I'm in the middle of remodeling my small kitchen (around 1400 sq ft) that's open to the main room. I plan to repaint the walls and refinish the golden oak hardwood floors. I'm aiming for a lighter color scheme to make the space feel more open, like medium off-white, light cream, or light beige for the walls. I'm also considering white oak cabinets and light countertops. I'm worried about the best order for these projects since I'm unsure of the wood floor's original color under the yellow finish. I've read conflicting advice about whether to paint before or after the floors are finished. Can anyone give me insight on the best approach?
3 Answers
You're spot on! Painting last is a great call. The color of the cabinets and floors will really influence how the paint appears, so waiting allows you to see how everything harmonizes. Just make sure to test out the wall colors beforehand against your floors!
It's usually better to paint after refinishing your floors. When you sand and refinish, you might need to pull off the baseboards, which means touching up paint later if you go the other way. By painting last, you save time on repainting those edges again later! Plus, you'll have a clearer picture of how the colors look together once the floors are done.
As a general rule, always finish flooring last. This helps protect your new floors from paint splatters and makes the whole process smoother. I've painted before working on floors and had to do extra work to touch things up. It's a hassle you want to avoid!