Hey everyone, I had this understanding that the cabinets should be the first ones to go in, especially when dealing with unfinished flooring. The usual drill we follow is installing the cabinets, applying a coat of sealer, letting the trades do their thing, and then getting down to finishing the floors. It's been a reliable sequence for us.

However, I recently had a chat with a contractor who seems to have a different perspective on the matter. I get their point, but I'm a bit skeptical about the height of the dishwasher under the cabinets becoming an issue if we deviate from the usual order.

I guess everyone's got their own take on the best approach. I see the reasoning from the contractor's side, but I can't help but think about potential complications, especially with the dishwasher setup.

Well, that's just my two cents on the matter. Would love to hear your thoughts and if anyone else has a different perspective on the sequence of installing cabinets and finishing floors!

The most practical method to me is to install the cabinet bases/toekicks, install the flooring, then tops of cabinets, then sand and finish the flooring, after the cabinets have been finished. This works only with custom cabinets. Ply under the dishwasher.
European style can have the flooring installed with two coats of finish, then cabinets installed and leveled on the adjustable legs, then the final coat of finish.
The General contractor needs to work with the flooring contractor. The final coat of finish can be done after the counter tops. Toekick trim and base boards installed before the final finish, too.