I have been interviewing painters the last few days and today's painter (highly recommended by my neighbor who he and his me painter her two floor townhouse in a few days while my last painter took 6 weeks and did a poor job putting the second coat on too soon and pulling off the first coat. Of course they had the advantage of an empty home since my neighbors painted before moving their belongings into the home.

The painter today feels I should meet tomorrow with one of his painters that also installs hardwood floors. He feels the painter can help move the file cabinets out of the home office and pull up the carpet, remove the moldings (everyone else says to leave and they will just put quarter round on), and install (floating them) the BR-111 Triangulo Engineered Brazilian Cherry Floors. They they would paint and then install the moldings and quarter round. By then they can move furniture back in the room and do the next room. They felt this way the time they are done, all three rooms will be painted and I will have a place for the furniture.

I am using a fast drying low Voc Paint (BM Aura is also self-priming or I may go with BM Natura that is also fast drying)and I will not be repainting my ceiling that is still clean and was painted white 2.5 years ago since I have popcorn ceilings and they are a pain to paint.

I just felt I should paint first and allow the walls to dry and then test the room for humidity (I have a humidity thermostat in the room right now since I like my humidity to be no less than 35% and no more than 49% which is good for wood also as well as not causing me nose bleeds or headaches) before installing the wood floors.

The painter is bringing his helper tomorrow morning to look at my three rooms that really are all connected to one another since I have a very open plan. I am keeping the wood in the family room that I am not repainting despite some scuff marks since it look otherwise very nice and has a high cathedral ceiling. Hence, I am only painting the two room home office that looks like one big room except for the half of a wall high and half of a wall long in the middle of the room.

This painter is pushing me to go with a flat paint finish or no more than Eggshell paint finish but I have Pearl Finish on my walls right now and I don't want to go flatter but I also know satin is shinier than Pearl.