# Pergo question



## bpoppa (Feb 14, 2011)

I am gutting my kitchen, all new floor, cabinets and counters.  And am using Pergo laminate flooring.  Should I install the cabinets and floor around it or install the cabinets on top of the flooring?

Thanks!


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## joecaption (Feb 14, 2011)

Laminite floor is not the best choise for flooring in a kitchen or bathroom.
Any water leak or water spilled on it and not wiped up right away and it's trashed.
Allour flooring would be a better choise, it's sold at Home Depot.
It's 100% waterproof, 25 year warrenty, and is not glued down to the floor below so it can be changed at some point.
Floating laminite floors are never installed under any cabinets, they need to be able to expand and contract, if not they buckle up. There also must be a gap around the outsides and any place they come close to the cabinets.


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## TheMcs (Feb 16, 2011)

I'd install the cabinets first.  You can use laminate flooring in a kitchen or bath, you just have to take some precautions.  Get the matching caulk for your floor, and run a _very_ small bead in each tongue/groove prior to installing each piece.  Too much and it will be a bear to get them locked in.  You might get a little bleed up, just wipe it up with a wet towel.  I did this in our downstairs bathroom over a year ago.  With two kids, water gets everywhere and it's held up perfectly.  A friend did this in his kitchen a couple years ago, no problems there either.


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## Jaz (Feb 17, 2011)

The Mcs, Why do you say....?



> I'd install the cabinets first.



You're implying there is a choice.  There is no choice. 

I don't think much of your caulk method.  There is no way to keep excess moisture from entering that floor.  Even if caulked, a small amount is still likely to get into the surface.  But even if it didn't, how about the perimeter, door jambs ........?  

Those floors can live with a little bit of higher moisture content %, but are not waterproof or even resistant.  Trust me, it's not as 'clean' looking underneath as it may be from the top.  The material can absorb a bit of moisture as can the subfloor material without you knowing it, until it's too late.

Jaz


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## TheMcs (Feb 17, 2011)

Jaz said:


> The Mcs, Why do you say....?


Because he asked if the laminate should go under or around the cabinets.  Do you think it should go under?  That would be something new for me.



Jaz said:


> You're implying there is a choice.  There is no choice.


How does answering a question imply that there's a choice?  Again, I'm curious as to your answer to the OP's actual question.




Jaz said:


> I don't think much of your caulk method.  There is no way to keep excess moisture from entering that floor.  Even if caulked, a small amount is still likely to get into the surface.  But even if it didn't, how about the perimeter, door jambs ........?


To each his own no doubt, but here I am relaying personal experience.  I've seen laminate floor destroyed in nothing flat from moisture, so I know it's not durable to water exposure aside from the finished top.
Perimeter & door jambs - well, around here we use trim, baseboards, transition strips, etc.  Those are caulked as well.  




Jaz said:


> Those floors can live with a little bit of higher moisture content %, but are not waterproof or even resistant.  Trust me, it's not as 'clean' looking underneath as it may be from the top.  The material can absorb a bit of moisture as can the subfloor material without you knowing it, until it's too late.
> 
> Jaz


I never suggested they were water resistant on their own.  But I do believe that by prepping the seams you can keep out the vast majority of water spills.  The plank seams are unforgiving to water, so I do not agree that damage can be done to the underside without knowing it, especially if your entry point is the seam itself.

It really is quite simple to prep laminate floor for sustained use in a kitchen or bath.  It can and has been done.


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## joecaption (Feb 18, 2011)

I've laid miles of laminate flooring in the past and used to think it was a good product, if you take the time to read all the instructions it tells you to first do a moisture test before laying it.
Most but not all also say to not use it below grade, or in an area subject to moisture. It's suggested that in an area such as in a kitchen to use laminate flooring glue not caulking in the joints. 
You also have to allow it to sit in the room at least 24 hours with the packages opened to allow it to acclimate to the temperture and humity in the room.
With the Allour flooring all you have to do is warm it up if it was stored in a cold area and lay it. The whole floor can be laid with nothing more then a pair of snips. It has no flexing under foot, no hollow sound when walked on, can be laid down over almost anything but carpet and tile. No dust when cutting.
I just laid down a 12 X 12 floor all by myself in under an hour and never even used a tape measure. And not one seam shows. And no tapping blocks, spaces, glue, compound mitre saw Z bar needed.
And yes were getting off the orginal posts question, but sometimes we have to if we feel by doing it a differant way it will turn out better, last longer and be easer to do.
What would be your reply be to the question "can I paint my formica counter tops" the ansewer is well yes you "can" paint them, but the real ansewer is you can, but it's never ever going to last.


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## cline (Mar 23, 2011)

I wouldn't dare put laminate in a kitchen. Too much risk of water damage.

+1 also on Allour flooring


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## joecaption (Mar 27, 2011)

If someone asked what brush should I use when painting my cast iron sink with latex paint, should we tell them what brush to use and that all, or should we tell them it's never going to work in the first place?
Why tell someone how to do something that we know may fail and can be done better a differant way.


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