bus_driver, than you for your response. My DH and I are going to attempt to lay the tile and hardwood ourselves and we are first timers also. Did you find it hard, did it come out like you expected?

I don't know what the order *should* be or what's ideal. But, our builder laid our hardwoods before any of the tile install; before any of the trim; before any of the paint. In fact, it was the first thing after drywall was done.

I think he did it this way because we did a recessed slab. I wanted real hardwoods and the safest way to do that was to do a recessed slab, plywood, then hardwoods nailed onto it. The trim guy wouldn't have known exactly where to begin the floorboards or how to correctly hang the doors, etc. without installing the hardwoods. I don't know if that's accurate, but that's what the builder said.

I will tell you, though, that our tile guys are "gunking" up the hardwoods pretty terribly, and the trim guys dropped a door causing a significant knick in the kitchen floor (and karma did not allow that knick to just so happen to fall where the island will be built). The floors haven't been finished yet, but it just makes me so sick to see my beautiful walnut floors in this state. The builder assures me that they will be completely cleaned of all the tile "gunk" and the holes will be filled and it will be beautiful again before I move in.

Prefinished flooring is difficult to patch the finish or to replace damaged boards. The idea that installing first is the only way for the final height to be known does not ring true with me. I can calculate those things and use a piece of material of that thickness temporarily loose-laid at any spot where needed. In fact, I am doing it now on a full remodel job that will be rental property. I have seen some really good, caring, workmen who have no imagination. I am a better problem-solver than I am workman.

Prefinished and raw wood are not comparable as to install point.

Like yours soonermagic, he put our heart pine in as soon as the sheetrock was done. He then covered all of the floors with heavy duty corrugated craft paper and I watched them (the subs and the floors)like a hawk. Tile guys made a bit of a mess but not too bad and GC had their stuff cleaned up and new paper down right after they finished. Old fashioned but the best way to get the proper look with trim and doors etc. I have been sweating bullets though b/c this stuff is hard to repair in the middle of a floor. I have rescued them from turned over drink bottles/cups, food...you name it. I finally told the GC to tell the subs no eating in the house if they could not get it in their mouth and not on the floor.

Hind sight being 20/20, I might have done things a bit differently. I was going to chalk out the cabinets and let them lay the floors about 2 inches inside the line (to be safe). Floor guy said "Lets lay them all the way to the walls in case you ever decide to move any of these cabinets." At first I thought, great idea! Now I realize, I will never move those cabinets (in my lifetime) and I now have about $2,000 (at least)of flooring under the cabinets!

arkansasgal

going through this myself right now. If you have pre-finished wood - put it in at the very end of the project - just before you move in. The subs will scratch/dent it - even if you put cardboard on top to protect it.

For site finsihed wood, it is normal for the wood to go down right after drywall is finished as long as the HVAC is on and humidity control is in place. If not, then the wood should not go down until it is.

Our hardwoods will go in after paint and before cabs. And after, like sniffdog said, the hvac is on. We are doing site finished Ipe. Good luck, I know figuring out when to do what is tough.

Amy

Here is our schedule.

1. Real hardwood floors installed
2. Cabinets/trim
3. Paint