[Redux]

I don’t handle any new construction anymore if I can help it. I am hesitant to work over softwood flooring, and it has been a while since I’ve seen one, but that’s about the only flooring I would consider laying any sort of ram board or otherwise.

We almost always:
1. Tape around the trim.
2. 6-10” masking paper next to that.
3. use 10oz tarps for all flooring. We double them up if we have extras, and if going over carpeting.
4. use plastic backed tarps under pour areas, and strategic paint tray locations.
5. Use painters plastic on any and all furniture, especially fabric. And use plastic on wood walls, and masonry.

It takes about an hour for two guys to prep a room this way start to finish, maybe less. I have tried to dig up a few pictures that show our process…

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I had been asked to evaluate some damage caused by painters involving a couple of hundred thousand dollars worth of newly installed engineered Burmese teak flooring (slightly softer than oak) which the painters covered with reinforced kraft paper. Although the floors didn’t have paint on them, the painters tracked in gravel from the driveway which got caught up in their shoe treads resulting in deep compression dents, scrapes, and gouges.

After getting the floor sander in to see if the damage could be sanded out without exposing the plywood beneath the wear layer, the adhesive used to adhere the teak to the ply started to appear in the teak and that’s when we knew the floors were toast. The floors ended up being a total loss and had to be changed out.

The above scenario is why I prefer hard rigid protection and required my employees to wear flat soled shoes.

Just this past year after retiring a client reached out to me due to the same scenario, although her floors weren’t a total loss due to being able to selectively change out boards with deeper gouges and compression dents.

Images of the clients floors which were protected with Trimaco StayPut yet damaged by pea gravel caught in tradespersons shoe treads. They’d even been wearing booties which don’t do squat if the gravel isn’t removed before putting booties on:

Edit:
Pic of yet another damaged covered floor due to gravel caught up in shoe treads…there were ~ 20 similar or worse dents, gouges, and scrapes caused by the gravel just on the entry foyer floors. The damage was caused by other tradespersons and the protection hadn’t been installed by my company.

 

[ssewall]

For smaller jobs I lay down treated canvas drops over masking paper against the base. For larger jobs I or the GC put down ramboard, not so much for paint as for foot traffic which can be an issue there, especially with other trades people in and out. Plastic over everything in the room that shouldn't have paint on it. I make an effort to not make a mess when I paint, even with a floor covering. I've made it 20 years without issue.

 

[Redux]

Being that I provided hardwood flooring services, I’d get tons of calls for refinishing floors damaged by painters, the most common damage being finishes pulled up by masking tape…which in most instances the adhesion loss is an applicator error, although the painters typically got banged for sanding and refinishing costs. I however always defended the painters even though they were my competitors.

 

[Holland]

I have a pair of house shoes I will sometimes use, and require workers to wear dedicated indoor shoes on certain jobs. I don’t think I’m handling on a regular basis the type of surfaces that require such close attention, but point taken.

 

[Holland]

Being that I provided hardwood flooring services, I’d get tons of calls for refinishing floors damaged by painters, the most common damage being finishes pulled up by masking tape…which in most instances the adhesion loss is an applicator error, although the painters typically got banged for sanding and refinishing costs. I however always defended the painters even though they were my competitors.

a contractor friend was building a house a couple years ago, and one of the nosy neighbors kept walking through the job site during business hours, despite being told repeatedly not to enter the area. She ended up damaging a large amount flooring, because she was walking around with a rock in her sole and was unaware of it. Apparently she walked all over the house that day on unprotected wood flooring.

 

[Redux]

a contractor friend was building a house a couple years ago, and one of the nosy neighbors kept walking through the job site during business hours, despite being told repeatedly not to enter the area. She ended up damaging a large amount flooring, because she was walking around with a rock in her sole and was unaware of it. Apparently she walked all over the house that day on unprotected wood flooring.

Softwood floors are lose-lose and always an uphill battle.

