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How do I cut the tile where the bottom of the cabinet touches the floor?
QUESTION
Install Floor Tile at Cabinets - I'm planning on changing my ceramic tiles in the house. My problem is how do I do it without moving the kitchen or vanity cabinets? I can move the fridge and stove to re-tile, but moving the cabinets is a big undertaking. Is there any device where I can cut the tile where the bottom of the cabinet touches the floor?ANSWER
ANSWER - You don't need to remove your cabinets. You should use a wet saw with a diamond blade to cut to the cabinets, but leave a 1/4" wide open joint between the tile and cabinet for expansion.Fill (caulk) that 1/4" joint with a 100% silicone or a urethane sealant that meets ASTM C920. I would recommend putting a tile base or wood base on top of this to cover the joint, so it looks better.
If the tile does not come with a base trim then cut 3" to 4" off the end of a tile with the uncut tile edge up. Some edges will have a glaze over-spray and look better so use those.
I would also undercut at the door jams so the tile slides under the jam rather than try to cut around the door jam. Be sure to leave a gap between the tile edge and back edge under the door jam.
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Is it better to remove the cabinet toe kick and then replace it after tiling to avoid having to make these precise cuts and sealing?
If you can easily remove the cabinet toe kick, then that would be a good idea. That way the tile extends under the toe kick and you don’t need to have a resilient movement joint if the edge of the tile is not butted up to an adjacent restraining surface.
The cabinet sticks out a few inches beyond the base. How do you cut flush to the base of the cabinet?
You don’t cut flush to the cabinet. You need to have a 1/4″ wide joint between the floor tile and the cabinet. You can either cover that joint with a tile base adhered to the toe kick or you can fill that joint with a foam backer rod or bond breaker tape with at least 1/4″ thick ASTM C920 sealant over it to make it a resilient joint.