Install Doors Before Or After Laminate Flooring

Before you begin you need to ensure your sub floor is ready for install.

Install doors before or after laminate flooring.

If you go with carpet that has a pile i don t think it matters either way. This way you will not have to notch the flooring around or undercut the jamb or casing. In most cases given standard flooring heights you will install the cabinets before the floor covering. But if you have to install the flooring first here s a method that will avoid some of the problems i just described.

Now install the notched laminate planks in the doorway. You can use a planer or a power sander to make your. Also maybe others are more careful but i found it s hard not to ding the floor a little bit when doing doors afterwards. Floor covering or finish flooring is the surface that you see and walk on not the subfloor under the underlayment or underlayment between subfloor and finished layer.

Install the notched laminate. Put all the base cabinets in place then mark a line on the subfloor corresponding to the front edge of the toekick. Typically cabinets come before flooring. Laminate flooring is ready to install as long as the base floor is clean and smooth.

The only issue i see installing it after would be you maybe having to trim the length of the jamb a little to fit the rough opening due to the increased height from the flooring. Since most new laminate flooring uses a click lock tongue and groove system you ll have to trim off with your saw the upper groove of the laminate plank that comes before the notched piece. Those are all good reasons to lay a kitchen floor after the cabinets are in.