I am wondering this - do you have to remove skirting boards to sand and polish floorboards? if so, it would probably be better to do the floors first so that removing the skirting boards doesnt upset a new paintjob.
but im not sure.
thanks!
I'd paint first, with the understanding that you might have to touch up spots on the skirt molding. But, the company who sanded my floors didn't make a single mark on the molding. I have no idea how, other than great skill. If you're planning on renting a sanding machine and doing it yourself, you should count on making a mess. However, my opinion is based on a small sample of 10 homeowners I know who screwed up the job.
If you do it yourself, take the trim and the drywall off because you'll probably run the machine through the wall. If you have a pro do it, I would paint first, they might make a few small marks but you can touch it up and won't have to worry about getting paint on the new floor.
Sanding a floor takes some experience with the machine you're going to use. If you decide to do this, absolutely don't rent the kind of machine that uses sanding drums, it will gouge your floor so fast you won't be able to stop it. They make newer machines that are more like huge belt sanders, but even they require skill and experience. I would strongly concur with the other poster who suggested having a professional do this.
You should be writing commercials. :-)
Floors last. Leave the baseboards alone.
oh, Ill be getting a professional to do both. I was just wondering what is the order I should get them in.
So Steve - you reckon you dont have to take off the baseboards or skirting boards as we call them here? I assumed the sanding machine wouldnt be able to get flush with them, so they would have to be taken off, sanded and replaced - not correct?
Steve Barker wrote:
You use the edger to get close to the base. (it's a separate machine, handheld)
Around here, we have a separate piece of molding at the bottom of the molding, called quarter round. This is easily removed and if you don't remove it, you will never be able to sand the floor close enough to the molding to avoid leaving a line, even with an edger.
I don't see any advantage to painting the moldings and walls first, as there is always a chance that they will get nicked when doing the floor, and any possible spills on the previously done floor can be avoided with drop cloths.
When I did mine, I actually repainted the quarter round moldings before reinstalling them; it was easier to avoid mistakes that way.
S> I am wondering this - do you have to remove skirting boards to sand
If you do it your self, don't do what I do. Put on a coat of polyurethane, wait a day as instructed, then use pads something like brillo to scrape up the coat so the second coat adheres.
I don't know what I should have done, but the first coat was still soft enough that little pieces of brillo got embedded in the floor.
I'm glad I was renting. (It was still a big improvement over the art student who had dribbled paint on the floor while expressing herself in her painting. You had to look closely to see the wires, but it bothered me for the 12 years I was there.)
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