Painting - Sanding floors - when is the best time to paint?

I am in the process of tearing up a 20yr old rug and will be putting down new hardwood floors. I will then get the hw floors sanded and painted. at some point I also need to prime and paint my new sheetrock walls. When is the best time do I prime and paint the walls? After the sanding of the floors or before :confused: ? The sanding of the floors will make a mess.

If you are painting/priming the walls with latex paint and if you are diligent with drop cloths and other protective measures then the few drips etc of that latex are easy to deal with.There are specific products such as Oops and Goof-off that will remove latex drips and spills.You can also sometimes just pop them up with a sharp knife.

Now you say you'll be painting the floors?

If that's really the case and not using polyurethane or hardwood and wax then it would depend on the paint you use.Most flooring paints are oil based so the above would apply.If you do use a latex floor paint (or water based poly etc) then you'd probably want to paint over the drips rather than use something that would effect the floor finish.again if it's oil the above applies and if it's waterbourne/based and clear then clean up your spills before application.

I will be having new hw floors professionally installed,sanded then coated with whatever they use. Sorry i dont know what its called :o - its like a varnish/polyeurethane. It protects the hw floors and makes them shiny.

I am a clean, neat diy painter but didnt know if there were any advantages to painting my walls after the floors are completed? or is there an advantage to painting the walls before the floors are completed? i am also concerned with the dust created from the floor sander getting on the walls too.

It's 6 of 1 or half a dozen of the other - it really depends on scheduling.

If you paint first, you don't need to worry much about the floor but you will need to dust the walls and do minor paint touch up after the floors are done.

If the floors are done 1st, you need to cover them up and make sure you don't scratch the floor finish when moving ladders.

I've done it both ways and really have no preference except if I plan to do any spraying - then I'd rather paint first.