On average people spend more than $6,000 on home improvements every year in the United States. These might be minor decoration changes or it may involve some serious relandscaping.
Installing new flooring and giving your home a new lick of paint is a great way to revitalize its appearance. But if you've just installed new floors, the last thing you want is to ruin them. Removing oil-based paints can cause irreversible damage to wood, tiles, and carpets!
So if you want to install flooring and repaint your home, which should you do first? Knowing the right order to approach these jobs will minimize your risk of damaging your new floors or paint job.
Read on to find exactly how to approach home remodeling.
Do Any Ceiling Work First
Renovating your home can generate a lot of mess. It's important to approach the messiest jobs first to minimize damage later. Getting rid of any dust and debris is vital before you bring in finishing touches like new floors or paintwork.
This is why ceiling work should come first if you're going to repaint a room or replace the floor. Doing work on the ceiling can result in a lot of dust and debris falling to the ground. This will hit the walls on the way down.
You will also have to position ladders on your flooring to reach the ceiling. The last thing you want is to leave ladder marks on the flooring that you've just installed!
The good news is that your ceiling is well out of the way of any other work you'll need to do. So this should be the last part of the room you finish off. Then you can work your way down from there.
Removing Old Flooring and Trim Comes Next
Before you think about painting walls or installing a new floor, you need to remove the old one. This is another messy job so it's important to do it before you paint.
Any dust or debris that gets thrown up can get stuck in a wet paint job and ruin it. If you have repainted the ceiling of a room, make sure you give this time to dry before removing the flooring. That way you won't ruin your handiwork. If you are nervous about this happening, you can always save painting the ceiling for later.
This is also a good time to remove the trim from your walls. You can then take these away for repainting or repairing if they need it.
You will need to re-install the trim around your walls once you have installed your new flooring. You shouldn't do this before installing your new flooring as this can result in gapping issues.
Prep Your Walls Before Installing the Flooring
Before you install your new floor it's a good idea to prep your walls for painting. This isn't essential but it is a messy job and doing it before you install your new floor will save a lot of tidying up.
Wall prep can involve:
- Patching
- Removing wall paper
- Filling gaps
- Sanding
These all ensure a smooth finish on your paint job. However, they can be messy so it's a good idea to spare your new floor this (especially if you are installing carpet!)
Install Flooring
Once you have prepped your walls, you are ready to install the flooring in your home. You should do this before painting any of the walls. That way if you do cause any damage while installing the floors you don't have to repaint areas.
This is especially important if you're installing hardwood floors in your home. Hardwood may require sanding or staining and you don't want dust or floor stainer messing up your new paintwork.
You may find that your flooring is a little dusty after you've installed it. This is perfectly normal but don't waste time cleaning it up before you paint the walls. You may have to clean it up again once you're finished!
Once the new flooring is in position, you can replace or reattach the trim around it. This is the best way to ensure the trim work fits the new flooring perfectly. You should reattach the trim before painting as you will have to point over any screws.
Mask Your Floors Before Painting the Walls
It can be nerve-wracking painting walls when you've just installed a new floor. After all, the last thing you want is to stain it with paint.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to protect your new flooring from any paint damage. Masking your floor involves covering it with a plastic or cloth very carefully. This is then taped to the trim to prevent paint splashes on the floor.
If you're nervous about painting your walls over new flooring, it is a good idea to get help from a professional team.
They will be used to this kind of work and know exactly how to protect your flooring from paint damage. In fact, more professionals consider this to be a finishing touch and wouldn't dream of doing it before installing a floor!
Get Ready for Efficient Home Remodeling
If you want to redecorate and install flooring in your home, it is very important that you do this in the right order.
You should get the messy jobs done long before approaching the final touches. This includes prepping the walls and removing the old flooring. Then install your new floors and painting should be the final thing on your to-do list!
Ready to find the perfect new floor for your home? Then get in touch today! We're happy to help.
