General DIY Question

jessc_2001

I'm looking to completely strip and redo my Front Room as it's not to my taste and OH and I have the suspicion that it was 'done' to sell it.

My Question is what is the best order to do things in.

At present, the 'problems' that need removing are :

- there is a tongue and groove shelving type unit across one wall with downlighters
- laminate flooring laid on (we think) carpet, at the very least dodgy underlay.
- a pine fireplace, unfinished - with an electic fire and 2 uplighters
- 8 inch wide pine skirting boards (holding down the laminate)- dad-
- Dado rail (that I can get my fingers behind) which has different wall paper above and below
- 2 ceiling lights - one of which is not wired in ( we 'think' they have re-routed the power supply to the lights in the tongue and groove monstrosity)
- built in TV 'unit' in... yes you guessed it.. pine.....

Whilst we know that we need a joiner, electrician, carpet fitter, decorater etc.. both hubby and I are new to this remodelling lark and I would like opinions on how to progress... i.e. who needs to come in first, I'm thinking joiner with sparky... but... am open to ideas...

We need to take this back to a blank canvas so to speak

Doozergirl

Strip it all out.

Then you'll need your electrician.
You might need a plasterer once you've stripped everything out, maybe not.

Then a carpenter if you're replacing the skirting, but if you're simply stripping things and if the skirting is acceptable, you can just pull the laminate from underneath it. You may not need one at all, your decorator will be able to do filling etc. If you really aren't sure, then once you've stripped things out, get your decorator in to have a look and tell you if he can make good what is there. A carpenter can't make your walls straight. Parts of our house are very old and we have to fill gaps behind the skirting as the walls aren't straight. You can't tell without going and having a proper examination of them - which your guests won't do.

Carpet fitting last, obviously. You don't want paint on the new carpet.

ormus

i always fit the flooring before the skirting now.
makes it a far better looking job.

Doozergirl

ormus wrote: »

i always fit the flooring before the skirting now.
makes it a far better looking job.

Me too, but she seems to want carpet, where it doesn't matter, so I wouldn't advise getting a carpenter in to do something that probably shouldn't need doing.

ormus

i only saw the laminate flooring bit?

Doozergirl

ormus wrote: »

i only saw the laminate flooring bit?

OP mentions a "carpet fitter"

Unless she wants hard flooring and doesn't realise the carpenter will do it!

Either way, yes I agree removing the skirting, laying hard flooring and then refitting the skirting is a very small price to pay for something that looks infinitely nicer than beading.