TomInNC Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 I am moving into a new house that needed new floors in the basement. The initial plan was to put in engineered hardwood. I was then going to build some cabinets and install them over the flooring over the course of the next few months. There was an issue getting the engineered hardwood in, but the supplier has a similar LVP in stock. It is my understanding that the installer is going to leave the floor floating, as opposed to gluing it down. I was reading the documentation for the flooring. In one part of the document it says to never install cabinets on top of the LVP. In another part of the document, it says that you can install cabinets over the LVP, but it voids the warranty. Have any of you installed cabinetry after LVP was installed? If you removed the LVP prior to installation, how difficult was it to remove the section under the cabinets? The cabinet will be comprised of two base cabinets, so we're not talking about a ton of weight here. We aren't planning on being in the house for long, so if this is going to be a giant headache to install, I will look at other options. I am also struggling to follow the logic of why you cannot install cabinets on LVP while there are no warnings about heavy furniture. The documentation makes reference to allowing for expansion and contraction. Unless I'm missing something entirely, if the cabinet is secured to the wall but not the floor, isn't the floor free to expand and contract under the cabinet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 Installed the LVP in my wife’s craft building but installed the cabinets first and floored around them. I would imagine that their logic is that the cabinets will still sit on the floor and could restrict the movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/11/2023 at 9:30 PM, Coop said: Installed the LVP in my wife’s craft building but installed the cabinets first and floored around them. I would imagine that their logic is that the cabinets will still sit on the floor and could restrict the movement. What @Coop said is correct it would restrict the floor from movement and it could buckle. Having said that it would be really easy to cut it out when your ready to put the cabinets in then cut it around them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted July 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/11/2023 at 10:42 PM, pkinneb said: What @Coop said is correct it would restrict the floor from movement and it could buckle. Having said that it would be really easy to cut it out when your ready to put the cabinets in then cut it around them. Ok. I was hoping that it would be easy to cut out. Is there a rotary tool or something like that you would recommend to cut out around the cabinet base in the installed floor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted July 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 I did find the video below on removal. Any idea what kind of saw that is? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 An oscillating multi-tool would likely do as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 Agree on the OMT and removal with 1/4" clearance for movement. I do find this interesting though. This shouldn't be a weight issue. Otherwise you could stand a fully loaded China Hutch, book case, or buffet on LVP either. I am assuming it is the size of the lower cabinet footprint, the fact that they are often connected to the wall, and the possibility that some installers would also connect lowers to the floor(?). Better safe than sorry. Certainly a small circular saw would handle the accessible long runs. I would be inclined to rent this as opposed to buy something I may never use again. After that the last few inches and hard to get to spots . . . OMT to the rescue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted July 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 After reading through the install documentation, I almost wonder if this is a CYA from the installer because of the warranty. There are multiple references to how the warranty doesn't include the cost of removing cabinetry or anything installed directly on top of it. I don't have an OMT nor have I ever used one. Is there a way to limit depth of cut to avoid going too far into the subfloor? Any OMT recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 7:29 AM, TomInNC said: I did find the video below on removal. Any idea what kind of saw that is? Dremel saw-max. A mini-circular saw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 10:13 AM, gee-dub said: Agree on the OMT and removal with 1/4" clearance for movement. I do find this interesting though. This shouldn't be a weight issue. Otherwise you could stand a fully loaded China Hutch, book case, or buffet on LVP either. I am assuming it is the size of the lower cabinet footprint, the fact that they are often connected to the wall, and the possibility that some installers would also connect lowers to the floor(?). Better safe than sorry. Certainly a small circular saw would handle the accessible long runs. I would be inclined to rent this as opposed to buy something I may never use again. After that the last few inches and hard to get to spots . . . OMT to the rescue. I think you are right on its the fact that the base cabinet is attached to the wall where the china hutch is not. I also think that the risk is low but its pretty easy to do it the right way so I personally would go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted July 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 Since the trim is already installed, I guess I have some options regarding how to fit the cabinet against the wall: (1) remove the entire run of trim on the wall, install the cabinets, then cut the trim to size and replace, (2) leave the trim in place and try to cut the cabinet back to fit around the trim, and (3) leave the trim in place, make the cabinets, then cut the trim to fit the back of the cabinet. Is one of these approaches considered best practice? Since this is my first attempt at base cabinets, I'm looking for whatever is the least error prone, and at this point I'm leaning towards either (1) or (3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 5:37 PM, TomInNC said: Since the trim is already installed, I guess I have some options regarding how to fit the cabinet against the wall: (1) remove the entire run of trim on the wall, install the cabinets, then cut the trim to size and replace, (2) leave the trim in place and try to cut the cabinet back to fit around the trim, and (3) leave the trim in place, make the cabinets, then cut the trim to fit the back of the cabinet. Is one of these approaches considered best practice? Since this is my first attempt at base cabinets, I'm looking for whatever is the least error prone, and at this point I'm leaning towards either (1) or (3). Typically the trim would run up to the cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted July 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 7:06 PM, pkinneb said: Typically the trim would run up to the cabinet. Since the trim is already in place, would it be easier to pull the whole run of trim off, install the cabinets, then reinstall the trim? Or would it be easier to cut the trim while it is still attached to the wall? I've never used an oscillating tool before. It looks easy to cut through installed trim in Youtube videos, but then again, everything looks easy in youtube videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted July 13, 2023 Report Share Posted July 13, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 6:50 PM, TomInNC said: Since the trim is already in place, would it be easier to pull the whole run of trim off, install the cabinets, then reinstall the trim? Or would it be easier to cut the trim while it is still attached to the wall? I've never used an oscillating tool before. It looks easy to cut through installed trim in Youtube videos, but then again, everything looks easy in youtube videos. I would pull it off the wall. If your lucky it will have been put up with a pin nailer and not be hard to pull off or do much damage to the trim. Oscillating tools are not known for their fine finish and while valuable I would prefer to recut the base board on a miter saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 13, 2023 Report Share Posted July 13, 2023 LVP scores easily with a Stanley knife. This leaves an oscillating tool the job of rough removal, with much less chance of damage. A small battery circ saw would also work a treat. If the LVP has a built in backer, only cut the vinyl with a power tool. Cut the backer with a Stanley knife. Cabinets rarely sit on finished floors. There are few exceptions, I would suspect don’t apply here. Most have to do with flooring depth making counter height impractical. A shoe installed to the cabinet base will hide the cut line. I would skin the cabinet end if it is a blank face, rather than putting the shoe there. I would remove the trim and reuse it, but that is a skill I practice often. I have special trim removal tools. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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