which comes first: painting or the new flooring?

[Calvados]

we have had quotes to lay oak flooring in the hall way (through to the study area) and for our bannister, doors and skriting in the hall way to be painted white.

question is, which task should be done first?

if the flooring goes down first then I guess theres a risk of paint getting on the new floor

but if the floorng goes on second they will have to rip off the skirting and replace it for the flooring to fit nicely and I assume there will be lots of dust from the cutting etc to get on the new paint work...

Or does it not really matter - either way there will be some risk...

cheers for any advice

 

[Diyisfun]

I think I would have the floor done first, then ensure its protected prior to painting.

 

[BigRobCanUFixIt]

I am doing some similar work at the moment.

Are you having the skirting replaced? Or just painted?

As the oak floor can be laid with skirting already fitted and beading to cover the expansion gaps. So you could have painting done then the flooring.

The way I am going is I am painting all the walls and ceiling with emulsion. I have ripped off the skirting already. Then I am fitting the floor. Then I am going to fit the skirting which I will prime prior to fitting. Then I am going to gloss all the skrting and architrave last thing. I have some plastic corrugated sheeting and sticky tape which I will use to protect the flooring in the area which I am working in when applying the gloss.

Rob

 

[stevethejoiner]

You will inevitably be decorating again in the future after the oak floor is fitted so painting prior to fitting it now will only save on getting paint on the oak at this time. So you should really be asking, what is the correct or best building practice for fitting the oak floor with regard to skirting and architrave?

If it is solid oak T & G type flooring, without doubt, remove skirting and architrave and refit after flooring is down.

With laminate it is not as important as the cork expansion joint can be covered by a quadrant beading running along the skirting to floor line (but looks a bit DIY in my opinion). And you cannot run the quadrant around the architrave and the laminate/cork can look untidy here as it is cut around the architrave. You could cut off the bottom of the architrave and slide the laminate under which looks ok but you often find you can only do that at the starting point, not the other side of the room when you put the last laminate down.

In a nutshell, professional job is to remove architrave and skirting.

 

[Calvados]

thanks guys - very good advice.

FYI, the fooring will be real oak and, I'm guessing, t&g. The fitter did say that, if I wanted, he would rip off the skirting to fit the flooring underneath and then replace with new skirting. does this make any difference to the way I should approach the painting vs flooring question bearing in mind that the new flooring wil also run under two of the hall way doors into the study and these doors will need to be painted (I don't think the painter was planning to remove the doors for painting so that might be an issue if the floor is laid first).

I'm sure this can't be as complicated as I'm making it but it does seem to be a chicken and egg situation!

cheers,

 

[stevethejoiner]

I think you are worrying too much about painting and I am sure your oak will not be affected if you have it properly sealed as per instructions on the tin. If you want to play even safer use low odour water based paints, these are readily availably, and any paint spots will wipe off with a damp cloth. As well as poly dust sheets you can also use masking tape around the edges as well. You can also buy rolls of poly sheet with adhesive backing to hold them tight up to the skirting edges, a bit more expensive but easy to use.

As you have confirmed oak T&G can I suggest you make sure your new oak flooring is delivered well before the installer wants to fit it. You should have it tightly placed in a stack with air spacers between the planks in the room where it is to be fitted, cover it and weigh it down. Have the central heating running as you would do normally and leave the oak stacked like this for as long as possible. This will acclimatise the timber to your environment. If you do not do this there is a big risk that the new flooring will shrink, cup and split after fitting. Even if it looked fantastic when the installer said goodbye.

All the best Steve.

 

[Growler]

If it was me.
I'd paint it first.

 

[Calvados]

thanks guys. the difference of opinion means that perhaps there's no 'right' answer on this one!

 

[bradleydecorating]

It's a bit like getting a new carpet in a room : decorate first and make the most of the absence of carpet, even if it is the only time you'll be able to do it!
Same applies to a new wood flooring. Don't fight gravity! Work from high to low.

 

[elrobbo82]

thanks guys. the difference of opinion means that perhaps there's no 'right' answer on this one!

quite right, every one will have their own preferences. i personally would fit the floor and cover with polythene then paint. that would be my personal preference.

 

[TheDec]

This is really like a double edged sword I suppose, yet if it was my choice I would paint first.

Dec

 

[sparkwright]

I would say the vast majority of new builds and refurbishments are painted first, then the wood flooring.

Usually a wood effect beading is fitted between the new flooring and the skirting board, so trying to paint the skirting neatly would be more difficult.

The inevitable roller splashes could end on the floor, though I would expect you to use dust sheets.

If the floor layers are professionals there shouldn't much damage at all.

 

[eric1]

The best advice in this post is to season the flooring in situ for as long as possible before laying. I seasoned mine for 6 months and there are no shrinkage gaps years later.

Flooring CAN be protected - but it costs. Use special flooring protector plastic sheets ( rather like thin plastic roofing sheets - and tape all around the edges.

For a versatile skirting board I cut mine in half and glue the top half onto the wall so that it can be papered/decorated down to. The bottom half is then screwed on, and so that it can be removed without damaging the wall decoration.

 

[bradleydecorating]

For a versatile skirting board I cut mine in half and glue the top half onto the wall so that it can be papered/decorated down to. The bottom half is then screwed on, and so that it can be removed without damaging the wall decoration.

An intriguing idea!

Doesn't that mean you have a visible horizontal crack right round your skirting board, though?

 

[eric1]

I cut the skirting at a slight angle, so that the bottom half is wedged down onto the floor when you screw it on. On varnished wood the join does not show - I always finish the skirting before cutting and fixing. The one thing that does show is the screws. For varnished skirting I use the brown finish carpenters' screws and leave them as they are. You only need a few.