Paint walls before hanging new interior doors and bi-folds

Paint last.

I agree, if you paint first you'll be going back to finish the painting after the doors are installed.


If the doors stain - I'd stain and apply the first coat of poly before installing them. I might consider painting the walls first so I don't have to be as precise cutting in next to the stained wood.

I'll have to travel down the other road, since I don't paint. I think you could achieve a better looking final appearance, quicker by having the walls painted and the doors stained/painted ahead of time. It would only take a painter a short time to touch up boogers, rather than taking time to cut in door trim live.

I'm with Chandler on this one, I've done it both ways and it was far less work to paint first.

Baseboard I paint first. Heck of a lot easier to paint at bench level rather than at floor level. Still have to give it a coat after mounting it, but that goes pretty quick, because coverage does not need to be perfect.

You could make the same argument for door/window casing too.

Walls definitely last.

Most of the time I do it this way: Prime (if new drywall) and first coat of paint. Then install your doors and trim. You almost always bang a wall, touch or lean against walls leaving marks, handprints, etc. After all the construction part is done and there will be no more chance of damaging walls/paint, apply your final coat of paint.

I prime and paint one coat on the base, doors, jambs and casings before installing them. Then I install the doors without their casings. Next I finish paint the walls. Then I install the casings and base. Then I fill nail holes and finish paint the trim (painting close to the wall is not generally needed with the second coat on the trim) (paint doors on sawhorses) and touch up the walls where needed. It results in very little cutting in of edges and leaves sharp lines.
Sometimes I put a couple of 4” screws in the tops and bottoms of the door slabs so most of the screw protrudes. Then I can put them on sawhorses resting on the screws. It allows for painting one side, then flipping it over to paint the other side in one operation, without putting fresh paint on the sawhorses.