Refinish before? Or After

Should I refinish my old oak floors before or after replacing the cabinets?

My c. 1937 house has oak flooring in the kitchen which I want to keep. The cabinets are original to the house and must go.

I thought it would be easiest to tear out the old cabinets and refinish the floor rather install the cabinets first then try to get under the toe kick with an edger. I thought I would cover the floor with heavy construction paper while the cabinets/countertops are being installed.

Which would you do first?

 

You can certainly do a better job on the floors if you have nothing in your way.
Covering the floor makes sense, before installing the cabinets. Be careful that no debris creeps under the floor covering because you won't see it and it will do a lot of damage by being walked on.
If you are having the cabinetry installed by professionals, they should be able to do so with the least amount of damage. After all, they would have to be extra careful if it was a vinyl floor.
Another alternative is to sand the floors, install the cabinets and then do the finishing on the floor.