Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Cabinet compatibility question?

We're beginning a full remodel of our kitchen. We'd like to do all the rough work and deal with the new cabinets and counter tops down the road. Floor tile will go around cabinets, not under. It would be great if we can put down the ceramic floor now and then the cabinets later. But... (a big but) do cabinet bases size consistently from manufacturer to manufacturer?

What I mean is - if we figure on a 96" run of cabinets and tile around the base footprint, does Brand A measure 95 3/4", Brand B 96 1/4", and Brand C 96" or are they really the same?

Thanks guys!

I'm not sure about the sizes, but its a good idea to put the cabinets in first. If you get all your tile laid down just right, with little to no room to spare, how are you going to fit shims in there to get the cabinets all level, if the tile is butted up against the base of the cabinet?

Manufactured cabinets are consistent in size. A 36" wide cabinet is 36" wide.

Why not install tile all the way to the wall? There is the potential to lock your dishwasher in because of difference in floor height.

We already have the tile which was originally about $30.00/sf closed out to $9.00/sf - not enough to go under the cabinets and keep some spares. I would raise the dishwasher floor area w/plywood to avoid the locking issue. True, shimming the cabs. would be tricky if we pre-tile around them.

If I can count on the cabinets to run true and know they will cover the planned areas, we can get cheap "filler" tile for under the cabs to keep a continuous floor. Any thoughts on that?

BTW - once in a while someone must replace cabinets while trying to keep the floor intact right?

Thanks guys!

I have been told by some people that they installed 3/4" plywood beneath cabinets to match the height of floor with 1/2" concrete underlayment board and 1/4" tile. Base cabinets are 24" deep.

That's the kind of thing I was originally thinking about. So if I have a bank of cabinets totaling 102" x 24" and leave about 1/4" in both directions for clearance, can I expect that any brand I later install will fit the space without surprises?

As long as you go with the same layout, you should be fine.

The 24 inch depth mentioned above is for the body of the cabinet. Base cabinets have a toe kick which reduces the depth where the cabinet rests on the floor.

Oh, you are correct Wirepuller! How did I overlook that one? So, you'd need at least one row of tile going back under cabinets to accommodate the toe kick area.

OK... so if we go pick out cabinets now and wait to buy them for a few months or at the last minute change design, brands, or manufacturer, so long as we keep the same total footprint (allowing for the toe kick and a little clearance) we can count on the size being OK and I can tile now and not worry about it.

Do I have it right?

Thanks guys!

Height and depth of toe kick area tends to vary among manufacturers. Thank goodness Wirepuller pointed out the need for allowing for enough tile to go under cabinets to accommodate toe kick area. Depending upon cabinet manufacturer the toe kick area can require 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches on the average. Just make sure you have a row of tile that will accommodate the set-back area for the toe kick area. "OK and I can tile now and not worry about it." Yes, but we will. Keep us posted.

Good points! I was not thinking correctly. I should have the tiles go under a couple of inches rather than a clearance gap. That way I'm covered on potential variation right?

One more thing though...

I know the lower cabinets get shimmed underneath for leveling but, is there any floor attachment or is it all wall mounted?

Thanks again!

Base cabinets are fastened to the wall. The face fronts of adjoining cabinets are also fastened together.

About the only thing I can think of that would be fastened to the floor is something like a refrigerator panel where there is no adjoining cabinet or an end panel if a stove or dishwasher is located on the end of a section of cabinets.

I am sure you are aware that cabinets have a long lead time. Order well in advance of when you need them. Otherwise you could be without cabinets for a long time.

Good luck with your project.