Lay Quickstep Laminate before kitchen install?

[curium]

Hi

We have had to remove the floor of the ground floor of the 1930s semi-detached we moved into in order to access and alter various services in the void.

22mm t&g chipboard is now being laid. We have a plasterer coming to sort the walls out.

The missus has ordered some quickstep laminate that she wants laid with new skirting before the kitchen is delivered in March.

So far so good. Laying flooring in an empty room sounds great to me. My only concern is caused by some people saying that you can't lay a floating floor and then place kitchen units on top. Apparently it will stop the floor being able to expand and cause 'tenting'.

Anyone with experience able to comment on this please? I really would rather cover the whole kitchen while it's empty. Kitchen floor area is 17 m². Units will be around the edges.

Cheers

 

[Deleted member 292770]

That’s nonsense. there won’t be a problem. just make sure your expansion gap is maintained around the perimeter.

 

[dazlight]

I can never understand why people think you can a laminate under a kitchen. You shouldn’t as you are then laying a kitchen on top of a floating floor. So your kitchen units won’t be solid. Also expansion is needed on the laminate which it will restrict. Yeah you can get away with it but seen loads of big areas buckle going under and repaired a few of them.

Just do it right. Fit kitchen. Leave end panels off, skirts and plinths and fit them at the end.

 

[crazydaze]

As Dazlight says, fit the Kitchen first, then flooring after, you can't install the kitchen directly on top of the laminate as it will trap it and the kitchen won't be installed on a solid surface. Second option would be to fit the laminate first and hole saw the laminate for the legs of the units leaving plenty of expansion gap so they can be fitted direct to the subfloor through the laminate. The down side to this method is that if you ever want to change the flooring or repair it, it will be a nightmare.