Help! Flooring up to walls or units?

[ClaudiaNaughton]

We’re having new flooring in extension and I’d like it to go back to wall.
Builder says this is never done but just laid to plinth. Do I persist?
I’d rather units went on top of flooring.

Floor to the walls! Your builder is lying. This is by far the most common. We’ve recently done a kitchen replacement for a lady who had tiled to units and didn’t want to replace the floor. It was a nightmare, we had to do some fairly ugly plinth details in places to not show bare floor under the new layout. If she’d tiled to the walls she could have had a much better layout without having to think. Tell your builder you want it to the walls and to stop being lazy.

Definitely the wall. Otherwise you more often than not end up with ugly tiny gaps which are dirt traps and horrible. Also, assuming you mean kitchen units, you can have removable plinths which clip onto the unit legs, and use the space for storing awkwardly large things.

I’ve done 3 kitchens over the years and each has had the flooring to the wall. Insist on it.

I disagree....if you fit to the walls and you then want to change the floor, if it gets damaged for example you will then need to remove the kitchen....this has a knock on effect to tiling/decor etc. I'd fit it to just behind the points then you get a streamlined appearance as it looks like it's fitted to the wall but you safeguard against future issues.

Points = plinths

We've just replaced kitchen and I insisted on flooring to wall.
Our old kitchen was tiled to just behind plinth and the dishwasher had a slow leak which went unnoticed for ages because the water was pooling under the units.

Our builder was all for full floor tiling

We did to just under plinth, so no gaps but easier to replace floor in case of awful accidents and a bit cheaper.

I was told that it depends on the kind of flooring you're having.
Tiles and anything glued down is OK. If it's floating wood or LVT, then you can't.

It’s engineered wood but I do want it to wall. He’s eventually agreed to do under island in case anyone wants to remove it in future. I think he wants to bash on as we’re awaiting screed drying out.

It can be done, and if you want it done insist. He is working for you, and while he is a professional, it's not up to him to decide what you should have, if multiple options are possible. I would not be happy having to argue with my builder over what I want in my own house.

Of course it can and is done. Some people don't have plinths and opt for decorative unit legs instead.

Wouldn't be surprised if this interrupts your builder's intended workflow / planned order of install events.

We are doing up to walls atm . Previous kitchen did up to plinth.

We're doing walks now because it's better for underfloor heating.

up to the wall.
plus use aquaboards in any room where large amounts of water can happen to the floor.

Always wall to wall. Don’t be bumped into anything else.

I have a newbuild house 2 years old, it's got laminate floor to just under the plinth.

TBH it's a bit naff in my view, and my first reaction was that you are the customer, they should do what you want to pay for.

BUT I had a leaking pipe soon after we moved in and the result was that most of the floor in the kitchen was replaced (under warranty). If the cupboards had been built on top of the laminate floor it would have been a huge job to take out all the cupboards. But they would probably have ended up replacing the floor to just under the plinth, and left the damaged floor hidden under the cupboards..

Both points are valid but with engineered wood I'd want it to the wall so could change kitchen at some point. Also agree it MUST go under island.
..

Have you then all got glued down flooring?
I haven't decided on flooring yet and my builders said they will only tile to the wall. However we don't want tiles, I'd like to go for engineered wood.

Well getting wood under island unit but kitchen designer said today that for engineered wood with heavy quartz top it’s better to go to plinth for legs balancing and units have no guarantee with engineered wood under due to possible movement. Tiles are different of course.

Don't forget that wood exposed to light more than wood underneath a kitchen unit will change colour at a faster rate. By the time you decide you want to move the island or layout you may well find the unexposed flooring is a noticeably different shade. And then needs changing.

Indeed! Maybe a future owner (not me) could strip it down to match.

I don't know why you are paying for extra flooring and fitting bothering if a future owner, not you, might move the island!

If it's tiles do the whole room. If it's laminate please please do just under the plinth. If any laminate ever needs replacing then the entire kitchen has to be removed.

This happened to me only 18 months after a new kitchen, our dishwasher hose split and was leaking onto laminate for what turned out to be months.

The entire kitchen had to be removed as I had insisted our builder put laminate to the corners of the room.

If it had been laid to just under the plinth it would have visually been identical but only taken a morning to replace and not the 4 days I was without a kitchen!