Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Applainces on a floating floor question

My flooring has arrived and I really want to install it correctly.

Our kitchen has stainless steel appliances that are rather heavy (a thought echoed by the comments of the appliance store delivery guys). The range/oven combo is an over-sized beast that is extremely heavy and the refrigerator is not far behind.

In a floating engineered wood floor, should I install the flooring underneath these appliances?

I did read in a couple previous posts that some installed only to the front legs of their appliances. Is this an acceptable method? If so, should I put in an expansion strip near the front of each (hidden underneath) and make a sort of mini floor for each appliance?

The floor should run under all appliances except for the dishwasher. The DW is where you run it just underneath the front leveling feet in most cases.

Best thing you can do is go to a big box store and buy a sheet of thin Masonite and have them rip it into 12" wide strips. Use the strips of masonite to move the appliances when you need to because all wood floors, floating or not, will dent from rolling a Ref. in and out. Keep those strips for routine cleaning.

This has me curious.

I would like to know the reason why this is done for only the dishwasher and why it is not done for the other appliances. It makes me feel better when I know the whys :)

I will be extremely careful with moving the appliances back in place. Thanks.

because there's a countertop over the dishwasher, leaving only a certain amount of vertical space there. usually, laying laminate in that area will make the space too short for the dishwasher to fit back in!

Imagine trying to lift your appliances over the end of the floating floor to pull them out to clean around them

Annette -
I am okay with space under the counter top for both the flooring and the dishwasher. If that is the only reason the other posts mentioned running to the front of the DW, then I should be okay flooring underneath - correct?

Daniel -
I was not thinking of leaving the flooring at uneven levels. My concern was that some of the previous posts I read were doing this; I was guessing it was for some potential expansion problem.

The appliances are awfully heavy in comparison to my old ones and this will be a floating floor. Would the weight even be a concern?

If the weight of these appliances is an issue, I was thinking of using an expansion strip hidden under the front of each appliance. This would make a mini floor under each appliance and allow the main floor to do its expansion thing independently.

If I am all messed up - please let me know. I am a DIY'er that wants to learn how to do this correctly. Only a couple more days of acclimation left before I start :eek:

I don't float a floor under dishwashers because I believe that is just inviting more humidity and moisture issues when it is not necessary. I fill that space with plywood or 2 loose strips of flooring run perpendicular so the DW will roll in and out easily.

i've seen Carpets Done Wright advise that, as long as there isn't an equally heavy object on the opposite side of the room, across from a heavy object, then the one heavy object is okay. it's when you've got heavy stuff on both sides of the room that the floor can get locked down.

Hmmm, the heavier appliances (the range and refrigerator) are across the room from each other. I definitely do not want to "lock" the floor down.

I guess I will go with expansion strip hidden under the front of each appliance so that each appliance has its own mini floor and the main floor will be free to float.

Does anyone see a concern with this idea? I plan on starting the job tomorrow :D

Thanks

Just to gather a concensus similar to this thread - - I just finished trimming a house (someone else did the laminate), and the owner asked if there would be a problem putting a pool table in the middle of a room. I advised against it, but referred them to the installer. My concern was locking down the flooring in the area of the legs, and the weight deflecting the laminate too much. Now that I read your posts, I think maybe I am right. Opinions, please.

Hmmm, the heavier appliances (the range and refrigerator) are across the room from each other. I definitely do not want to "lock" the floor down.

I guess I will go with expansion strip hidden under the front of each appliance so that each appliance has its own mini floor and the main floor will be free to float.

Does anyone see a concern with this idea? I plan on starting the job tomorrow :D

Thanks

if the range is in between 2 lower cabinets, and you won't be able to tell that the laminate stops just under the front edge of it, you're fine. it's fairly easy, or at least very possible, to lift the range up & over that lip to remove it. not so easy when it's done that way with a dishwasher, because of the counter top over it. the fridge, however, needs to sit ON the laminate, so you can roll it in & out & because you'd be able to see the laminate wasn't under it (on the sides). with this arrangement, you'll be fine.

i recall reading a post, and i believe the pro's said pool tables were okay on laminate. i think the reason was because it's in the center and the floor can still expand all around it & out to the sides.

yep, here (http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=235036&highlight=pool+table) it is.