A kitchen renovation puts two trades on one small floor, and the order you choose changes the price. With a floating floor, the product's own instructions decide how you sequence the fixed cabinets and island. Nail-down floors go in differently, and both routes end up at the same tricky spot: the dishwasher. Here's how the before-or-after decision plays out on floors from our vinyl flooring collection, with the rates and box prices we quote.
Flooring before or after cabinets depends on how the floor is held down
Colour and plank thickness don't settle this. What matters is whether the floor is fastened to the subfloor or floats on top of it.
| Floor in the kitchen | Installation | Cabinet and island sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Riche Flooring Heavy-Duty 8mm SPC vinyl plank | Click-lock, floating | Check that product's installation instructions |
| Riche Greige Oak 10mm SPC vinyl plank | Click-lock, floating | Check that product's installation instructions |
| Goodfellow Canyon No.019 12mm laminate | Click-lock, floating | Check that product's installation instructions |
| Verita European Oak engineered hardwood | Nail-down into the subfloor | Confirm with your installer |
What each kitchen route costs per square foot
All four are in stock. Each price per square foot is the current box price divided by how much floor that box covers. That's why a 10mm plank can cost more per square foot than an 8mm one at the same box price: each box covers less.
| Product | Spec | Method | Box price | Per box | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Flooring Heavy-Duty 8mm SPC Driftwood Mist | 8mm, 20mil wear layer | Click-lock | $59.00 | 16.55 sq ft | $3.56 |
| Riche Greige Oak 10mm SPC | 10mm, 20mil, EVA pad | Click-lock | $59.00 | 11.82 sq ft | $4.99 |
| Goodfellow Canyon No.019 12mm laminate | 12mm, AC5 | Click-lock | $69.99 | 20.18 sq ft | $3.47 |
| Verita European Oak engineered hardwood | 3/4 inch, 3mm top layer | Nail-down | $97.00 | 19.42 sq ft | $4.99 |
Prices as of October 7, 2026.
Labour is where the two routes part ways. In a house we charge $1.50 per sq ft for click-lock vinyl and laminate and $2.00 per sq ft for nail-down engineered hardwood. In a condo, click-lock is $2.00 per sq ft. Nail-down engineered hardwood doesn't have a standard condo rate, so we price it after a viewing.
Why fixed cabinets affect some floating-floor instructions
NWFA says: "Floating-floors should never be installed where future fixed cabinetry (such as kitchen islands) will lock the floor down, as these are considered “fixed vertical obstructions.”" That rule is written for floating wood floors. Goodfellow's Oceanic laminate guide says: "Heavy objects (e.g., kitchen islands, cabinets) should not be placed directly on floating floors." That one covers its Oceanic laminate.
With those floors, the fixed cabinets and island go in first. The floating floor is then laid around them with the expansion space and edge trim the instructions call for. Riche click-lock SPC has its own installation instructions, so look up its fixed-object rule there instead of borrowing another product's.
Does the weight of the island change the answer?
For floating wood floors, NWFA states: "A point load on a single board of more than 600 lbs can keep the floor from floating." That figure is for wood flooring. If you're choosing vinyl or laminate, go by that floor's own instructions.
When instructions differ for fastened floors
Floorify says its gluedown vinyl floors "can be generally installed under heavy objects, like a kitchen island or built-in cabinet, without the need for an expansion gap around fixed furniture."
Verita engineered oak is nail-down only, and our house rate for that is $2.00 per sq ft. If you're thinking of running it under the cabinets, settle the order with your flooring and cabinet installers before you buy. A 3/4 inch floor raises the finished height under the cabinets and at the dishwasher opening.
Check dishwasher clearance against its installation instructions
Before you settle on a finished floor height, read your dishwasher's installation instructions and measure the opening against what they require.
If the countertop was set off the old floor or the subfloor, every bit of new flooring makes the opening shorter. When there isn't enough room, the dishwasher may not slide in, or its door may rub the countertop.
- Floating floor, cabinets first: cabinets and countertop sit on the subfloor. The plank runs around the toe kick and under the opening, and the appliance sits on the new plank.
- Nail-down floor, floor first: the oak raises the whole kitchen, so the cabinets, countertop and opening are all set off the finished wood.
- Either way: measure the opening once the floor is in, and keep the plank clear of the levelling legs.
