Could I install a kitchen first and flooring later?

[alltheworld]

I desperately need to knock through my galley kitchen into the dining room and fit a new kitchen. Really. The kitchen is more than 20 years old and falling apart..

Ideally I would put new flooring throughout the ground floor beforehand but I just don't think I have the money.

One building suggested I fit planking the depth of any future floor under the units so I could install flooring later. (am thinking plain solid wood)

Is this sensible?

All I have heard is do the flooring first ...

Won't it be more expensive overall and frankly a nightmare to do it this way.

We put the flooring in after our kitchen, although we took up the original floor before we put the kitchen in so it was just on top of the concrete.

It was no bother, the bottom of the kitchen units have kick boards which just needed to be taken off and then put back once the floor is down, this is really straightforward as they just click into the legs of the units.

We have no flooring under the units except underneath the washing machine and the cooker which are the only freestanding appliances. This is so that they can be level, and so that they don't have to go over a lip to get them out.

I have assumed by the way that by flooring that you just mean new tiles or wood/ laminate rather than the actual flooring structure (if that makes any sense).

Our kitchen went in first on top of new concrete floor, then flooring guys laid UFH, three latex layers and then the final top layer, so if the underfloor is sound you should be fine. As a PP said, just the kickboards need to come off and then maybe trimmed if flooring is much higher.

I thought standard practice would be fit kitchen then flooring, at least that's what happened with our extension otherwise you would have flooring where you don't need it out if view under kitchen units

Some people will argue that you can lay flooring after the units have been fixed.

They obviously don't care about the spilled milk, sugary drinks and cats pee that will get through the numerous joints and cuts, nor about the ants.

We also have our engineered oak under the units. Partly because I thought the floor might outlast the kitchen and partly because I wanted to be able to move the fridge and range cooker which are free standing.

Our kitchen man said put the floor in first (less risk of damage) our builder said second (why waste the money putting flooring under an island & units).

We put it in first, with tiles under the island and then 20cm under where the units were going.

Our kitchen went in first. We had UFH and concrete so the kitchen went in first then the floor. The floor doesn't go under the units anyway. The plinths go on after.

You actually should put flooring under the units, right up to the walls - unless you want mice.

We had the kitchen fitted first, lived with bare floorboards for a few weeks, then had vinyl flooring fitted. No problems at all two years later.

I can see the genuine dilemma in this...what happens if you put the floor in first and then the (far more expensive) kitchen - and then in later years want to change flooring?

I don't think I will have money to change anything..the only reason to wait on the flooring is to save money now in the hope I cd afford it later. I could live with the flooring in the rest of the ground floor and I could just tile the kitchen area but as it is open plan I wd like the option of laying new flooring throughout later

Floor first always. I've renovated a number of properties and always lay the floor wall to wall and the fit kitchen.

We don't have mice but we have a concrete floor rather than floorboards if that makes a difference.

Well we have just had flooring laid in new kitchen into open plan area after it was fitted, on the advice of both flooring company and builder. Fits under kickboards. It was expensive flooring (Amtico) and minimsed any risk of damage to it with new kitchen being assembled and fitted.

Korky makes a good point. That's what happened to us. our tiles went down after the kitchen went in and we had a massive mouse problem. Now we are having to change the kitchen. Putting in a free standing washing machine is a nightmare because you can't slide it in and out of the gap as the tiles were cut round the original machine. I have had to go and buy new tiles to put under the new washer. I would never do that again.

In my mind it's bad practise. A good workman can lay down a protective cover over a new floor so the kitchen units can be put in after.
Good luck.

Depends what flooring. Tiling I would do first for the reasons atonof washing mentions. Wood, or any type of click together flooring, I would do second because 1) If you have a leaking washing machine or dishwasher, your wood floor will need replacing and you don't want to have to pull up the kitchen to do it! 2) clik flooring, like laminate and some types of wood boards are essentially floating on the underlay, you want a more solid surface to stand your kitchen on. Easy to install kitchen, floor up to a few inches in and then put plinths on. Less precise cutting of boards needed too which will save time.

I assume you're flooring over a concrete floor as it's an extension, so mice shouldn't be a problem.

Our extension is a timber suspended floor not concrete...