Fixer Upper Explains Why You Should Always Paint Your Walls Before Installing Flooring

Freshly painted walls and newly installed floors have the power to make any space feel more put together ... but when it comes to how we should go about putting them together, things can get a little confusing. Luckily for anyone thinking of a remodel, "Fixer Upper" star Joanna Gaines has been pretty open about her preference for painting first, so as to avoid damaging the new flooring material.

Gaines revealed that she was a paint-first, floor-later girl in a May 2018 episode of "Fixer Upper: Behind the Design" (via Realtor.com). Speaking of the mountain house they transformed into a sleek bachelor's hideaway, the HGTV star revealed that she made a point of painting the walls, first. Part of her reasoning for that was to avoid any paint spills on the newly installed flooring. However, many experts in both flooring and painting have suggested that it's easy enough to prevent those messes. As it turns out, Gaines' approach goes beyond preventing mess. In fact, her decision to do flooring last is also based on wanting to get a better idea of how the room will truly come together, once complete.

Have you ever picked a paint color you loved, slapped it on the walls, and then found that it didn't look quite like what you were expecting. Or, even worse, found that it made the room feel cramped. Joanna Gaines is all too aware of that, and it's precisely why she prefers to paint before committing to new flooring. Having the walls painted before installing flooring means you're better able to gauge what everything will look like, once complete. A definite bonus, given that flooring tends to be more expensive than paint would be. 

However, that's still just part of what makes Joanna's hack so clever. As was seen in the "Fixer Upper: Behind the Design" episode, the client requested darker walls. Just one problem – dark paint tends to make a space look smaller. Joanna's solution was to paint the walls in the moody hue, then bring in flooring samples. That meant she was able to find lighter flooring, and create a brighter, bigger-looking space — all while delivering exactly what the client wanted. And, even if you lean more towards the bright and airy paints from the start, it's always worthwhile being able to get a holistic view of the finished product, before tackling the floor.