Flooring and Backsplash Sequence in a Kitchen Remodel

A stylish modern kitchen featuring white cabinets, granite countertops, and a stainless steel refrigerator. Bright and inviting.

Flooring goes in before cabinets only when the floor runs wall to wall. The running record palm springs kitchen remodeling news today cg holds shows that most kitchen remodeling jobs in Palm Springs, CA run into trouble over the order of trades rather than the materials themselves.

Concrete slab prep

A bright modern kitchen with a wooden countertop, white cabinets, and bar stools.

Most flooring in the Coachella Valley lays over a slab. The slab needs to be flat within a small tolerance, usually a quarter inch over ten feet for tile, and cracks get filled or isolated with a membrane. Tile set over a moving crack will crack along it. Self leveling compound fixes low spots, and the slab should be dry before any glue down floor goes over it.

Floor first or cabinets first

Bright contemporary kitchen with sleek stainless steel appliances and ample natural light.

Setting cabinets on top of a finished floor saves flooring material, but a replaced cabinet later means a gap or missing floor under it. Running the floor under everything gives the cleanest future repair. Whichever is chosen, appliances like the dishwasher get a floor height that lets them slide in and out without scraping the new surface.

Tile and the desert modernism look

Large format porcelain tile suits desert modernism, with narrow grout lines and a flat sweep across the open plan. Large tile needs a flat substrate and a back-buttered setting method, or corners lift. Radiant heat is not common in the area, but a slab surface still gets cold on winter nights.

Backsplash layout

The backsplash gets laid out after counters are in and before the hood and outlet covers go on. Layout starts at a centerline, normally the range or the window, so cuts at both ends are even. Outlets extend to the tile surface with box extenders, and the wall needs to be flat and dry, with drywall patched behind the old backsplash.

Range hood wall prep

The wall behind the hood needs blocking for the mounting bracket, since a heavy stainless hood cannot hang from drywall alone. The duct rough-in happens before the wall closes, and the tile is cut around the hood outline.

Grout, sealer and curing

Grout cures over several days, and in dry Colorado Desert air it can dry too fast on the surface and powder. Misting lightly and keeping the room out of direct sun helps. Cementitious grout takes a sealer after it cures, epoxy grout does not, and cabinets and counters wait until the tile is set before any water or heavy loads arrive.