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Buyers Guide: Temporary floor protection
Buyers Guide: Temporary floor protection
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In new construction projects, floor protection is an ideal addition to your toolkit, especially for after-trades specialists such as window and glass installers, kitchen cabinetmakers and painters. |
How builders floor protection makes for happy clients
When the main construction activities are complete and the building is at lock up stage, often the carpet, floorboards or tiles are already installed. In order to keep them looking clean and new ready for the new occupants to move in, responsible contractors use floor protection film or cardboard sheets to protect the flawless new surfaces.
Likewise, for renovations and refurbishment projects, the interior surfaces are most definitely finished! Carpets, tiles, hardwood floors and existing built in furniture all need to be protected to guarantee no damage, resulting in happy, satisfied clients.
If you’d like to leave your next project in mint condition, read on to find out which is the best temporary floor protection product for you.
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TYPES OF PROTECTIVE FLOOR COVERINGS FOR BUILDERS
Protective floor coverings fall into two main categories; plastic films and cardboard products. All floor protection products are:
- Easy to cut
- Easy to fit
- Heavy duty – specifically designed for the construction industry
- Water resistant
Using plastic film for protecting floors
There are different plastic films made from plastic, including self-adhesive and non-adhesive types. The adhesive film is best for protecting carpets, whilst non-adhesive plain films are suitable for smooth surfaces.
Plastic film comes in different types, including:
This is a woven polyethylene fabric that is water resistant, making it a good choice for painting, varnishing and other processes where liquids are used. It has an anti-slip surface for safety and comes in a 100m long roll that is 1.8m wide.
Temporary floor protection for hard floors has a light adhesive that is formulated not to leave a residue on tiles, floor boards and the like. This clear, tacky film is reverse rolled with the adhesive on the outside, making it easy to roll out and stick to the floor without having to tape down. It is easy to apply against skirting boards or walls and stays in place, thereby reducing the risk of tripping. It is available in a 100m roll that is 1m wide.
Carpet protection plastic is similar to the hard floor product but has a different type of adhesive that is designed to better stick to soft, fluffy surfaces like carpet and rugs. It is ideal for protecting newly carpeted surfaces from muddy boots, debris, paint, concrete, and dust, and comes in a 100m long, 1 metre wide roll.
Plus there is also plastic film specifically designed for protecting windows
Window protection film is tinted blue for easy identification. It contains a low tack adhesive on one side and is UV treated, so it will not degrade in bright sunlight. This means it can be left in place for up to six months. Window film is 50 microns thick so it offers light privacy as well as protection from minor scratches or paint splashes. Jaybro’s blue window film comes in a 100m long roll that is 1.22 metres wide.
Good old bubble wrap is also heavily used in the construction sector to protect delicate surfaces like handrails, balustrades, corners and edges. We stock 100m long rolls that are 1.5m wide; an ideal size for contractors and builders.
Using cardboard for floor protection
Cardboard floor protection products such as Ramboard and Supabord are perfect for commercial, residential, renovation and refit products. Supabord is able to be laid over the top of tiles, wood floorboards, carpet and lino, and can provide protection for surfaces like kitchen benches, coloured concrete, stairs and painted walls. It can be used on granite, marble and stone floors as well.
Supabord builders cardboard provides protection for a variety of surfaces including floors, walls, bench tops and stairs. It is easy to install, by simply rolling out the 37.5m long x 800mm wide roll, logo side up. Butt the edges up neatly and use Supabord Joint Tape to stick the edges together. This strong non-woven paper based tape will hold seams together for up to 90 days using a high tack adhesive.
Supabord Tape is also breathable and vapour permeable, which means cardboard floor protection can be used over floors whilst curing, without affecting the quality of the finished surface.
Floor protection FAQ
- Where can floor protection be used?
- Commercial office building fitouts
- Residential developments
- Multi-level apartments
- Industrial warehouse fitouts with polished concrete floors
- Sports venues with special flooring, such as polyurethane, gym floors and polished floors
- A wide range of other surfaces such as benches, handrails, walls, windows and built-in cabinets and storage units Sharp edges or points that are likely to get damaged such as door frames
Which builders floor protection is best for timber floors?
Both cardboard or plastic films can be used for timber floor protection. To choose the best product for your project, think about the processes that are likely to occur during the job. Will you need shock absorption if heavy objects are dropped? Using cardboard floor protection may provide slightly more protection than a thin plastic layer.
On the other hand, if you need a waterproof product because you’ll be using a lot of liquids, paints or sealants, a plastic film could be a better choice.
Which builders film should I use on carpets?
Protecting carpet requires specialist protection films. This is because carpet by nature is quite slippery when it is overlaid with plastic, so a regular builders film or drop sheet is not the best choice. Instead, it’s safest to use a sticky plastic carpet protection film. The self-adhesive properties are designed to not mark the carpet, however, the tacky film is strong enough to stay in place reducing the potential for slips.
Can floor protection be used on walls and other surfaces?
It certainly can. Tacky carpet protection is generally best left for carpets, but non-adhesive plastic films and cardboard floor protection can be wrapped, moulded, taped and wedged around other delicate surfaces. For example, granite kitchen benches, built in storage units, or walls alongside narrow staircases can all be protected with builders film.
How long should carpet protection be left in place?
Self-adhesive floor protection plastic films contain a very light adhesive substance on one side, making the application to carpet easy. This sticky adhesive is not aggressive however the carpet protection should be removed as soon as the project is finished and the risk of spills or soiling is over. This will ensure minimal opportunity for any residue to become bonded to the carpet.
Quick Tip: How to apply protective flooring film to carpet
To lay the plastic carpet protection film, a special applicator is invaluable and will save you loads of time on site. This wide roller applicator takes 1 metre wide carpet protection rolls, allowing you to simply walk over the area pushing the applicator in front of you like a broom. The sticky film will be applied neatly and smoothly to the carpeted area.
This method is ideal for covering large areas of carpet such as in new office spaces or similar areas. However, you can also apply tacky carpet films by hand, by simply applying pressure to stick the plastic at the edge of the carpeted area, and moving backwards, unrolling and pressing down the carpet film as you go.
Buy floor protection rolls at Jaybro, the experts in construction supplies
Plastic builders floor protection films and cardboard products like Supabord will protect surfaces from dust, dirt, damage, spills and splashes. Make sure you prep your project and protect existing surfaces with Jaybro’s building protection range.
This information is provided as an introductory guide only and does not constitute professional advice. Ensure you make your own independent enquiries at your workplace before deciding if a particular product is right for you. Consult the regulations and standards applicable to your area and check with your workplace health and safety representative for further information. Jaybro does not warrant the accuracy, content, completeness or suitability of the information on this site (or any site owned by the Jaybro Group) for your individual purposes. Any price or saving claim is correct at the time of publishing, and subject to change without notice.
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