Kitchen Cab / Hardwood Installation HELP

[Michael Roback]

I am remodeling and have hardwood floors going in later this week along with kitchen cabinets. The hardwood guy just says to lay the floor and then place the kitchen cabinets over the oak hardwood floor. I am concerned about leaks and wonder if building a template out of plywood and installing the cabinets over them and then bringing the hardwood flooring up to or perhaps keep the plywood tucked back 1/2": or so, so the hardwood appears to be under the cabs? The cabinet guy says the cabs do not have o be raised as they hav a 4" toe kick and dropping the cab down 3/4" with hardwood around it would leave a 3 1/4" toekick. The hardwood guy says this is too small! Do I just place the cabs on hardwood floor. If so, isn't the hardwood under he dishwasher more vulnerable to water. If I have to replace a board and have the cabs sitting on the hardwood floor, how does one cut under the toekick near the cabs? Help.

[fatman985]

If you are concerned about leaks, don't use wood floors in the kitchen. Wood will always be vulnerable to spills, etc. However, if your dishwasher is installed properly, there shouldn't be a problem with leakage. I've never used wood in a kitchen or bathroom, for that matter, but have used tile and I tile the entire room before installing cabinets, etc. The only place I don't tile is under the bathtub, for obvious reasons.