Day: February 4, 2024

Should you paint or install floors first? If you are renovating your home, you will need to decide which comes first: painting or installing new floors. Most people think that painting should be done first to prevent any spills from marring brand-new flooring. However, experts agree that new flooring should always be installed and/or refinishing before you have any interior painting done.

Why Is it Better to Install Flooring Before Painting?

It’s a natural assumption that painting should take place before installing flooring. However, the opposite is true, and we’re going to tell you why.

There are several tasks that must be undertaken before laying new flooring in a room. Many of these jobs can cause damage to walls, meaning repairs are necessary.

Among the steps you’ll need to follow before installing flooring include:

1. Removing the old flooring or carpet

Tearing up old carpet or flooring is a very messy job. When removing the old flooring, you’ll likely unearth a vast amount of debris, dust, and dirt. If you choose to paint first, these particles can land in your fresh coat of paint, marring the finish.

When the flooring is newly installed; often, some damage to the walls can occur. This can leave your newly painted walls with unsightly marks and blemishes. When this happens, you’ll need to repair your walls and apply touch-up paint. These additional steps cost you both time and money, making it clear why flooring before painting is the best idea.

2. Replacing or repainting trim

Depending on the type of flooring you’ve purchased, removing your baseboards and trim is usually necessary. Once you’ve removed these items, they may require repainting and some repair. When the trim has been reattached to the walls, the nail holes will need to be filled and touchup painting is done. 

By choosing to install flooring before painting, you give yourself the opportunity to do all of your painting in one shot. This is much more efficient and cuts down on the amount of mess involved in the project.

Some trim and baseboards will need to be installed slightly higher than what was previously in place. If you’ve decided to do your painting first, you may find yourself with an area that still bears the old paint. This would mean a second application of paint is necessary to ensure the entire surface is covered.

3. Preparing the walls before installing flooring

Depending on what the condition of the walls are, it is a good idea to do all preparatory work before the flooring is installed. This includes any patching, sanding, or wallpaper removal that can be messy and leave behind dirt or debris. 

4. Masking

Once the new flooring has been installed, you’ll be able to protect the surface through the use of painter’s special tape and drop cloths. These two items are valuable tools that keep mess to a minimum and protect your floors.

Most professionals consider painting to be finish work. As a result, they prefer leaving it until the end of the job. With the right precautions in place, installing flooring before painting poses no risk of damage.

Does the Type of Flooring Make a Difference?

Different precautions must be taken for each type of flooring installed in your home. However, this does not change the fact that when it comes to painting first or flooring first, flooring takes the top position.

Though some types of flooring such as finished hardwood can simply be installed as-is, unfinished hardwood will need to be stained then sanded. Stain can easily splash on walls, ruining a fresh coat of paint. If the correct amount of drying time has not been allotted, dust and wood shavings can get into the paint on your walls, ruining the finish.

If your home renovation project includes refinishing existing hardwood floors, it becomes that much more important that your flooring takes top priority over overpainting. Refinishing hardwood involves a lot of sanding and buffing, two jobs that make a lot of mess.

Should You Install Cabinets or Floors First? Watch this Video!

Another one of the most frequently asked questions we get from our customers is, “What is the difference between water based and oil based poly?” Both oil and water based polyurethanes are like a coat of armor for the hardwood floor below, protecting the wood from damage.   Each type of polyurethane is a sacrificial layer that will show scratches and wear marks over time, and both oil and water

based polyurethane have their strengths! DURABILITY: If each product is applied properly using quality products, the difference in durability is indiscernible. A lot of clients think that water based poly is not as durable as an oil based poly, but a newer brand, quality water based poly will last just as long if it is well taken care of! For water based polys, we recommend and use only Bona products, as we feel they are the highest quality water based polys on the market.

COLOR: Oil based poly has an amber hue, whereas water based poly is clear. An oil based polyurethane will continue to amber and darken over time, while water based poly will remain clear for the lifetime of the hardwood floor. This color difference is less noticeable over a stained hardwood floor, but an oil based poly will still exhibit an amber hue that will continue to darken over time.

DRYING TIMES: Oil based poly takes much longer to dry and cure, and only one coat of oil based poly can be applied to a hardwood floor in 24 hours. Water based poly dries much faster, and several coats can be applied in one day. Water based poly can be walked on with socks in about 4-6 hours after last coat has been applied, while oil based poly must dry for at least 24 hours before walking on it with socks.

SMELL: Oil based poly has a very pungent smell and emits a strong chemical odor and noxious fumes while drying that should not be inhaled. Applying oil based poly requires the use of a respirator and your clothes will stink for hours afterwards! We normally advise our clients to be out of the house and also to remove their pets while oil based poly is being applied and drying. Water based poly, on the other hand, has almost no smell. Water based polyurethane is safe to apply without a respirator, and will not stink up the house like an oil based poly. It is safe for people and pets to occupy a house while undergoing coatings of water based poly.

THICKNESS AND HARDNESS: Oil based poly is a thicker poly, but it is also softer. Water based poly, an acrylic product, is a thinner, but harder coating. Oil poly can be more susceptible to dents, while water based poly can be more susceptible to surface scratching. Because water based is a thinner product, we

recommend 3 coats of water based poly as a minimum, whereas with oil 2 coats are sufficient as a minimum. For people with large pets, we recommend either 3 coats of an oil based poly or 3 coats of Bona Traffic High Durability water based poly.

COST: Water based poly is a more expensive product. Expect to pay .50 – $1.50/sf more for a water based polyurethane finish. If your flooring contractor is not charging you more for a water based polyurethane, they are using a cheap brand that will not last! As previously stated, we use only Bona brand water based polyurethanes, as they are the most durable on the market.

FEEL:   Both finish should feel smooth equally.

INSTANCES THAT REQUIRE WATER BASED POLY: If you are going for a gray stained, white stained or a white-washed hardwood floor, you must use a water based poly, because an oil based poly will make those floors look yellow. Over time, they will continue to look more and more yellow-ish. ICK!! Also certain very light species of wood, such as Maple, look best with a water based poly for the same reasons. Beautiful light-colored Maple turns yellow with application of an oil based poly. We also recommend a water based poly for hardwoods that have a very

yellow-ish tone to them naturally, such as Ash, Pine, or Fir, because application of an oil based poly only brings out the yellow tones even more! This is a matter of taste, however, all of our clients with the aforementioned hardwood species have been very happy with the application of a clear water based poly. I have seen Ash, Pine and Fir floors with oil based poly applied and they just scream YELLLLOOOWWWW (even more so over time)!!!

Can you tell the differences between Red Oak and White Oak?
Here are the 4 key factors:

Color Difference: Red oak has a subtle pink undertone and white oak has a browner and often yellow tint. And when you stain each, the color difference can be noticeable.

Graining: Red oak has a much stronger graining than white oak.

Hardness Level: White oak flooring is slightly harder than red oak.

Price: White oak’s price is slightly higher.