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Which comes first...refinishing walls or painting?

16 years ago

hi,

first-time completely overwhelmed homeowner. we're trying not to use a gc to cut down on costs. we will do the hvac, painting, electricity and floors before move-in.

i know the hvac is first however are redoing the floors after painting? it would seem to me painting is last...

any info is appreciated. thanks!

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Comments (5)

Gina_W
16 years ago
I did painting as soon as I could - before flooring and cabinets and etc. That way, you can make a mess and not worry about it.

What do you mean by refinishing walls? New drywall? Orange peel?
probookie
16 years ago
You meant refinishing floors, not walls, right? Do the floors first, because of the dust. Later, stray drops of paint that fall outside the drop cloths should be easy to remove from the refinished floor. That's the way it worked on our floors, and I hope it proves true for you too.
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That question can get you many different answers. I sand floors from time to time and it depends on how the floor is done. If you sand them yourself your probably going to make alot of dust, bump into the walls a time or two,and if you dont put a hole in the wall your doing good. If you hire a professional they might or might not have a vacuum system,if they do very little dust and no wall damage should be the result. Its always a good idea to clean your walls before you paint them. And I feel its not that difficult to cover the floor when your painting and being carefull not spill the paint. I hope this helps and goodluck with your project. P.S. make sure the shoe molding is removed prior to sanding if you paint first and your putting a stained shoe you have no problems,if there painted run a small bead of matching caulk to the gap at the base and you done.
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It occurs to me that part of the different order of painting may be due to the difference between a job that is painted by a professional who works all day and a room that is being painted by a homeowner who because of time constraints needs to break the work into evening or wekend chunks. Michael's excellent routine to start with the ceiling, then go on to trim, etc. makes a lot of sense because the ceiling can be drying while you do the trim. I often do the trim in shorter episodes because it lends itself to those days when I only have small blocks of time. Then the ceiling gets done in a larger bloc, followed by a big push for the walls. I also like the lightly tacked on blue tape idea ...for many years I've been using long strips of old sheeting with stiffener pockets to protect baseboards. Molly~
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Looks much better IRL. FWIW, the bb stops at the cabinet. The white above the window trim is where the wood valance was covering and there's no paint there. He'll be back Monday to install the crown up top and change out the black base on the island. I'm staining the island for now and can always paint later. Just about to start staining. Still planning to paint the walls BM Shaker Beige. The bb may end up painted Shaker at 50%. You can see the white in the counters IRL, but I think it still looks a little too stark. I need to see the rest finished. I actually feel like painting first - maybe because it's not as big of a project - but need to wait until the cabinets are stained. Also planning to make a faux roman for at the window and recovering the chairs (not shown). Thanks! This post was edited by sheesharee on Thu, Oct 9, 14 at 20:11
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meg711
16 years ago
Whatever you do, make sure that the floors are protected before they are refinished and especially in between coats of finish. Otherwise debris gets walked into the floor and leaves dents.
floorman67
16 years ago
1. hvac and electrical rough ins.

2. painting.

3. finished electrical (outlets and switches).

4. flooring.

5. paint touchup if needed.
orie
16 years ago
I agree with floorman67. We'll do our walls, prime and first coat. Do floors next. Paint last coat. Install cabinets (carefully).

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