Flooring installer vs painter: which goes first in a remodel?

In a remodel you need both new floors and fresh paint — but the order matters. Compare scheduling, protection, and cost implications.

The standard remodel sequence is: paint first, floors second. Here's why: painting is messy — drips, roller splatter, and primer overspray can damage new flooring. A painter ($2–$6/sq ft) working on bare subfloor doesn't worry about protection. After painting, the flooring installer ($3–$12/sq ft depending on material) works in a clean, dry, freshly painted room. Trim paint (baseboards, door casings) is the exception: install flooring, then paint trim last — the trim covers the expansion gap between floor and wall. The complete sequence: (1) demo old flooring and remove baseboards, (2) prep and paint walls and ceilings, (3) install new flooring, (4) reinstall and paint baseboards/trim with caulk to cover gaps. Doing it wrong — flooring first, then painting — means covering $5,000+ of new flooring with drop cloths and hoping for no accidents. One paint can knocked over on new hardwood costs $500–$2,000 in repairs. Professional contractors coordinate this sequence automatically when they handle both trades.