>>I'm about to do some renovations - painting some rooms (maybe including ceiling(s)), and also ripping out the existing wall-to-wall carpeting and putting in hardwood flooring. If you're doing both of these jobs, what's the recommended order:
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>>- Paint first, so you don't worry about dripping on the nice new floor, or
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>>- Floor first, so you don't bang up your freshly painted walls while installing the flooring, or get sawdust on them?
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>'pends what you're doing to the floor. If you're about to sand the floorboards then I'd do that before the deco, ensuring of course to cover with a tarp when decorating the walls etc. But if you're just laying carpet or laminate flooring then if the minor dust disturbance would harm your deco finish then you didn't do it right! :-)
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>BTW a tip for varnishing whole floors in 10 mins before going to bed:
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>Buy a new cheap floor brush. Pour the varnish into a plastic wash-up bowl. Bish-bash-bosh - slap it on the floor with the broom. 1. you don't need a chippendale finish on the floor. 2. The horz. nature of the floor ensures a good level finish twixt the brush-strokes anyway. Works a treat.
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>Of course, pour some white spirit in the empty varnish bowl and slosh the broom around to clean up afterwards if you can be bothered, or need a new coat the next day.

Now that's a technique I can handle! I have to do my living room and dining room floors this summer...