I am in the process of designing a Modular Home. I am receiving various suggestions from contractor and flooring company. I am having the home sent without the kitchen and floor and am having my own design put in. I am using a local flooring company and a local kitchen design center. I am having Shaw Laminate put down (7" plank) and will be having one wall 12' of cabinets and an island 12' long and 4' wide - Should the floor be placed first or the cabinets, then the floor placed around it. I have been told to have the floor in place under the island before the island is placed, but not down around where the wall cabinets will be placed......so confused here. PLEASE help........

Cabinets first, flooring second. Two reasons: 1) cabinet guys can easily damage the flooring while installing the cabinets and 2) if you elect to change the flooring later, it is very difficult to remove the old flooring if a cabinet is sitting on top of it.

It is EASIER for the flooring contractor to not cut around an island, but a good installer won't have a problem with it.

Regards

Thank you for your reply....I keep getting different thoughts from the cabinet people and the flooring people. They just keep me so confused.

I disagree... it should be floor first. Think about it. If you are starting from scratch than you are obviously selecting a floor that you like so be smart and get a floor that you can keep while changing the decor around it. The last thing you want is to have the tile stop at the cabinets. They should go from wall to wall completely. Plus, when your house settles, you want everything to be settling at the same degree. If your cabinets are on one surface and your floor on another they could begin to look uneven in a few years. You want the floor to move with the tile.