Replacing Hardwood Flooring with Built-Ins

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wcheaib

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Hi - I had a general question about replacing hardwood flooring in instances when my kitchen cabinets, island and family room built-ins are sitting on top of the floor. Do you typically (1) replace the flooring around the cabinetry or (2) remove the cabinetry, replace the floor to the walls and reinstall the cabinets? What's the right way to do this? Thank you.
 
Typically, unless the cabinets are coming out anyway, one would install back up to them. In an ideal world you would want to remove them in the instance that you are putting in a "forever floor" but in most cases and with most engineered woods, the cabinets will outlive the floor anyhow and why bother.

From an installation point of view, or I suppose removal, it is still less work to run a toe kick saw along the cabinets than it would be to removed bottom cabinets. I can say I have never once removed cabinets to install floor covering unless they were being replaced.
 
Toe kick saw for the win. Use both hands with a firm grip and wait until the blade comes to a complete stop before you lift the saw out of the cut. Multi tool will finish off the cut where the saw doesn’t reach.
 
Thanks Mark & CJ. The floor is finished on site so its installed raw, sanded and then stained. It will also be the same 3/4" as the existing floor. Sorry should have mentioned that. Does that change the process or still leave the cabinets in and install the floor up against the toe kick? Is there any gaps as you hit the base of the cabinets? I'll hire a pro top do this. Just want to make sure I do it once. Thx
 
With a floor like that, if there is any chance in the next few years you are doing the cabs you might consider it. It really comes down to the expectancy of your situation.
The best advice I can give on the matter is that there is nothing wrong with leaving cabinetry in place to install, sand, stain or finish hardwood floors.
There are benefits to removing them, but that is a huge ask for something that may never matter
 
Thanks Mark. I don't plan on replacing the cabinets. And honestly I don't care about the fact that the flooring below the cabinets will be different. I do care that I don't see any gaps where the new floor abuts the base of the cabinets and that the base of the cabinets are not damaged by sawing around them. But it sounds like this is done all the time.
 
It is, often you will either need molding around the base of your cabinets or reface the toe kicks or if they can be removed that is even better. There does come a point where you have to accept some things with in place objects but for a run of the mill installation it is more than possible.
 
Generally you will have to use base, 1/4 round or shoe mold to cover the gap but that’s a lot better than having to R/R your cabinets, countertops, sink and who knows what else.
 
I have over $100k worth of high-end cabinets. I can't put shoe mold around it. It'll look like garbage. Sounds like I'm removing and reinstalling cabinets then. I thought the tools you had mentioned get the cut super close so you don't see a gap. If that's not the case and the solution is shoe mold, I will have to resort to removing and replacing the cabinets after the new floor is in.
 
Toe kick saw gets dead nutz flush to the cabinets but you have to leave an expansion space in your ‘new’ floor. Your old floor is essentially a verticals abutment just like a wall. I sure wouldn’t be pulling cabinets if I could put shoe mold down but the hardwood guys will certainly thank you.
 
Yeah, I'm with you on this one. If you are looking at some hella swanky cabs there is a good possibility you might want to remove them seeing as there is no way to have that gap be seamless once you make it, or should I say no way that is an acceptable installation method for hardwood flooring.

As C.J. mentioned, they are a flush cut tool, however the small limiting factor here is the installation of hardwood.
If indeed you do not have removable kicks and gables, your only option without having something else installed to the cabinets is to have them removed. An installer would be more than able to marry those hardwoods to your cut line with nary a visual but the installation would not be sound and that is not a risk anyone should be willing to take.
 

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