DIYbanter - View Single Post - Does the tile come first or the kitchen cabinets first ?

wrote:
we're about to lay porcelain tile now that the cabinets are installed.

I would think that grouting is a very messy process. Are there any tips for
protecting the nice maple toe kick facing and caps other than common sense
masking? Installer is planning on a uniform 3/8 in grout line along the
base cabinet/tile interface. This matches the line width between the 18 sq
inch tiles.

Perhaps it's more clever to tile up to the base cabinet and cover the gap
with shoe moulding, though admittedly the grout line would look pretty slick
as long as it doesn't make a mess of everything.

thanks in advance for comments
ml

There are degrees of messy ;o) However grouting doesn't have to be a
slop-it-all-over-the-place affair.

If the wood is raw I would definately recommend it be taped off to
protect it from staining.

If the setter's careful he can grout right up to that wood and not harm
it. It takes a little care and cleaning with a clean damp sponge as you
go, just as it does with the tile install process, but any haze left
over will come off easily with a clean cloth or cheese cloth and a
little lemon oil. Same as is quite often used for removing the haze off
of the tile itself.