Which first, walls or floors?

[Franco]

Hello Guys

I am soon getting two rooms redecorated and floors changed from carpets to wood. Will get new wall paper and skirting boards replaced, with doors, skirting boards and window casings repainted.

What is the logical succession of events? Take old skirting boards out, redecoration, floors, and last paint new skirting boards?

The two tradesmen seems to have different views

Please let me know what's the industry standard if you are in the field

Best
Franco, Sheffield

[Beaunidle]

Wallpaper is not a messy process, and must be done after skirting boards. Skirting boards must be done after wood floor as you want the boards on the floor for the neatest edge, rather than the floor butting up to the boards.

So, contrary to the intuitive; boards off, floor down, boards back (can even paint before installation for uber easy job), wallpaper up.

Simples

[seikopath]

Im not in the field, but i was always taught to decorate top / down and it has served me well.

[Mr Curta]

Not exactly relevant to your query, and I'm not in the field so this could be total nonsense, but something I was taught when wallpapering was to start at the main window of the room and work away from it on either side. Any minor overlaps (which can be unavoidable in corners as walls are rarely perfectly true) will not cast a shadow onto the wall. There are exceptions; if there is a feature such as chimney breast and the paper is patterned then symmetry and aesthetics are more significant.

[Possu]

Wallpaper is not a messy process, and must be done after skirting boards. (...)

Why is that? I've always seen wallpaper done before skirting boards. That way you don't need to do a neat lower edge to the wallpaper, as the skirting board will hide it.

Where is Josh B when his expertise is needed..?

[thieuster]

I've never written in English about this, so forgive me when my English is even more odd than normal...

I watched a painter putting up wallpaper on a clean, white wall. A day before he put up the wallpaper, he came measured the width of the wallpaper rolls. In this case 90cm wide. He marked out the position of the w/paper on on the white wall with a measuring tape and pencil (all 90cm apart).

He took a brush and some paint in the colour of the wallpaper and painted long strokes of paint on the wall, all 90cm apart. Why? Well, he wouldn't overlap the strokes of wallpaper, he wanted them joined next to each other, with the risk of leaving a white line between the strokes. The paint in matching colour will 'prevent' the white stripe between two strokes.

Menno

[Kingstepper]

Why is that? I've always seen wallpaper done before skirting boards. That way you don't need to do a neat lower edge to the wallpaper, as the skirting board will hide it.

Where is Josh B when his expertise is needed..?

In my experience, fitting of skirting boards is rather messy (if adhesive used) which will invariably get on wallpaper. It's normally a one-off procedure whilst wallpapering is done more often with skirting board in situ.

[Bradt Pitt]

In my experience, fitting of skirting boards is rather messy (if adhesive used) which will invariably get on wallpaper. It's normally a one-off procedure whilst wallpapering is done more often with skirting board in situ.

That makes sense

[Rod]

Existing skirting boards off first, then your floorboards done (sanded, stained) then new skirting boards fitted. Then paint ceiling (if it's to be done), topcoat on the new skirting boards and any other woodwork, e.g. doors. Wallpapering last.
Don't, as someone has suggested, fit skirting boards over wallpaper, because it'll be a ball ache to try to get the old paper off if you ever re-paper.You'll be left with torn edges unless you take the skirting off again.

[diver527]

I would say.. remove old skirting boards, redecoration (paint), floors next to avoid any paint damage, fit new skirting boards (pre-painted and touch up after fitting) and last wall paper.