installing a Kitchen Island on tile .

[JerrySats]

Thanks for all the ideas , each one is great .  The first few responses gave me the confidence to implement my original plan .  It worked great , the diamond bit drilled through the tile like butter . I did make a drill guide out of 1x4  that kept the bit of walking on the tile , worked perfectly .  The 1/4" by 3" long lags into the 2x4  give solid purchase to anchor the cabinets down.   It's a big island and chiseling out all the tile under it would have been a chore . I did  cut one tile out that fell under the sink cabinet , the plumber suggested that to run the water and I drilled 5/8" holes using a diamond bit for electric  .    As for drilling into the grout lines the layout wouldn't allow that .  The Lenox diamond bits were well worth the $14 .

Thanks again

[Snipe Hunter]

I'd cut the tile out and set the island on the subfloor. To me, that's the right way to do it. A simple diamond cutter on an angle grinder will make short work of it. Once it's cut, work from the middle out so you don't damage the perimeter tiles. I might even make some cuts corner to corner in an X to help removal. It's dusty so you might want to use a squirt bottle to keep the cutting area wet. And hang plastic in the doorways and over counter tops and appliances with a fan blowing out the kitchen window. You don't need the water for cutting though. A dry 4" diamond blade will blow through tile. You'll be surprised how well they cut, even porcelain tile. Not sure what's under the tile whether it is cement board or the rolled stuff or maybe set directly on the subfloor but a small test area in the middle will determine that. Nothing worse than having to remove cabinets to install a new floor which will happen some day.

I just tiled two bathrooms and a laundry room and I think I only made one or two cuts with a wet-saw. Everything else was with the diamond blade on the grinder or snapped with a tile cutter.

My exception to this rule is tiling under bathroom vanities. I think it looks better. I'd take great care making sure no adhesive got on the grout.

Edit: If I wanted it "on" the tile, I might just glue down some blocks with construction adhesive inside the corners and screw it to the blocks. That way, if I ever wanted to move or remove the cabinet, I only have to deal with removing the blocks and glue and not have to deal with holes in the tile.

[Cooler]

Me, I would spread out four large globs of E600 adhesive.  If the floor is clean it will adhere tenaciously.  And if you want to move the island at a later date a flexible Japanese pull saw will cut right through the adhesive which will scrape off cleanly.  

E6000 is a styrene based flexible adhesive that resembles silicone adhesive when dry, but has a much higher adhesion level.  It bonds porous to nonporous 
materials very well.

It is available at most hobby shops, Lowes and Amazon.com

http://eclecticproducts.com/products/e6000.html

[GHR]

Me, I would spread out four large globs of E600 adhesive.  If the floor is clean it will adhere tenaciously.  And if you want to move the island at a later date a flexible Japanese pull saw will cut right through the adhesive which will scrape off cleanly.  

I would something similar. Perhaps just caulk the edge of the island to the tile.

[Edward Charette]

It is almost same like installing a kitchen cabinet. Tiled floor thoough would be difficult. Special diamond drill would be needed. If you dont prefer drillin gyour tile, consider portable island. Set them in place. Mark the perimeter or outline of the base of the island with painter's tape. Lift, turn cabinets, measure unencumbered space. The wood blocks fastened to the floor should fit into those spaces. Remember to have one block mounted inside the base of all cabinets on all four sides. mark board with pencil and cut the board straight across the mark. Check for this doc for more http://homeguides.sfgate.com/secure-kitc...20856.html