How to protect hardwood floors during a renovation
Hardwood is beautiful, but unforgiving. Follow these five steps to keep parquet and plank floors flawless while the painters, plasterers and electricians do their work.
Hardwood floors are one of the most valuable surfaces in a home — and one of the easiest to damage during a renovation. Grit under a boot, a dropped tool or a slow leak from a paint tin can leave marks that only sanding will remove.
1. Start with a clean floor
Vacuum thoroughly before laying any protection. Sand and grit trapped underneath act like sandpaper every time someone walks over the protection.
2. Choose the right protection
For painting work, an absorbent fleece such as ProFleece is ideal. Freshly finished or oiled floors need to breathe, so choose EcoGuard breathable paper instead of plastic.
3. Seal the edges
Most damage happens where protection ends. Run the protection right up to the skirting and secure the edges and overlaps with UV-resistant tape.
4. Add boards in walkways
In corridors and entrances where trolleys and ladders pass, add a layer of rigid ProBoard sheets on top.
5. Remove it carefully
Roll the protection towards the centre of the room so dust and debris stay inside the roll — not on your freshly revealed floor.
