If you have the luxury of choice, we would recommend that you have your floors renovated prior to decorating and then to protect your sanded floors sufficiently to avoid any damage, when your room is going to be decorated. When protecting your wooden floor, we would recommend a plastic cover to prevent paint spillages from seeping and a cloth dust sheet also. (Cloth and plastic dust sheets are now available as one sheet). You may also want to consider using some form of wood ply cover (say 6mm) to prevent any damage as a result of decorators’ ladders etc. We can arrange to do this for you at an additional cost or ask your decorator to ensure they practice due care and cover their ladder feet appropriately. In fairness, most decent decorators are familiar with the process when floors have been sanded. If you prefer to have the decorating done first, then we’d ask to at least ventilate the room with open windows whilst the work is taking place. We have dust free sanding machines, however if a stubborn area requires more brutal sanding, then minimal light dust can occur and should be expelled through open windows.