Q:Going to install kitchen cabinets this weekend. I have wide pine floors which run under the cabinets. The cabinets have flat fronts (no recessed toe kick) so they will simply rest on top of the floor. The kitchen cabinets are L-shaped. In one direction, the floor is perfectly level, while in the other direction it's about 1/4 inch out of level over a 10 foot run. Will installing the kitchen cabinets as is (slightly out of level) cause any issues. Appliances are not an issue as I have a seperate cooktop, the stove mounted internally and the dishwasher in an island.

A:1/4" over ten feet isn't much. At this point it's more cosmetic than anything (unless you typically leave marbles or ball bearings lying around on your counter top), but I have a question. How uncomfortable is it to stand in front of cabinets that have no toe space? Is it possible that these cabinets are supposed to be placed on a job site constructed base?

A 1/4" out of level is no big deal for the floor, but it can be irritating for a countertop. especially if you have a drop in cooktop. Liquids won't be level in a pan and round things will tend to roll off the counter.

Usually, leveling the floor is the more correct fix, but for such a small slope, leveling the cabinets is the way to go. Most cabinetes without a toe kick were designed to be installed on a site built platform. Building a level base solves your problem. Another option is to build the base and shim the cabinets to level when they are installed. Either way, you get a toe kick (they are designed into most cabinets for a reason) and a level countertop.

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