One thing that drives painters absolutely mental is getting called back to fix walls after the floor sanders have finished. You spend days getting the walls perfect, then the floor crew rocks up with their sanders and dust goes everywhere. Suddenly your nice clean paint job looks like it’s been through a sandstorm.
This happens constantly on Northern Beaches renovations. Homeowners book the painter and the floor people separately, nobody talks to anybody, and chaos ensues. The floor sanders say they’ll contain the dust – they never do completely. The painters say they’ll touch up afterwards – but that’s extra time nobody budgeted for.
Smart renovators get both trades talking before anyone starts work. If you’re doing timber floors, the sanding needs to happen first. Always. Then you do your painting. Seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people get this backwards because someone’s schedule doesn’t line up.
The worst jobs are the ones where someone’s already painted and then discovers the floors need major work. Hardwood floors hidden under old carpet for decades often need serious sanding and refinishing once exposed. Nobody factors this into their painting timeline.
When discussing coordination examples, we often look at specialists from other areas who understand these timing issues. For instance, a professional timber floor installer and sander would typically insist on completing all dusty work before any painting begins. That’s just good practice across the industry.
The other thing that gets overlooked is protection. Plastic sheeting over fresh floors while you’re painting is non-negotiable. Drop sheets aren’t enough – paint splatters bounce. And masking tape can damage newly finished timber if left on too long.
Best approach? Book both trades through someone who coordinates the work, or at minimum get them talking to each other before anyone picks up a brush or plugs in a sander. Your renovation will run smoother, cost less, and you won’t be the homeowner stuck in the middle when things go sideways.
Because coordination issues always crop up when trades don’t communicate properly.
