Order of build

I've been having 'discussions' with the wife over the order of priorities to get remaining jobs done in the bungalow we are renovating, and how and when we should budget for them

Some activities will be DIY, but most will be carried out by tradesmen, and we'd like to have a better idea before we start booking them and/or buying materials.

I've got an idea in my mind which order they should be, but I'm willing to hear from anybody with an alternative point of view, or reasons why we shouldn't.

1 - Fit new uPVC rear/kitchen door to determine final door frame position on floor.
2 - Lay engineered wood floor in kitchen and hall (up to kitchen units, but not under them).
3 - a) Fit kitchen units and appliances.
3 - b) Hang internal doors (some which swing into hallway).
4 - Fit MDF architrave around all internal doors.
5 - Fit MDF skirting boards in hall and kitchen (these have already been cut to size).
6 - Paint all door linings, architrave and skirting boards.
7 - Lay carpets in bedrooms and lounge.

Having had the skirting boards cut to size, were told we could paint these prior to fitting, which makes some sense but also seems like it may cause more problems than it solves.

I'd be interested to see what you all think.
Thanks to all in advance.

Personally I would fit the kitchen then lay the floor; in case of any accidents while fitting kitchen or workmens boots grinding in sawdust etc.

Definitely fit the floor last whatever it is. I would question the wisdom of using an engineered wood floor in a kitchen; it’s a very busy environment & subject to heavy foot traffic, particularly the in front of the sink, cooker & prep area & the route between the 3. The lacquer will quickly wear & mark; add to this the marks & dents caused by the occasional dropped cutlery/plate/cup/saucepan & it will start to look shabby, requiring a re-finish & with engineered flooring you can only do this a couple of times. Solid wood may wear/last better but, personally I’d go with tiles or a high quality cushion floor every time.

I always prime & one top coat to architrave & skirting as it comes out of the pack; cut, fit, fill/caulk & apply the finish coat of paint; not sure how this would cause problems

Thanks for the responses so far.

I see what you mean about damage to to the floor while the kitchen is going in, it's just that I thought having the floor down before the interior doors were in would help set the height easier without possibly having to trim them again later.

My wife has her heart set on a strand woven bamboo floor running from the hall into the kitchen. The literature says its OK for use in kitchens, and it's claimed to be one of the hardest wearing wood floors. I don't think she'll be swayed to use tiles!

As for the painting of the architrave and skirting, doing the first two coats 'out of the pack' makes eminent sense. For some reason I got it in my head that it all got painted beforehand, and then we're left filling cracks and touching-up chips sustained during fitting...
...it's been a long week!

So does this make better sense:

1 - Fit new uPVC rear/kitchen door.
2 - Fit kitchen units.
4 - Prime/undercoat architrave, skirtings, and door linings.
5 - Hang internal doors.
6 - Fit MDF architrave around all internal doors.
7 - Fit MDF skirting boards in hall and kitchen.
8 - Finish painting all door linings, architrave and skirting boards.
9 - Lay carpets in and flooring throughout.

Thanks again.

overlandrover said:

As for the painting of the architrave and skirting, doing the first two coats 'out of the pack' makes eminent sense. For some reason I got it in my head that it all got painted beforehand, and then we're left filling cracks and touching-up chips sustained during fitting...

Click to expand...

I always use a quality grab adhesive to fix rather than nails. Only thing you have to watch is double profile type skirting has no support along the rear bottom edge & over zealous carpet fitters can sometimes dislodge the skirting if they hit it with a carpet stretcher; but that won’t apply in your case.

I've never seen wood or tile floors laid last.
Most that I have seen are covered in hardboard which is taped down immediately after the floor is laid allowing a gap for door, skirting and arcitrive fitment etc.

Richard C said:

Only thing you have to watch is double profile type skirting has no support along the rear bottom edge & over zealous carpet fitters can sometimes dislodge the skirting if they hit it with a carpet stretcher; but that won’t apply in your case.

Click to expand...

Err, do you mean like this?


At least I'm not using this MDF skirting in carpeted areas, only where the wooden floor is going.
The rooms to be carpeted have the matching Thermaskirt profile with the removable bottom edging:



So given the MDF skirting is only going over the bamboo-floored areas, does anyone else go along with Norcon's suggestion to lay flooring before the skirting?

Thanks again.

That looks like cable duct rather than dual profile skirting but yes; you only have to be aware of the problem if using grab adhesive, a good clout with a carelessly used knee kicker can dislodge the skirting but if using MDF, there is a chance it will actually break. The Thermaskirt should not be a problem; it should be obvious to the carpet fitter not to bash it with a knee kicker!

Always fit skirting & architrave after the timber floor or you will see expansion gap around the edge; same applies with tiles. Where Norcon & I maybe disagree is fitting the kitchen units before the floor. My comment was based around the likelihood of damage & the need to lay expensive flooring under the units where it won’t be seen. Not a problem with tiles as these are stuck to the floor but I can see it could be a problem with wood flooring unless you fit a batten below the units & lay the flooring up to that.

Richard C said:

Always fit skirting & architrave after the timber floor or you will see expansion gap around the edge....

Click to expand...

Ah, so I should fit the floor first!
I was getting worried about fitting the skirting at the wrong height, and then being left with a gap above the floor, or worse, having to trim the bottom of the skirting to get the floor under.

Richard C said:

My comment was based around... the need to lay expensive flooring under the units where it won’t be seen... I can see it could be a problem with wood flooring unless you fit a batten below the units & lay the flooring up to that.

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Understood (see Point 2 in my original post).
Placing battens on the floor seems wise. But obviously these need to go down before fitting the kitchen units?!

1 - Fit new uPVC rear/kitchen door.
2 - Fit battens to kitchen floor to mark extent of units/flooring.
3 - Fit kitchen units.
4 - Prime and first coat architrave, skirtings and door linings.
5 - Lay bamboo floor in kitchen and hall.
6 - Hang internal doors (some which swing into hallway).
7 - Fit MDF architrave around all internal doors.
8 - Fit MDF skirting boards in hall and kitchen.
9 - Final coat architrave, skirting and door linings.
10 - Lay carpets in bedrooms and lounge (up to Thermaskirt).