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Raising a sunken living room requires help from a professional contractor. The expert will remove existing flooring and trim, reroute utility lines with respect to the new floor level, pour concrete to fill the recessed space, and then let the concrete cure. After the foundation is raised up, the contractor will install the new utility lines, repaint the walls, if necessary, and finish the area with flooring and trim.

Whether you install flooring before or after kitchen cabinets depends primarily on the type of flooring you are using. For materials like hardwood, tile, and sheet flooring, the best practice is to install the flooring first. This ensures the cabinets are installed at the correct height and on a stable surface. However, you should not install cabinets on top of floating floors, such as laminate or luxury vinyl plank (LVP). These types of flooring need room to expand and contract with temperature and humidity changes. Placing heavy cabinets on top can restrict this movement, potentially causing the floor to buckle and making the cabinets unstable. For floating floors, install the cabinets first and then lay the flooring up to them. Other reasons to consider installing cabinets before the flooring include saving money on materials (since you won't need flooring under the cabinets) and avoiding potential damage to your new floor during cabinet installation. Additionally, installing cabinets directly on the subfloor might prevent voiding your flooring's warranty.

Laminate flooring is susceptible to expansion and contraction during temperature fluctuations. In the summer, laminate flooring is more likely to expand, possibly giving it a crowned or warped look. In the winter, when temperatures fall, the flooring can contract, revealing gaps between the boards. This is normal and should be expected when you install laminate flooring.

One of the upsides of cork flooring is that it's mold-resistant, so you don't have to worry about mildew or mold growth on wet cork. However, you should always clean up any moisture as soon as possible and use as little water as you need when cleaning. This will help you avoid issues like buckling or swelling in your cork flooring, which often requires replacement, and prevent moisture from seeping into your subfloor, which can cause the dreaded mold or mildew problems.