Emptied the garage last week and the insulation company finished a few days ago. Should I coat the floor first, thus making for easy cleanup with drywall dust, mud, paint, etc, or do the walls first and then do the floor? Keeping the painter and taper from getting anything on the unprotected concrete may be a challenge no matter how cautious. My buddy thinks I should do the walls first, any thoughts?
Drywall and paint or do floor first?
- Thread starter rkstr
- Start date
JimVonBaden
Well-known member
Finish the walls first. You will make a mess of the floor, but you will wish you had done them last.
Disagree. Proper cleaning of the floor is going to require you to pressure wash right up against your newly painted walls. I just spent a week prepping my floor and I was glad I hadn't done the walls first. I would have wrecked them. It's easy enough to protect the floor with drop cloths when you're ready to paint, just like you do in your house when you paint a room.
allinon72
Well-known member
Depends on your planned method of floor prep
bruincup
Active member
I have always started at the top and worked my way down. Always a pain trying to cover a fresh floor but as always, whatever works for your situation.
bruincup
bruincup
Was going to say the same thing as the above poster.
Epoxy coating requires that you pressure wash the floor first. Why pressure wash right next to fresh paint and drywall?
I made that exact mistake in my last garage. To keep the wall dry I had to tape plastic on top of the bottom 3 feet and carefully pressure wash. Then I had to real gingerly untape the plastic from the freshly painted wall. Would've avoided a lot of headache if I'd done the floor first.
shaun oriold1
Well-known member
Since you dont mention if you're going to grind or use acid on your floor, I'm going to say do the floor first.
You should grind the floor if you have the means.
You can by a roll of roofing felt for $20 at HD. Once the floor is done, and cured. Roll the paper out to protect it.
When you're rolling the floor, sometimes it will splatter up onto the walls. You you might nick it with the handle.
When I go garages for customers in existing homes, I always do the floor, then paint. IF its new construction, I ask they paint first, then epoxy -only because the contractors wont care about the floor, and I can usually arrange to be the absolute last person in - expect for cleaners.
You should grind the floor if you have the means.
You can by a roll of roofing felt for $20 at HD. Once the floor is done, and cured. Roll the paper out to protect it.
When you're rolling the floor, sometimes it will splatter up onto the walls. You you might nick it with the handle.
When I go garages for customers in existing homes, I always do the floor, then paint. IF its new construction, I ask they paint first, then epoxy -only because the contractors wont care about the floor, and I can usually arrange to be the absolute last person in - expect for cleaners.
JimVonBaden
Well-known member
Well, since I didn't use a temporary coating like most of them on my floor, I guess I did it right for me.
PS Temporary because I do not look at epoxy as a lifetime flooring. But that is just me.
PS Temporary because I do not look at epoxy as a lifetime flooring. But that is just me.
Thanks for input, down to two choices for floor. 1. Legacy Standard Epoxy Sealer like Atomic Garage, which requires etching. http://www.garagejournal.com/2014/08/atomic-shop-update-floors-are-done/#more-2016
or
2. Rust Bullett, which does not require etching.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181620
or
2. Rust Bullett, which does not require etching.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181620
OJ Bartley
Well-known member
For me, I decided to start with the floor to base my garage project on. I have just started porcelain tile, and then I'll hopefully be able to do the electrical, then finish and paint the walls, build a workbench and cabinets, and then enjoy!
Justanoldguy
Well-known member
Whether you have painted the drywall or NOT then you will STILL have to mask the wall. Drywall does not like getting wet..
really, it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other.
that said, at the moment of having literally just gone through this, i would say do the floor first and have lots of good coverage/tarps on it once done to do your framing, sheetrock, painting, etc.
that's because the *&%^!! concrete grinding makes a ridiculous mess of everything that will take hours & hours to clean up on the nice walls, paint, lighting, etc.
(and yes, i could have spent a few hours taping plastic over all the walls, ceiling, lighting, etc., but I got lazy. will be making up for that big time....)
p.s. regarding protecting the bottom edge of sheetrock if hosing out the floor (assuming doing walls and everything else first and floor last), i used 1x4x8 pressure treated wood leaning against the bottom edge to protect it while hosing/power washing. worked just fine.
that said, at the moment of having literally just gone through this, i would say do the floor first and have lots of good coverage/tarps on it once done to do your framing, sheetrock, painting, etc.
that's because the *&%^!! concrete grinding makes a ridiculous mess of everything that will take hours & hours to clean up on the nice walls, paint, lighting, etc.
(and yes, i could have spent a few hours taping plastic over all the walls, ceiling, lighting, etc., but I got lazy. will be making up for that big time....)
p.s. regarding protecting the bottom edge of sheetrock if hosing out the floor (assuming doing walls and everything else first and floor last), i used 1x4x8 pressure treated wood leaning against the bottom edge to protect it while hosing/power washing. worked just fine.
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