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.

On Oct 4, 11:28 am, Jerry wrote:
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?

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.

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

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

I have received opposite opinions from contractors.

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

Joe

On Oct 4, 5:02 pm, Joe wrote:
On Oct 4, 11:28 am, Jerry wrote:

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?

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.

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

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

I have received opposite opinions from contractors.

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

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

Jerry wrote:

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.

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.

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:08:52 -0700, JB wrote:



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

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?