wood floors under kitchen worktops?

New build, plan to have solid wood timber floors in the kitchen. IS there a need to floor directly under the kitchen counter tops and central island unit??

I was thinking of flooring under the island unit, but not under the counter tops - it will save me around 5m2 on flooring. Should I do this, or is it a better job to floor the whole area then fit the kitchen units afterwards? Or fit the kitchen units then fit the wooden floors up to meet them?

Any comments would be appreciated.
thanks

Re: wood floors under kitchen worktops??

Roundy# said:

New build, plan to have solid wood timber floors in the kitchen. IS there a need to floor directly under the kitchen counter tops and central island unit??

I was thinking of flooring under the island unit, but not under the counter tops - it will save me around 5m2 on flooring. Should I do this, or is it a better job to floor the whole area then fit the kitchen units afterwards? Or fit the kitchen units then fit the wooden floors up to meet them?

Any comments would be appreciated.
thanks

Click to expand...

Pretty much down to your own personal prefference

Good Luck

Re: wood floors under kitchen worktops??

Are you planning to have a fitted oven and hob, or a freestandin cooker.
With a freestanding cooker, if you place the cooker and then floor up to the cooker, the edge might not look the best and the cooker will be difficutl to remove, if you ever need to remove it.

Re: wood floors under kitchen worktops??

I would imagine there are + and - points.

With my limited DIY knowledge the immediate ones that spring to mind are:

1. If you don't run the floor under the machines this may cause you problems when the machines need to be
replaced i.e. if they are not exactly the same size.

2. If the washing machine or dishwasher leak the water could destroy the floor if the wood goes under the machines. On the other hand if the wood is not under the machines would it automatically flow under the wood?

3. Will the floor be thin enuf to allow the machines to fit in comfortably under the worktops.

Re: wood floors under kitchen worktops??

Chances are in years to come when you change the kitchen you'll change the floor aswell. The counter top should be a standard size out from the wall (maybe 600mm). The guys that are doing your kitchen should know this. We didn't bother flooring under our units and because we used expensive flooring it saved us about €600....

Re: wood floors under kitchen worktops??

My tuppence worth is as follows:

Always continue floor finishes under slot-in appliances, including dishwashers, slot-in hob/ ovens and fridge/ freezers. It's a neater, cleaner job and replacing or accessing appliances later is easier. I wouldn't run timber finishes in under the general run of cabinets, as floating timber floors must be allowed to move and doing so can prevent this happening. However sheet floorcoverings like vinyl and hard finishes like tile can be laid under all cabinetry. There is no advantage to doing this with timber anyway; just run it slighly beyond the line of the kickboard, fit the kickboards and seal the joint afterwards with a clear silicone mastic. The mastic will prevent water ingress and seals what is otherwise a dirt trap.

Re: wood floors under kitchen worktops??

thanks all for the replies - good points made about freestanding applicances and cooker, have noted!