I got hired to refinish 7,000 sq ft of Carlisle Wide Plank EWP flooring due to being riddled with dents caused by pea gravel getting caught in the homeowner’s and houseguests’ shoes. She’d since had a socks-only policy for her and her houseguests.

Shortly before completing the floors she had hired a paint company to perform some paint, caulk, and spackle touch ups, only she’d wanted them in after we’d finished. The morning following completing the floors I went to the house to take a look at how the final coat dried down, however the painters were there before me and had dropped out the floors. I immediately took notice that they’d been wearing work boots. I then lifted up one drop where they’d been working and sure enough the newly refinished floors were riddled with dents from the pea gravel in their shoe treads..

 

[AlexWhite532]

I need clarification what we mean by "paper". Something like ramboard or red rosin paper? If there's paper I'm not bothering with drops. If there's no paper, then I'm laying drops. But not ALSO paper.

I won't say that I don't spill - but it's really rare. These days when brushing/rolling I'll actually do a lot of cutting without anything. I'm just not that drippy either. Then when I roll, sometimes I just drag a runner around for the nap splatter.

Spraying is a while different story, of course, but never saw any need for both paper and drops.

And why should you never stand on a drop cloth? When I go to the trouble to drop off a room, I drop off the room. The drop becomes the floor...

" I need clarification what we mean by "paper". "
I was talking about regular old builder's paper.

 

[AlexWhite532]

My overall goal is to mitigate and ultimately, if possible, eliminate risk. So, having an SOP that is followed for every single project is the name of the game, for me. I can give leeway for nuance (like your one-room projects), but if we're sending our team to paint someone's house, what I want is a standard way that:
(1) is "low" to "no-risk"
(2) doesn't rely humans "being careful", although we heavily enforce taking care of our customers' homes
(3) doesn't slow down production much or at all.

 

[finishesbykevyn]

I know it's been covered somewhere before, but, what are you kids doing for hardwood stairs.? That I find the most challenging. Especially when you want to leave it for several days.. Curved stairwells even worse.

 

[Redux]

I know it's been covered somewhere before, but, what are you kids doing for hardwood stairs.? That I find the most challenging. Especially when you want to leave it for several days.. Curved stairwells even worse.

I posted this before regarding using Trimaco Stay Put and cut the bolt with a miter saw for a snug fit.

 

[Redux]

One thing I’d like to note about Trimaco Stay Put is that it can lift or delaminate clear coats when pulled up if it’s subjected to excessive heat such as being exposed to direct sunlight combined with heavy foot traffic. There might even be a warning about it on the label or data sheet. The reason I mention it is we had an issue with another paint company destroying a floor by leaving it down for a couple of months in a modern glass house and it got hot due to sunlight exposure causing the tacky substance to weld it to the floor which in turn caused the clear coats to delaminate when it was pulled up.

I’d also like to note that the ink on Trimaco Floor Shell can transfer onto flooring surfaces if placed inked side down and can become permanently embedded into uncured urethane films. We had an issue with the ink transferring onto freshly finished floors due to the GC installing it inked side down. It was actually pretty funny seeing the ink embedded in the coatings being the wording and logo was clear as day.

 

[finishesbykevyn]

Just found this also.

Neoprene Floor Runner | Reusable Stair and Surface Protection | Non Slip Rubber Backing | 27 Inches Wide x 20 Feet Long x 1.5mm | Red : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

Neoprene Floor Runner | Reusable Stair and Surface Protection | Non Slip Rubber Backing | 27 Inches Wide x 20 Feet Long x 1.5mm | Red : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.ca

 

[Holland]

Trimaco makes a non-slip tarp.

Trimaco 04329 Slip Resistant Dropcloth Stay Put Canvas Plus Drop Cloth, 6-feet x 8-feet, Cranberry - Amazon.com

Shop Amazon for Trimaco 04329 Slip Resistant Dropcloth Stay Put Canvas Plus Drop Cloth, 6-feet x 8-feet, Cranberry and find millions of items, delivered faster than ever.

www.amazon.com

In the past we have taped a canvas runner to the stairs all the way up. Start at the bottom and tuck it, and tape it all the way up. wooden stairs is clearly a hazard area, and this is may not the best approach here, but have not had an issue with slippage when taped down in this manner. @Redux approach is admittedly better from a safety standpoint, and looks efficient to install.

