Tiling kitchen floor - before or after base cabinets fitted?

[kitchenchaos]

Our empty kitchen is needing to be levelled (self levelling) and tiled with 45mm ceramic tiles. We have had differing opinions on the professional finish and want to know which is actually best - to tile wall to wall whilst the room is totally empty or leave tiling until all base cabinets are in place and just tile to be under the kickerboard?

Does it make a difference to the end result? Where is the centre of the room measured if tiling is done after the base cabinets are in? To say our kitchen to date has been a nightmare is an understatement so we want to ensure the floor looks great.

 

[gcol]

Given the choice, I'd always recommend tiling the whole floor. The tiles will by far outlast the units so it's likely that the kitchen units will be changed in the future but the tiles will remain. The chances that your new kitchen matches the floor layout of the previous kitchen would be slim so you'd have a job to patch up the floor. If you tile the whole floor it's dead easy to move the kitchen about as you wish.
Have a look at the tiling stick for laying out tips but ignore the kitchen units when laying out the floor tiles.

 

[danlightbulb]

Our kitchen has been tiled under the kickerboards by the previous owner.

Now we want to replace the dated kitchen and have got to do something with the missing tiles in several places.

As gcol said, full tiling will be much better long term and it will be easier to level the units and fit free standing appliances if you are having them.

 

[roboughton]

My last kitchen we did wall to wall for what it costs do it now rather than struggle in the future, if the existing tiles had been done they would not have been replaced by us.