OK to walk around on hardwood floors after install, before sanding and poly?

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Q: Is it OK to walk around on (specifically, move in and finish painting) hardwood floors after being installed, but before sanding and poly? Can it harm the wood?

We’re wondering if, in case we don’t have enough time to complete the painting, we can have the movers move things into certain rooms, finishing painting the rooms with new wood floors (and obviously risk the paint spilling), and then having them sanded and covered w/poly? My boyfriend says it’s fine; I say it should all be done at once and don’t risk it. What do you think?

A: Ideally, I would have done the painting, then installed and finished the floor. It won’t hurt the floor to walk on them without finish. However, if you spill paint, it may get into the grain of the wood and be difficult to impossible to remove every trace of it. Be careful and used drop sheets.

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