When you're remodeling a room, do you refinish the hardwood floor last? Ceiling to floor is the best way to remodel a room. Beki Willis says, "That's exactly right, ceiling to floor. You always go in that...
Beki Willis says, "That's exactly right, ceiling to floor. You always go in that order." Beki has been repairing, restoring and remodeling homes in the greater Austin area since 1989. Throughout the process, Beki takes care to explain the steps of the project to her clients and prides herself on leaving the worksite tidy to boot.
Just like cleaning a house, working from the top down saves time and energy when remodeling. The exception to this rule is fixing any structural problems underneath the floor.
This would come after the rest of the room is finished, but before refinishing the hardwood floor. Remodeling involves many tasks which can scratch, mar and dent hardwood floors.
Refinishing the floor before other projects are completed could mean having to do it over again. Working on a floor that will be refinished means greater ease, not having to worry about dirt, spills and splatters while the rest of the work is completed. This saves tremendous time, energy, and often money. Floors do not have to be as meticulously covered, meaning time saved on laying down and constantly maintaining covering, and less money spend on special materials. Work goes much faster and is far less stressful when no one has to worry about dirty work boots ruining a newly refinished floor. If accidents happen and the floor is scratched, this can easily be sanded out during the refinishing process. Once the floor has been refinished, it must sit undisturbed for several days while the final finishing coats completely cure. This can create serious delays in the remodeling process if not left until the end of the job.
Beki gives an overview of how to approach remodeling a room from start to finish. "I would say do any wood repairs and sheet rock repairs first. Then priming and painting starting with the ceilings and coming down. At that point, if you know you're going to finish the floor or recover the floor, take up your shoe mold. Then sand and paint all of your trim, and refinish your floor. That would be sanding it with a drum sander and sanding it with the finer paper, edge sanding it, staining it if you want to stain it, and then putting a clear polyurethane on top of the stain. The floor refinishers recommend putting at least 2 coats of high gloss polyurethane first and then the finish coat of satin. That gives a depth to the floor. The shinier a floor is the more its going to show scratches and dust, irregularity. Then put your painted shoe mold on and your room will be finished. It is cost effective at that time to go ahead and replace your outlet covers. They are only a few cents each and help you feel like your whole room is fresh."
Saving the floors for last will make every part of the remodeling process go much more smoothly. Everyone involved will appreciate working in these optimal conditions. There are numerous advantages to completing remodeling tasks in the appropriate order including time, energy, and money saved, a more enjoyable remodeling experience, and most importantly the best possible finished product.
