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Whether you’re renovating one room or your whole house, you can bet you’ll encounter many decisions regarding how to proceed with the project. While you’ll always want to lean on your professional remodeling contractor’s advice, it’s helpful to know why he or she may do things in a certain order. Home renovations tend to work opposite to cleaning routines. Although people tend to clean from the top down, you’ll see remodelers reverse the order to start with the floors and finish with the walls. Keep reading as the Encinitas home remodel planning and design pros from Forever Builders explain why.
Protect Walls from Damage
As a general rule, walls are easier to fix compared to floors. But it’s still best to keep damage to a minimum. Installing floors often requires removing baseboards or other parts of the wall, which means they’ll need to be redone after the flooring phase is over. Since pulling up old floors also generates a large amount of dust and debris, it also makes sense to do this first to keep the dirt from sticking to fresh paint. If a wall does sustain damage, contractors can repair the area before they apply paint or wallpaper.
Get a Better Fit for Flooring
Remodeling contractors also need to get a tight fit for flooring materials to last. For instance, tile is usually run slightly beneath baseboards. The floor installation process may require the removal of wall features or even slight cuts into specific areas you’ll want to paint on the wall. Once the flooring is installed, your contractors can replace trim and other wall features before they finish the painting part of the project.
Make Wall Color Selection Easier
Flooring plays a vital role in the overall room design. Sometimes, homeowners are surprised to see how a new color of tile or carpet impacts the overall look of their home. With the flooring in place, you’ll have a better idea of how the paint or wallpaper colors you’ve selected impact the final effect. Figuring out you’d prefer a different color or shade before you apply it to the walls saves valuable time and ensures you’ll be satisfied with the final results.
Know When to Swap the Order
With all of that in mind, you’ll also want to note there are some exceptions to the rule of doing the floors first. For example, start with the walls when you’re planning any type of structural work. Knocking down walls is messy, and the procedure could scratch brand-new flooring. The same is also true of adding a wall. For major restructures, your remodeling contractor might suggest going out of the normal order.
You may also want to complete the walls in wet zones before you finish the floors. For instance, wall tiling is usually meant to be extended behind the flooring tiles. If your bathroom design includes tile work, it may be important to do the walls first for waterproofing purposes. The final thing to consider regarding the order of remodeling projects is whether the ceiling is involved. If you plan to paint or use plaster on the ceiling, it may be best to start there to prevent drips from landing on brand-new floors.
Whether you’re painting walls, installing new flooring, or renovating your whole home, get your project done the right way by hiring experienced professional contractors who provide Encinitas full home remodeling design services. The experts from Forever Builders are premier contractors southern California homeowners can trust to provide the most affordable home remodeling services and ensure their visions become reality. From design to completion, we’ll help you create the home you’ve always wanted, meeting all your expectations while keeping your costs within budget. To find out more about our outstanding remodeling services, give one of our friendly team members a call today.