Just found this also.

Neoprene Floor Runner | Reusable Stair and Surface Protection | Non Slip Rubber Backing | 27 Inches Wide x 20 Feet Long x 1.5mm | Red : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

Neoprene Floor Runner | Reusable Stair and Surface Protection | Non Slip Rubber Backing | 27 Inches Wide x 20 Feet Long x 1.5mm | Red : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.ca

 

[finishesbykevyn]

I posted this before regarding using Trimaco Stay Put and cut the bolt with a miter saw for a snug fit.


View attachment 114998

Is that stuff Re-usable? If I'm spending that kinda money would be nice to use over and over again. Also doesn't look very thick..? Does look awesome though.

 

[Redux]

Is that stuff Re-usable? If I'm spending that kinda money would be nice to use over and over again. Also doesn't look very thick..? Does look awesome though.

Yes on reusable…although thin, it’s pretty tear resistant and it’s the only stair-tread protection I’m comfortable leaving down in an owner occupied home due to gripping well and not posing as much of a trip & slip hazard as other protection might, plus it takes only a few minutes to cut w/miter saw and install in one continuous length, and it doesn’t require futzing around with having to tape up tight to stringers.. The stairs pictured had a permanently affixed carpet runner which is why it doesn’t appear flat and not gripping the treads.

 

[Redux]

Is that stuff Re-usable? If I'm spending that kinda money would be nice to use over and over again. Also doesn't look very thick..? Does look awesome though.

We often used it after finishing floors on new builds in order to protect against any damage by tradespersons addressing punch list items.

 

[finishesbykevyn]

Yep. That's perfect. The longer im in this business and the more carpentry stuff I do. This is ideal. Plain old drop cloths just don't cut it and get all tangled up etc. This is especially important in high traffic area's like hallways and stairwells. I still like the paper in area's that are getting spray painted or lots of plastering etc, because you can just sweep and vaccuum the paper. Drop cloths still have thier place, in conjunction with these other methods. AKA keeping your nice expensive floor runners clean! 😅 Great topic really.

 

[Holland]

We often used it after finishing floors on new builds in order to protect against any damage by tradespersons addressing punch list items.
View attachment 115010

This satisfies my OCD.

 

[propainterJ]

I dont use dropcloths inside ,unless Im cutting and rolling something small,or quick

If I'm repainting a whole house I opt for 2 mil plastic on carpet,red rosin on hard floors,although I wont roll over red rosin,big drops will go through it as it's gotten cheaper and thinner

I hate folding dropcloths,I'd rather spend my time and extra money taping off carpet or any floor as opposed to dropping,walking on it pulls it off too often for me,most of the time I'm spraying and I dont spray over new drops,thats a no no,drop cloths are for Exteriors,covering fences,covering hearty bushes or walkways,anything big and wide im using thick plastic sheeting and taping it off good , to stay for the duration

 

[RH]

I dont use dropcloths inside ,unless Im cutting and rolling something small,or quick

If I'm repainting a whole house I opt for 2 mil plastic on carpet,red rosin on hard floors,although I wont roll over red rosin,big drops will go through it as it's gotten cheaper and thinner

I hate folding dropcloths,I'd rather spend my time and extra money taping off carpet or any floor as opposed to dropping,walking on it pulls it off too often for me,most of the time I'm spraying and I dont spray over new drops,thats a no no,drop cloths are for Exteriors,covering fences,covering hearty bushes or walkways,anything big and wide im using thick plastic sheeting and taping it off good , to stay for the duration

Several have mentioned red rosin paper and I know this has been discussed before, but I always avoided using it in hardwood floors after hearing stories of it staining the wood after it got wet. No first hand experience, just something I have read about it.