The Great Debate: Paint First or New Floors First
When renovating your home or moving into a new one where you’ll be replacing the flooring many DIY homeowners ask themselves whether to paint first or install the new floor first. While opinions vary, unfortunately there is no clear-cut answer to this question, but we serve to dissect the pros and cons of both in this blog.
When to Install Floors First
Naturally, most would assume painting would be the first in order to avoid any spills or mishaps during the painting process. However, there are instances when the seemingly lengthy flooring installation process should be completed first. Experts agree that flooring should be done before any interior painting. Why? The tasks that must be taken to install new flooring—sanding, tearing up old carpet, removing glue, cutting new flooring pieces, and so on can stir up dust, debris, and be an incredibly messy job that can cause damage to the walls and trim in the process.
These tasks would cause damage needing repair that would ruin your paint job and inevitably consume more time and money to re-do the project. While many might argue that they are concerned about damage to the new floors from paint, flooring can be covered with drop cloths to protect them during the painting process unlike walls and baseboards.
However, any preparatory work that the walls may need should be done prior to installing the flooring—for much the same reasons mentioned above. Sanding, patching, or wallpaper removal can also cause damage and debris landing on the new floors that would require further repair to the floors.
Of course there are some factors to consider that could change whether or not paint is first or floors such as the condition of the walls, the type of flooring being installed, and whether or not either is going to be done professionally. In either case, it is usually recommended to paint the ceilings immediately after wall prep is completed and before anything is done with the floors as ladders will be resting on the flooring, and flooring installation will not affect the ceilings.
When to Paint First
Many experts agree that in most cases flooring installation should always be done first, but there may be some instances where painting first can save time and will not be majorly affected by the flooring demo or install. For example, if you have old carpet that you don’t care about getting paint on or an exposed subfloor that will only be covered up during the installation anyway.
In cases where the flooring installation is simple, such as when using prefinished material such as engineered hardwood, laminate, and luxury vinyl tile, painting first may be the best course of action since these materials do not require additional tasks such as sanding, cutting, or finishing that would create dust and debris. Furthermore, these floors have a higher risk of damage from paint drips and spills since they are already finished.
Tips for Successful Painting and Installation
Whatever you choose to do first, the most important thing is to protect whatever part of the room is already completed from the next phase of the project. To protect your new floors, once the flooring has been installed you’ll want to be sure to protect the floors and baseboards by masking using painter’s tape and drop cloths. Another helpful tip is to consider the type of flooring you’ve installed. For different kinds of floors, you will need to take different precautions to protect them during the painting process.
When hiring professional painting services, there are some things you can do to prepare for their arrival, however they will come prepared with all the necessary tools and expertise to protect your new flooring investment. These are some of the benefits of hiring a professional painting crew, like the professionals at Flowers Painting.
With the right precautions in place, there should be little to no concern of damaging your new floors with paint.
Turn to the Professionals
Many homeowners don’t realize the proper sequence of events when planning their home renovation which can cause unnecessary costs and labor adding to the project. Consulting with contractors and the professionals at Flowers Flooring and Painting to avoid such mishaps. To ensure that the job is done properly and with great efficacy, hiring the experts may be the best course of action.
Flowers Flooring offers a wide range of flooring options, colors, styles, and professional installation services to guarantee the job is done right and with ease to the homeowner.
The professionals at Flowers Painting then can work their magic with a brush and transform your walls with their expert painting services.
Contact us to schedule your free estimates today!
About Flowers Painting
Flowers Painting is a full-service interior painting company that services the entire Charlotte metro area including Mooresville, Huntersville, Davidson, Concord, Rock Hill, and more. Call today to schedule your FREE estimate (704) 445-7750. Flowers Painting provides full painting services including color consulting, interior painting, faux finishing, textured walls, cabinet refinishing, interior stairs, handrails, and more. To see pictures of our finished work be sure to visit our website gallery.
