...

trim and fit kickboards so that they "rest" on top of the floor.

What Crazydaze is saying is that this will allow you to gain access to any part of your kitchen in the future either under the units by removing the kick panels (which just clip on) or by being able to (carefully) uplift the laminate (unlikely that this will be necessary).

If you put trap the floor under the legs then this will no longer be possible.

One final point (from experience :oops: ) please ensure that your new floor does not prevent your appliances from actually fitting in position. This is particularly relevant if their will be a worktop over the gap. If you plan it now then you can adjust the legs on your units to allow enough height. Remember to allow the thickness of your laminate and the thickness of your chosen underlay. Also remember some appliances are taller than others (for example Bosch washers are 12mm higher than the rest and you may end up having to cut down the top of the washer if you do what I did :oops: )
 
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For fitting laminate flooring in a kitchen its definately better to fit the kitchen first.

One decent tip is when trimming your kickboard (after floor installation) , trim it at the top not the bottom. Its difficult to trim it completely straight and not not chip the lamination , but trim it at the top and it doesnt matter so much.

As for fitting floor where the appliances go. i would normally just use some cut offs to pack the floor level , but make sure that at least the front of the appliance rests on the actual installed floor.
 
Should the laminate joints be glued for kitchens and bathrooms?
 
Should the laminate joints be glued for kitchens and bathrooms?
Yes, definitely. Even with a click-system in these areas where there is always more moist it will give your floor a better protection against drips and spillages (not against floods or big leaks, these will find their way underneath everything)

As for underneath appliances, we use plywood of the same thickness - do leave an expansion gap between plywood - wall and plywood - laminate floor.
 
Glues can give? Only when there is a moist problem that makes the floor - any floor, be it plastic melamine laminate or solid wood - expand beyond its reach.
A "laminate moisture joint guard" sounds beautiful but will give too. Simple PVAC wood-glue will be cheaper, not very fancy I give you that, but do the trick
 
gotta agree to disagree on that one for me. :p . PVA glue has no flex , and laminates expand and contract all the time, especially when moisture is introduced , be it with extra humidity ,or a plain old spillage Or , even just an end board on a weakend click laminate flooring system (maybe slightly uneven floor or something) . And dont forget this is a kitchen install so extra moisture and humidity in inevitable, from cooking , dishwashers , washing machines , drying laundry , more traffic and of course spillages...

I do agree though , glue does do a good job , but over time would not be effective as a flexible joint guard especially in a kitchen. But it is cheaper and still much much better than nothing
 
Been using PVAC wood-glue in kitchen floor installations (real wood, not the plastic stuff) for many years, never seen it give in normal circumstances.

But as you say, lets agree to disagree on this one ;)
 
When I got my laminate floor fitted in my kitchen just under 6 months ago from http://www.*********.com I asked them this question and they told me it was best to fit the units and then add the kick board.

I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question but since the topic is about kitchens and laminate flooring I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips on how best to clean it. I have been using vinegar and water with a damp mop but someone told me that the excess water and vinegar could damage my floor. Is this correct?
 

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