As an estimator for ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING, I get asked all the time by homeowners who are in the process of remodeling, “what should I do first, the floors or the painting?”
A lot of homeowners think that they should do the floors after the painting because they don’t want the painters to spill on their brand new floors or carpeting. I can certainly understand their concern, but if you hire a professional painting company, you shouldn’t have that concern.
The answer to the question is, “do the floors first!” Here’s why:
Removing and replacing flooring or carpeting is dirty work. If you paint first, and then do floors, there is a good chance that a lot of dirt, dust, sawdust or tile/stone dust will end up on your freshly painted walls and trim.
There is a possibility that the walls or trim may be damaged by the installation of the flooring. Scuffs, dings, and nicks sometimes happen, then the surface has to be touched up by the painters. If there are a lot of touch-ups, then there may be additional costs involved in have the painting contractor make a return trip.
Are You Replacing The Baseboard Trim With The New Floor?
Many times when putting in new hardwood floors or stone and tile floors, the baseboards need to be removed and then replaced with new baseboards that sit on top of the new floor.
The baseboards need to have the joints caulked and the nail holes filled and then they need to be painted.
If you paint the walls before the floors go in, then put the floors and baseboards in, you will need to have the painters make a return trip just to paint the baseboards.
A return trip is less efficient and could end up costing you more money since a painting contractor has to send a crew back out, move furniture, re-mask everything and then paint the baseboards.
If the painting is done after the flooring, then the baseboards can be prepped and painted with everything else saving time and money.
A good, professional painting company is used to having to do extensive masking to protect surfaces, including newly finished floors. If done properly, you should have no concerns about paint spills or damage to your new floor.
At ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING, we have a system of covering a floor where no taping is ever done to the floor surface since it may damage the different sealers on stone or wood floors. It’s literally a “floating” masking system that protects the floor without having to tape it.
The bottom line, painting is a “finish trade” and should be one of the last things you do in your remodeling project. As long as you hire the right painting company that knows how to protect properly surfaces, do those floors first!
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