Bob Vila Radio: Protecting Floors
Home improvement projects are messy business: Whether you’re painting, re-tiling, or just moving furniture, you want to make sure you’re protecting the surfaces you’re NOT working on.
Photo: aconcordcarpenter.com
Listen to BOB VILA ON PROTECTING FLOORS, or read the text below:
To protect a hardwood floor from scratches, goudges, and heavy traffic during remodeling projects, one of my favorite tricks is to recycle used wall-to-wall carpet pieces by turning them upside down and secure them to the floor with strips of heavy tape.
Builders traditionally use rosin paper over floors because it’s cheap and easy to dispose of when the job is done, but it can shred in high traffic unless you get the reinforced kind. For about thirty cents a running foot, you can get a roll of thin adhesive polyethylene film that grips tile or vinyl floors and will last about a month. There’s even a roll-out film that sticks to carpet but won’t cause damage when you remove it.
Thick adhesive film is great for protecting a bathtub while you remove tile, or a banister while you move furniture upstairs. If you’re painting or generating any sort of dust, you’ll be glad you covered the furniture with plastic sheeting as well.
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day.
For more on flooring, consider:
Choosing the Right Floor Covering
Wood Flooring 101
Wood Floors Go Gray
