Laminate flooring install question

We are looking to replace the flooring in the kitchen and dining room with a laminate floor (all the same style).

The current kitchen flooring extends underneath the cabinets, so I assume I have to lay the new laminate on top? I'd like to pull all of the flooring, but not sure how to pull the kitchen flooring without cutting it along the cabinet edges.

If I lay the new flooring on top in the kitchen, then I assume I need to lay on top in the dining room as well in order to keep the floor level between the rooms?

Pic shows the current different floorings. A is the dining room, B is kitchen.

 

You could use a reducer to go from B to A. If you lay on top of A it'll change your baseboard situation as well.

 

Depending what that material is in the kitchen.....is it vinyl? I'd cut it at the cabs. lay flooring 1/4" away from the cabs and use quarter round and trim it up. For kitchens we usually did stain to match the cabinets for the quarter round, but white also loooks REALLY clean. Personally I'd rip up both floorings and cut at the cabinet (hoping it's vinyl) and just lay the new stuff with some new quarter round.

 

A pic of a loose piece of the kitchen flooring is attached. What's the best way to cut it cleanly at the cabinets?

My preferred method is to rip both floors out. Just seems like the cleanest and right way to do it. I would finish off the cabinet edges with the quarter round.

 

What he said... Though it took my a full weekend to rip all of the old flooring up. (i had ceramic tile).

 

@1UPPER

 

Probably have to recut any door trims as well.

 

My guess is that is laminate. It has no glue......you should be able to chisel out a board in the middle of your kitchen, and they should all come out like legos. The stuff under the cabinet should slide right out. I'm assuming that is laminate with some sort of padding or water barrier underneath?

 

If you are able to get the old stuff up and the thickness is the same, you may not have to do this. I'd be prepared to however.

 

Or pull up that piece of T trim and start yanking. 20 minute job.

 

Thanks fellas, I'm anxious to get started on it. Perhaps this weekend. I'll follow up with results!

 

If I'm understanding this correctly you can use a multi tool to cut up to the base cabs..it will be quick and easy then replace with your quarter round after install of new flooring..

 

Thats how I'd do it but you need to pull all your baseboard.

 

Easy peasy..

 

If you need to raise up the flooring, you can get sheets of 1/4" plywood and staple it down to the subfloor (not sure if you are on a slab or not)

 

First make sure that the existing flooring actually goes FULLY under the cabinets, and not just under a toe-kick face board. I just replaced all my cabinets and the original install we went OVER the laminate, but on the replacement I cut the flooring and then shimmed the cabinets up to match the original floor height. After doing that, there is a face/skin toe-kick board on the cabinets that does sit over the flooring to leave a finished look.

If it does go fully under the cabinets, get an oscillating tool to cut tight to the toe kicks. For the longest time, I couldn't understand what someone would use one of these tools for...until I started to do remodel work in my house (which I built new 15 years ago). Now, I will never not own one!

Try to get new flooring that matches (or at least is close) to the thickness of the old flooring so that your finished edge to the cabinets isn't off. And, when done, use a quarter-bead trim (also called a shoe molding) to cover up any small transition/gap at the bottom of the kicks, or apply a new toe-kick over the old one (just some 1/4" plywood that is finished to match the cabinets).

 

I really appreciate all of the helpful tips! I'm sure once I get into it I'll have more questions.

@RainMan_PNW , I am not positive if the old kitchen floor goes all of the way under cabinets. I know it at least extends part of the way. I'll try to pull up a section near the transition molding to see if I can tell more.

 

PNW worded that much better. Couple options. Either the flooring was put in before the cabs and cabs sit directly on it. Alternatively, the cabs sit on foundation (slab or plywood) and the flooring just butts up to it, covered by molding. One will make life easier on you.

 

If cabinets are built on top buy a generic/ cheap toe kick saw. Cuts alot faster than an oscillating tool.

 

Im in a similar situation. Between my kids and dogs , they have destroyed the shitty laminate flooring that our builder installed 5 years ago. I will never use any wood like product ever again. Ever.
We replaced all the carpet upstairs with the Life Proof vinyl / PVC type flooring. Its amazing. looks like wood , has a sound damper pad installed and all clicks together like a big Lego set.
Its water proof and looks new after one year of heavy traffic.

 

All good advice. The oscillating tool will also help when working around door openings. I used oscillating tool to cut out the door trim on bottom so I could slide the flooring under it to give it a cleaner look. I would also recommend going with a thicker laminate if you can. And use a good underlayment/pad. It will help it sound more solid when walking on it...and less "tip-tap-tip-tap" sound.

 

I might just need to buy one of these, even though my project is almost done. But get the oscillating tool too...cuz TOOLS!

 

Always like an excuse to add to the tool collection

 

It sounds like you've already got the right answer. Pull all your baseboard off before you start and rehang when you're done. Tear out both floors down to the sub floor. Use an oscillating multitool to cut the flooring away from the cabinets. This tool works great to undercut door jambs for your new flooring too. Start on the longest wall and lay your new flooring throughout both rooms. Run your flooring under the stove but not under the dishwasher. (if you ever have a leak you will thank me) Use a couple scrap pieces to make some runners for the dishwasher feet to slide in/out on or you are going to be pissed if it ever needs to come out again. Read the instructions on your flooring before you install it. Every manufacturer has their own spec on spacing and offsetting seams.

I used to install flooring professionally and have done this same thing many many times. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

 

What he said!!

 

@JH5370 thanks for the tips, much appreciated!!

So I peeled away the vinyl decorative trim that was along the bottom edge of the cabinets near the floor. You can definitely see the flooring extending underneath.

I'm going to grab a multi tool and plan to cut the old flooring. When the new flooring is in, I'll put the decorative trim back along the cabinet bottom, and add the 1/4 round molding.

 

Ok so maybe I'm overthinking this somewhat. The same flooring is going in the dining room and kitchen. It will run left-right when looking at the pic (opposite of how the dining room flooring is now). We like that layout much better as it flows towards the door.

Where do I start? I was going to start at the dining room long wall (not in the pic), and continue into the kitchen. My concern is moving the stove and refrigerator since these would be last. I don't want to drag them across the new flooring if I don't have to. Is that how I should start and just be careful with the appliances?

 

Start on the longest wall / in an orientation that you want the flooring to run. This is an advantage to floating floor, you get to decide which direction looks best. This is also going to give you the best finished product. You don't want a bunch of transition trim pieces between every room.

Go down to Home Depot and pick up a couple sheets of Masonite. Cut them in half so you have two pieces each to slide your fridge and stove on. Leap frog them on the Masonite to a location on the finished floor that is out of your way. This will protect your flooring from damage. The best way to move appliances is with rollers. Something like this

$25 SoftTouch 18 1/4" to 28" Expandable Heavy-Duty Appliance Rollers, 3000-lb Load Capacity, Brown (1 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/SoftTouch-4260795N-Waxman-Expandable-Appliance/dp/B004670WB0 . I can't stress this enough, make sure your floor is clean before laying down your Masonite and no matter how tempting, don't roll them off the Masonite. The weight of a fridge will leave dents in the floor. When you are ready to put the appliances back, just do this in reverse.

 

Appreciate this, will be getting the sheets of hardboard as suggested!