We often get asked if vinyl flooring can be installed under cabinets. Well, the answer isn’t cut and dry. The two most common installation types of vinyl plank flooring is Click-Lock or Glue-Down installation. Depending on which you install, you may be able to install under cabinets.
Click-Lock Installation
If you are installing click-lock vinyl plank flooring, you should NOT install under cabinets. Since your floor will be floating on the subfloor and connected solely by the locking system, it needs space to expand and contract with temperature changes. If you install heavy cabinetry such as kitchen cabinets on top, it will inhibit the floor from expanding and contracting, and can lead to issues such as buckling and damaged locking systems. As for furniture, it is okay to have furnishings on top of your floor. Invest in felt pads to attach to the bottom of your furnishings so any movements do not damage your vinyl plank flooring.
By installing the flooring after cabinets, it will also be easy to uninstall and re-install if any leaks happen, or a design change is needed.
If you already have click lock vinyl flooring installed and do not want to uninstall in areas where cabinets will go, you can opt for floating cabinets that do not put weight on the floor. These are especially popular in bathrooms and laundry spaces!
Glue-Down Installation
If you are installing glue-down vinyl plank flooring, it is okay to install under cabinets. Since the planks will be glued down to the floor, they will not contract and expand with temperature changes. If you are working with an empty space, it is most definitely easier to simply lay the entire surface without complications and later install cabinets such as kitchen cabinetry. As for furniture, it is okay to have furnishings on top of your floor. Invest in felt pads to attach to the bottom of your furnishings so any movements do not damage your vinyl plank flooring.
Are you thinking about installing vinyl in your kitchen? Have more questions? Write them in the comments below and we would love to help you!
Learn More:
- What mm thickness do I choose when I buy vinyl flooring?
- How Should I Prepare for my Vinyl Flooring Installation?
- Can I put vinyl plank flooring over vinyl sheet flooring?
73 comments
I’m puzzled. My cabinets don’t weigh nearly what my refrigerator, washer, dryer, piano, or bed weigh. Should we not use luxury vinyl tile under any of this? I guess the gun safe is also off limits. If the thermal expansion is this drastic, won’t the flooring have issues everywhere?
Hi Paul. You would be able to use a vinyl tile with a refridgerator, washer, drying, piano, and bed, as long as the weight does not exceed 500 pounds. Cabinets are unable to be installed on top of laminate and vinyl because they are typically anchored to the floor, which will pin the floor to the subfloor preventing it from expanding and contracting properly.
Can you fit rigid core vinyl tiles on top of ceramic tiles without having to fill in/level the grout lines?
Hi Lesley. You would be able to install rigid core vinyl tiles over ceramic as long as the grout line are no more than a quarter of an inch in difference. You always need to make sure that the ceramic tile is completely level in order to install a floating floor on top of it.
I am installing floating vinyl plank in a kitchen that has sliding pantry doors. What do you recommend I do, since the bottom track needs to be screwed into the floor. The planks will be running the same direction as the track.
Hi Sue! We’d recommend that you screw the track into the subfloor. You would be able to place the track between the planks much like you were running a transition molding piece there. Make sure you leave a quarter inch expansion gap as well.
Can or should you install floating vinyl flooring under refrigerator stove and dishwasher ?
Hi Jack, Yes you would be able to install floating vinyl or laminate flooring under a refrigerator, stove and dishwasher as long as those items are not anchored to the floor.
I’m installing a 5mm loose lay vinyl plank on a concrete subfloor. Installing it with a perimeter glue down. Can I install cabinets over it and place my refrigerator on it?
Hi Cindy! If the vinyl that you are installing is glue down to the floor and doesnt “float” anywhere, you would have no issue with installing cabinets on top and having your refrigerator on the floor.