I am putting floating laminate floors in my kitchen. Do I run them under the cabinet toe kicks or up to the and then run a bead of caulk?
joe...take off toe-kicks,floor underneath the cabinets(behind the line of the toe-kicks)rip down the toe-kicks and replace.remember the bottom edge of your toe-kick where it meets your floor is the most visible part...so its better to trim the upper edge before you replace thus keeping a machined edge to the visible side.toe-kicks are designed to be removed and replaced for cleaning purposes...if you run the flooring up and trim, not only is it much more work, it will look wrong too... the expansion gap with trim idea is right for other things;trimming around base board,fire-hearths etc.but not here!
Most laminate floor manufacturers advise a 10mm clearance from all vertical surfaces. Fit beading, sometimes called scotias to cover the gap. Glueing the beading with contact adhesive to the vertical surface only, allows the flooring to expand or contract according to temperature and humidity variations. Failing to leave this clearance can cause buckling and creaking and uneven wear due to raised edges.
Dave C has it exactly right. Remove the toe kick, install floor leaving 1/4 gap, rip toe kick, reinstall toe kick with the factory cut to the floor.
You should run this flooring up to about 1/4 from any vertical surface and then install 1/4 round or base shoe molding to cover the open space left. The molding should be nailed into the vertical surface, NOT into the floor. This will allow the floor to expand and contract without binding. Below is a link to some trim drawings..
Up to the kick , leaving a 1/4 inch gap for the expansion and contraction..Most often done is to cover that gap w/ a shoe molding, nailed to the toe kick. This has to be done all around the perimeter (gap) so a shoe molding is put all around the perimeter too. 3/4 shoe is the recommendation from every laminate maker I ve put in. Caulking , you won t be able to get a nice looking bead since the gap is a 1/4 inch.Plus you cant get the board cuts all perfect anyway, to make it look good. You can paint or stain molding to match baseboards. GL