If a dishwasher won't clear the countertop, the fix is an adjustment, not a change of flooring. Cabinet and door trimming aren't included in our per-square-foot rates. We quote door shaving once we've seen the door.
Laminate in a kitchen adds an underlayment line
Our quote adds underlayment for laminate and for engineered click-lock floors. It's $50.00 per roll, each roll covers 200 sq ft, and we sell full rolls only. A 400 sq ft kitchen works out to 420 sq ft with waste, so that's three rolls. Floating vinyl is different when the listing states an attached pad, as the Greige Oak 10mm listing does.
A 400 sq ft kitchen, with and without the cabinet footprint
Take a 400 sq ft kitchen in a house, with a 32 sq ft cabinet and island footprint. If the floor goes down before the cabinets, you floor all 400 sq ft. If you floor around them, you only pay for the 368 sq ft you can see. We figure both the same way:
- Add 5% to the area for waste and round up to whole boxes.
- Material is boxes times box price, and labour is charged on the area including waste.
- Laminate adds underlayment at $50.00 per roll.
- 13% HST goes on the subtotal.
| Route | Boxes | Material | Labour | Underlayment | Subtotal | HST | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floating SPC, 8mm Driftwood Mist, 420 sq ft | 26 | $1,534.00 | $630.00 | $0.00 | $2,164.00 | $281.32 | $2,445.32 |
| Floating SPC, 10mm Greige Oak, 420 sq ft | 36 | $2,124.00 | $630.00 | $0.00 | $2,754.00 | $358.02 | $3,112.02 |
| Floating laminate, 12mm Canyon, 420 sq ft | 21 | $1,469.79 | $630.00 | $150.00 | $2,249.79 | $292.47 | $2,542.26 |
| Nail-down engineered oak, Verita, 420 sq ft | 22 | $2,134.00 | $840.00 | $0.00 | $2,974.00 | $386.62 | $3,360.62 |
Flooring only the exposed area (386.40 sq ft with waste) brings the totals down:
- 8mm plank: $2,255.03, a saving of $190.29
- 10mm plank: $2,855.06, a saving of $256.96
- Laminate: $2,349.72, a saving of $192.54
- Nail-down oak: $3,065.46, a saving of $295.16
The savings are smaller than the 32 sq ft suggests because the waste allowance and rounding up to whole boxes take a bite. In a condo, click-lock labour goes up to $2.00 per sq ft, which adds $210.00 to each floating route before HST.
What is not in these numbers
These figures cover material, labour, HST, and underlayment where it applies. We confirm the rest when we quote: removing and disposing of the old floor, delivery, condo access, baseboard and transitions, door shaving, subfloor levelling and cabinet work.
For the bigger picture, our flooring installation cost guide lists rates for every material we install. The renovation order guide for paint and drywall covers the other trades working alongside your flooring crew. Our kitchen flooring guide for Toronto homes compares vinyl, laminate and wood, and our comparison of nail-down and floating engineered hardwood explains the two ways of fastening a floor.
Frequently asked questions about flooring and kitchen cabinets
Should the floor go under the kitchen cabinets at all?
That's up to the floor's instructions. NWFA advises against fixed cabinetry on floating wood floors, and Goodfellow says the same for its Oceanic laminate. For the Riche click-lock SPC, check its own instructions before you run it under cabinets.
Can you put a kitchen island on a floating floor?
NWFA's rule is for floating wood floors, and Goodfellow's is for its Oceanic laminate. Floating vinyl products each have their own instructions, so check yours before you fix an island in place.
Should the flooring go down before or after the dishwasher goes in?
Go by the dishwasher's installation instructions. Measure the opening with the planned flooring and countertop height taken into account.
Is laminate flooring laid before or after kitchen cabinets?
Read the installation guide for your laminate before the cabinets go in. Goodfellow's Oceanic guide says heavy objects like cabinets and islands shouldn't sit directly on its floating laminate. Other laminate collections may have different instructions.
Can I install new flooring without taking the cabinets out?
Yes, if the floor's installation instructions allow it. If the floor can't go under fixed objects, the cabinets stay where they are and we lay the planks around them.
Get a kitchen flooring quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your kitchen measurements, the building type and a photo of your current floor, and tell us whether the cabinets are staying. We'll price the sequence you have in mind the same way we did above. You can request a flooring quote here, or come by the showroom and compare the planks side by side.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819