Installing luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring in a kitchen presents unique challenges, particularly when navigating around permanent fixtures like base cabinets. The short answer to whether you can put LVP under cabinets is a definitive yes, but the process requires careful planning and specific techniques to ensure a polished, long-lasting result. Homeowners often choose to leave the material intact beneath heavy fixtures to avoid the difficulty of cutting precise holes or to create a seamless visual flow across the floor.
The Practical Benefits of Leaving LVP Under Cabinets
From a practical standpoint, leaving LVP installed beneath the cabinets offers significant advantages regarding installation speed and overall stability. Removing the planks, cutting holes for legs and plumbing, and then re-laying the material is a time-consuming process that adds substantially to labor costs. By keeping the floor continuous, installers avoid the risk of damaging the planks during removal and reduce the potential for installation errors. Furthermore, this approach maintains the structural integrity of the subfloor, preventing uneven surfaces that could occur if the flooring were repeatedly taken up and reinstalled.
Achieving a Seamless Look
A major aesthetic benefit of this method is the creation of a seamless look in the kitchen space. When LVP runs uninterrupted under the base cabinets, it draws the eye across the entire room, making the kitchen appear larger and more cohesive. This is particularly effective in open-concept homes where the kitchen flows into the living or dining area. The human eye naturally follows the clean lines of the flooring, and eliminating the visual break that cut planks would create results in a more sophisticated and expansive aesthetic.
Addressing Height and Clearance Concerns
One of the primary technical considerations when leaving LVP under cabinets is managing the vertical space. Standard LVP planks have a thickness ranging from ¼ inch to ½ inch. If the kitchen cabinets are floor-to-ceiling, placing the LVP underneath can raise the height of the cabinet slightly, potentially causing it to touch the floor or ceiling trim. To mitigate this, professionals often use a thin laminate shim underneath the cabinet bases to maintain the intended gap, ensuring the cabinets sit level without putting stress on the floor material.
Transition and Trimming
How the LPE transitions at the front of the cabinets is the key to a high-end finish. Instead of trying to cut the planks flush with the cabinet toe kick, many installers recommend butting the planks tightly against the cabinet base. The gap between the very edge of the plank and the cabinet leg is then filled with a matching quarter round or a custom wood shoe molding. This hides the precise cut of the LVP while providing a durable edge that withstands daily wear and cleaning.
Potential Drawbacks and Mitigation Strategies
While leaving LVP under cabinets is practical, it is not without potential drawbacks that must be addressed during the planning phase. The primary concern is the inability to access the area directly beneath the cabinet for future repairs. If the plumbing under a sink leaks or the garbage disposal malfunctions, replacing the specific plank of LVP can be invasive and require destructive cutting. To prepare for this, installers should label the specific plank or keep a spare piece in storage to ensure a perfect match if repairs are ever necessary.
The Spill and Moisture Factor
Even with high-quality LVP, moisture management is critical when the material is trapped under a sealed cabinet. While LVP is waterproof, standing water that seeps into the seam at the back of the cabinet can lead to issues with the subfloor or the adhesive bond over time. To combat this, it is essential to maintain a small gap between the very back edge of the LVP and the cabinet wall. This allows any incidental spills to evaporate or be mopped up without becoming trapped in a hidden pocket, protecting the longevity of both the floor and the cabinetry.
Professional Installation Recommendations
For homeowners attempting a DIY installation, placing LVP under cabinets is significantly more difficult than leaving it in place. The precision required to cut around legs and maintain a square edge is high. Professional installers typically follow a specific workflow: they install the LVP in the main field of the room, cut the perimeter at the cabinet lines, and then slide the cabinets back over the fresh flooring. This "shoe molding method" is widely regarded as the industry standard because it offers a perfect fit every time, hiding the seam with a clean, finished trim piece that requires minimal skill to install.
