Cabinets/Tiles

When installing kitchen base cabinets, as well as laying ceramic tile on the concrete slab, is it preferable to lay tile under the cabinets before installing them, or tile up to the cabinets which are placed directly on the slab?

Is it a waste of tile to have it under cabinets?

I have received opposite opinions from contractors.

Reply to
Jerry
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Some people have reported clearance problems trying to get a dishwasher to slide in the cabinet opening because the iles were thick enough to exceed the minimum oening. Similarly, kickspace heigth amy be too short for some kinds of trim when using thicker tiles.

Not necessarily; Just shim the places that don't show and run the tile an inch or so under the cabinet fronts with whatever scrap you have from the room edges, etc. So maybe you'll spend another $10 or so....no big deal. HTH

A pro cabinet installer might be the best person to ask, not his boss. HTH

Joe

Reply to
Joe

You don't need to use tile (unless you want to) but you DO need to get the cabs up to the floor height for the reason Joe mentions. If the cabs sit 1/4"-1/2" below the floor on the subfloor, once you slide the DW in and put a countertop on, that's it...your DW is locked in. You'll never get it out for repair/replacement. You can use your tile, plywood sheets, or just shims but you want everything sitting at the same height.

--Jeff

Reply to
JB

I would want tile all over. If you ever decide to change the layout, you would not likely find enough tile to fill in. Also, for leaks or spills, it seems that all-over tile might make it evident sooner since there won't be any low spots. Another post mentions difficulty of getting dishwasher in/out. I would also caulk all way around the perimeter to contain spills and leaks and to keep bugs out.

Reply to
Norminn

Since I don't have the tile handy, what would be the best estimate of the height to shim everything up; 1/2 inch to be safe?

Reply to
Jerry

Jerry wrote on 05 Oct 2007 in group alt.home.repair:

I always assume tile is 5/8" thick installed until I see it put down.

You won't know how much to shim until you put the tile down. Tiles come in all kinds of thicknesses. I once put down some cheap Chinese slate that had tiles that were 3/16" on one edge and 5/8" on the other. Every piece was different. Some were even saddle shaped. (Don't let the client buy the tile. 99¢/square foot sounds good until you pay me extra for installation.)

You ultimately have to shim to match the tile plus the bedding. That might vary from one end of the room to the other, depending on the skill of the tiler and the levelness of the subfloor. In any case, your cabinet has to be level, so you set the front edge on the tile, then shim under the back as needed. You'll need different amounts of shim at each point.

However you decide to do it, be sure the floor for the dishwasher opening is level all the way back. You don't want to have to remove tiles to get the dishwasher out when it fails.

Reply to
Steve

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