Flooring first.

Cabinets first.

A floating floor is NEVER allowed to be anchored by cabinets. I would print of the installation instructions, highlight the section that says NOT to put cabinets on top. Show the installation instructions to the Builder. Ask him/her to UNDERWRITE (that is to GUARANTEE) the warranty they JUST VOIDED!!!

Tell them they will do ONE (lay floors first and CARRY the length of the warranty they just voided) OR they lay the floor PROPERLY. Tell them they have the choice. And that you will have your lawyer draft the Builder's Warranty that they MUST SIGN before they install the floors UNDERNEATH the cabinets.

You do something like that and I can GUARANTEE the builder will sit up and take notice.

And just for good measure, you can then slide the installation instructions through the letter box of all the houses the Builder has built. Just to make sure the OTHER homeowners are FULLY AWARE the builder has screwed the pooch on this one (hmmmm, I seem to be a bit feisty today...sorry about that!).

I stand corrected. I never called for floating floor, only hardwood and ceramic tile, where I expect the flooring to be under cabinets. I just discovered another reason I do not like floating floors.

East vs West.

Factory vs custom cabs

Ah, the always handy "we've always done it this way..." argument.

There would be no problem doing it the way it's always been done if construction materials and methods never changed. However, they're changing all the time. So much so and so rapidly that it's hard to keep up. For builders and architects, it's important to fully research a product before specifying or installing it. I can't believe a production builder--which will use the product in dozens if not hundreds of homes each year didn't do that or didn't ensure the installation requirements were communicated to the field.

I've only installed one floating floor. It was an engineered hardwood floor over what looked like a bubble-wrap underlayment. It was a unique experience walking on the floating floor even without the influence of alcohol (Mark, you might want to consider it for your office.) My concerns are two-fold: 1.) the movement of the floor due to expansion and contraction may be constrained by the base cabinets, and 2.) if there is a similar underlayment to what I used, the compression of the underlayment over time and attendant movement in base cabinets and counters.

The builder's failure to follow the manufacturer's instruction are a concern. They should, in my opinion, 1.) take up the base cabinets and reinstall the flooring per the manufacturer's instructions, 2.) put monies in an escrow account to cover future problems with the floor, base cabinets and counters which occur as a consequence or 3.) give you a credit at closing sufficient to cover the cost of future problems.

Good luck.

I had the same thing happen to me with my basement last year. The contractor said he puts the cabinets on the LVP all the time, even in his own home. Our cabinets were delayed and he wanted to finish laying the floor. I insisted he follow the manufacturer installation instructions, and he did. He left the corner with the bar area and finished that flooring after the cabinets were installed.

Also, if memory serves, make sure they do not nail shoe molding into the flooring either.

Thank you for all of the responses! I have numerous articles and the instruction manual and installation guide ready to show the builder. I have also spoken to various flooring companies who have all said cabinets first. I’m so angry that Lombardo is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. I’m assuming they haven’t been questioned about this by too many people. I won’t be letting this one go.

@User My guess is Lombardo is not intentionally "trying to pull the wool" but is uninformed. As you can see by the opinions expressed above, it varies. Manufacturer's installation instructions are effectively "code".

I'm also guessing that back in the day when 3/4" hardwood was installed in every home, it may have been done before cabinets. I think I saw that on "This Old House" but was usually too busy laughing at their budgets and freebies.

I have another question. Their answer is to add relief cuts. So basically, they will set the cabinets on top of the floor and use the floors as the shim for the cabinets. Then they will cut the floors around the cabinets to provide room for expansion. They would then put quarter round around the cabinets. Thoughts on this “solution”?

I would not want quarter round around my new cabinets. To me, quarter round, always represents an add on or renovation or error. I hate it

"relief cuts"? Call the floor manufacturer and ask them if your floor warranty will be in effect of they make relief cuts. The answer is hell no. Make em fix it right now. The next chance will be on your dime and cost a hell of a lot more then it will cost the builder now.

The cut doesn't provide a gap but at least it allows some movement - just only shrinkage. Whether shrinkage is the dominant movement is hard to tell.

But what about this, the vast majority of shrinkage and expansion is with a wood based product. You are installing vinyl. How much movement do we really expect from vinyl? Or is the backing wood based?

There should be a significant difference between a floating floor based on wood vs one based on vinyl.

And cutting a 1/4 inch (or whatever the specified gap should be) might not be a big deal with vinyl. I remember seeing that you can use a knife - but also that small pieces can be hard to break off.

I have to confess to having never installed a floating vinyl floor but plenty of laminate floating. I have often gone under the recommended gap and been fine.

I hate to say this but if the floor buckles a little bit near the cabinets, the remedy is pretty simple. Remove quarter round and cut 1/4 inch out. Nothing tragic. You aren't ruining a product that will require restaining the whole floor.

Manufacturer's installation instructions are often not followed. Their incentive is perfect install regardless of cost. And their incentive is to get out of warranty coverage by making tough requirements on the install.

The OP also needs to be concerned about the compressibility of the products (flooring and underlayment) that are proposed to remain under the cabinets. Depending on how much they compress over time, it could result in undesirable movement in the base cabinets.

Vinyl expands and contracts far more than wood does. Anyone who has ever had vinyl siding knows how much the pieces have to be overlapped yo avoid gaps during cooler weather.