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Project sequencing

Should you refinish floors or paint cabinets first in a kitchen?

Paint cabinets first and refinish floors last in most kitchens. Cabinets are the higher finish in the room, and painting them involves primer drips, ladders, tape, and doors set out to dry, any of which can mark a fresh floor finish. Floor sanding dust, on the other hand, wipes off cured cabinets. Kitchen cabinet painting in Edmonton costs $3,000 to $8,000 and takes 5 to 10 business days, so schedule the floor refinisher after that stretch.

Call 587-855-4920 Book the cabinet work first

Order compared

Cabinets first vs floors first: the damage each order risks

Renovators generally work from the top of a room to the bottom. Whatever drips, drops, or gets dragged ends up on the surface below, so the lowest finish in the room goes on last.

OrderCabinet riskFloor riskWipe-down vs repair
Cabinets first, floors lastRecommendedFloor sanding dust settles on the cabinetsNone from the cabinet workWipe the cabinets down
Floors first, cabinets lastWorkable with maskingNone from the floor workDrips, ladder feet, dropped doors, and foot traffic on a new finishFloor touch-up or recoat
Both in the same weekDust settles into wet paintPaint drips onto a wet floor finishBoth finishes may need redoing

Five reasons cabinet painting comes before floor refinishing

  • Paint falls downward. Primer and paint drips, however small, land on whatever lies below the cabinets. On an old floor that is about to be sanded, a drip is harmless. On a new floor finish, it leaves a mark.
  • Doors take up floor space. Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are removed and laid out to be finished. That weight, and the stands under it, rest on the floor for days.
  • Ladders and foot traffic. Upper cabinets call for a ladder or step stool, and each trip in or out of the kitchen crosses the floor.
  • Dust cleans up; scratches do not. Floor sanding dust coats the cabinets, but a cured cabinet finish wipes clean. A scuff or drip in new floor finish means a floor repair.
  • Toe kicks need attention either way. Floor sanding runs right up to the cabinet base, so plan a small touch-up of the painted toe kicks once the floors are finished.

Situations where the floors can go first

Putting floors first is sometimes the right call. It can work when:

  • The floor is not getting sanded. New flooring that is installed rather than refinished, or a floor that only needs a cleaning, carries less risk.
  • The floor finish is fully cured. Follow the floor finish maker's instructions for when the surface can be covered and walked on in work boots.
  • The cabinet crew protects the floor. Cabinet Refinishing Edmonton masks counters, floors, and appliances before cabinet work begins, which shields a finished floor during painting, refinishing, or refacing kitchen cabinets.
  • The calendar forces it. When the floor refinisher can only come first, tell the cabinet contractor so the masking plan allows for a new floor.

Gap between the cabinet job and the floor job

Let the cabinet finish dry before the floor crew shows up. Benjamin Moore's cabinet painting steps call for at least 24 hours of drying before cabinets are reassembled, and say two or three days is better, because a longer dry produces a more durable finish. Floor dust and cleanup are harder on a finish that is still soft.

Professional cabinet timelines set the schedule. Painting takes 5 to 10 business days and refinishing takes 7 to 10 business days, from door removal to reinstallation. Refacing takes 3 to 5 days. The full breakdown sits in how long it takes to refinish kitchen cabinets. Book the floor work for after the final walkthrough, not on the same day.

Shielding painted cabinets from floor sanding dust

Floor sanding throws off plenty of fine dust, and some of it reaches the cabinets whichever order you choose.

  • Close the cabinet doors and hang plastic sheeting taped to the counter edge, never to the painted faces.
  • Clear open shelving so dust stays off the dishes.
  • Ask the floor refinisher how they control dust. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety lists on-tool extraction and HEPA filtration as wood dust controls.
  • Clean with a damp cloth or a HEPA vacuum. CCOHS recommends wet clean-up or HEPA vacuuming and advises against compressed air.

Older homes need one extra check. Health Canada says homes built before 1960 probably contain lead-based paint and warns against sanding it. Test old painted trim and cabinets before sanding starts, whichever crew is holding the sander.

Best sequence for a full Edmonton kitchen update

  1. Plan and price. Collect written estimates from each trade, and use a free colour consultation to test cabinet colours against floor and counter samples.
  2. Box work, refacing, and countertops. Anything that alters the cabinet boxes happens before countertops are templated. See putting new countertops on old cabinets.
  3. Cabinet painting or refinishing. Counters, floors, and appliances get masked, doors are sprayed, and boxes are finished on site.
  4. Floor refinishing. The final finish in the room, after the cabinet finish has had its drying time.
  5. Touch-ups. Toe kicks and any trim the floor crew brushed.

Taking on floors and cabinets as DIY projects

Running both projects yourself, one after the other, is a large commitment. Cabinet painting alone means removing every door, degreasing, three sanding rounds, a primer coat, and two coats of paint. Floor refinishing brings its own sanding and its own dust. The kitchen is out of service for both. The cabinet method is in the sanding vs stripping guide, and dust control is in sanding cabinets without dust everywhere.

Handing off the cabinets removes half the list. Cabinet Refinishing Edmonton applies Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin-Williams ProClassic with HVLP spray equipment, adjusts every door, drawer, and hinge at reinstall, and backs every cabinet surface with a 5-year written workmanship warranty. Compare tiers in the cost to refinish cabinets guide.

Sequence in one line: work top down. Finish the cabinets, give the paint its drying time, then refinish the floors and touch up the toe kicks. When the floors have to go first, confirm the cabinet crew masks them.

Scheduling two trades

Floors and cabinets: order and timing answers

Should you refinish floors or paint cabinets first?

Cabinet painting goes first and floor refinishing goes last in most kitchens. Painting involves drips, ladders, and doors set out to dry, and any of these can mark a new floor finish. Floor sanding dust wipes off cured cabinets with a damp cloth.

Can you paint cabinets after refinishing hardwood floors?

Cabinet painting can follow floor refinishing once the floor finish has cured enough that its maker allows it to be covered. Cabinet Refinishing Edmonton masks counters, floors, and appliances before cabinet work starts.

How long should you wait between painting cabinets and refinishing floors?

Cabinet paint needs drying time before floor dust and cleanup reach it. Benjamin Moore's cabinet method allows at least 24 hours, and two or three days is better. Ask the floor refinisher how long their finish needs before anyone works above it.

Will floor sanding dust ruin freshly painted cabinets?

Floor sanding dust lands on cabinets without ruining them. Cover the cabinet fronts while the floor is sanded, then clean with a damp cloth or a HEPA vacuum, the clean-up approach CCOHS recommends for wood dust.

Build the calendar

Pages for planning the renovation order

Cabinets painted before the floors

$3,000 to $8,000

Done in 5 to 10 business days.

Refinished cabinets ahead of flooring

$4,000 to $10,000

Stripped and clear coated in 7 to 10 business days.

Where countertops fit in

Templating and the cabinet boxes.

Cabinet job length by service

Plan the floor crew's start date.

Your kitchen details

About one minute to fill in.

Details you send here go only toward preparing your cabinet estimate.

Written estimate, no charge

Price your kitchen in writing

Send the job type and a rough door count. Cabinet Refinishing Edmonton follows up with a price range and a time for a free consultation.

  • A follow-up call or text confirms the job and the door count.
  • Photos sent by text help narrow the range early.
  • The written estimate lists prep, products, and labour, with no hidden fees.
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Know your number before a single door comes off.

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