Ask the Expert

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette remodeling illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette remodeling illustration.

We are updating our house after 27 years. I was wondering if you could provide some insight about a difference of opinion. One of us says to work top to bottom -- painting the ceiling, then the walls and lastly replacing flooring. The other thinks the flooring should be first in case the walls get marked up by the floor being installed. Then there is the theory that replacing flooring might be messy and create dust, so the better order may be flooring first, then ceiling and walls. The work being done includes removing carpeting in the bedroom, hallway and living room and replacing it with wooden flooring. We are undecided on the flooring for the kitchen and dining room which have tile with crumbling grout. Which is best?

"I will do my best to give you some things to consider in your decision-making process," says Tim Hennelly, owner of Casa Buena home inspections in Little Rock. He notes the importance of planning. "However, I will warn you not to ask too many people this same question because you are going to get as many variations in an answer as the number of people you ask."

Hennelly says most painters would likely suggest painting last while most floor installers would suggest doing the floors last.

"The top-to-bottom approach is simple to keep in mind but it is not always the best way to go when remodeling," he says. Hennelly says the first decision that needs to be made is what action, if any, will be taken with the kitchen and dining room flooring as that decision could affect the overall game plan.

"The overriding consideration is to get anything that has to be demolished or ripped out done first," Hennelly says. "Make your mess, get things cleaned up, and then proceed with the rest of the plan."

It's important to consider if wood flooring in the hallway and living room is pre-finished or unfinished, which requires sanding and sealing.

"If it is unfinished wood flooring, I would suggest not doing any painting until after the flooring is installed and sanded," Hennelly explains. "Sanding generates a fine dust

which gets on everything, even ceilings."

For unfinished flooring, Hennelly advises installing and covering it before painting the ceilings and walls, followed by finishing the floor. "Whatever touching up of walls or baseboards, which may need to be done afterward, would be minimal."

However, if pre-finished floors are to be installed, Hennelly would follow a different order.

"Most floor installers try very hard to be as careful as they can during the installation process," he says. "They really put out an effort not to damage baseboards and freshly painted walls. With pre-finished flooring and carpeting, I would suggest getting your ceilings painted first, followed by the walls and then install the flooring. The installation of the floors will likely not require much in the way of cleanup or touching up."

Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:

lhaymes@arkansasonline.com

HomeStyle on 09/20/2014

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