Your floors need particular protection when undergoing remodeling, throughout new building, moving heavy furniture or equipment, and for other occasions beyond day-to-day use. Protecting flooring makes sense and saves money. A spill of paint, the drop of a hammer, a scratch from heavy furniture can price 1000’s of dollars in replacement and repair costs. This article describes surface protection products for floors with the intention to make informed selections on the best product to make use of to your needs.
Types of Protection Packaging:
Floor protection products are commonly packaged as either:
(1) Products by the roll: These embrace widespread adhesive films, rolled paper products and rolled textile protection. Protective materials purchased by the roll are commonly measured in thickness by mils (e.g., 2.5 mils thick up to 48 mils thick).
(2) Products by the sheet: These include corrugated plastic, masonite, and other inflexible protection. Protective supplies bought by the sheet are commonly measured in thickness by the inch (e.g., 1/4-inch thick) and usually come as 4 toes by eight feet.
Type of Flooring Protection:
Paper
Paper protection is suitable for all hard surfaces and resilient surfaces however does not work well to protect carpets as it can tear when flexing under footsteps. Paper products are breathable in order that glue fumes and cement curing vapors can escape. One disadvantage to paper products as they require tapes to secure them to flooring and tapes can usually depart adhesive residue when removed. Widespread paper protection products embody:
· Kraft paper is a lightweight brown paper that’s inexpensive however does not afford any impact protection and may easily tear
· Scrim paper may incorporate coatings or reinforcements to make them water-proof as well as scrim threads to reinforce the paper and forestall tearing. These improved papers are longer lasting than regular Kraft paper or rosin paper nonetheless they’re also too thin to offer much impact protection.
· Rosin paper is thicker than Kraft paper and may be very low cost. Rosin paper is recycled, felt paper that ranges from 9.zero to 11.5 mils thick. The huge drawback of utilizing Rosin paper is that it may cause a everlasting stain if the paper gets wet. Rosin paper also can rip simply so it not normally advisable to be used
· Corrugated cardboard rolls or sheets will also be used to protect flooring. Corrugate provides impact protection however it isn’t coated with a waterproof finish and should be kept dry at all times in order that it does not disintegrate. Cardboard products are also available as single-, double-, and triple-walled corrugated cardboard sheets or as a fan-folded stack.
Polyethylene Film
Polyethylene (PE) films are sold as self adhesive rolled films various from 2.0 up to 3.5 mils in thickness. They trap any moisture from escaping so that they should not be used on any floors which are curing. Two of the great benefits of polyethylene films are that films will flex and contour so they can be used on carpets as well as hard surfaces. These films do not offer any impact protection and are usually rated for brief time period use of 30 to 90 days only. Polyethylene films are designed for one-time use and don’t use recycled supplies making them a poor alternative in maintainable protection. Protection films are available in a variety of adhesion “tack”. Hard surface protection films will have a lower tack and coloration than carpet protection which wants a more aggressive glue to hold onto carpet fibers successfully.
Wood Products
Plywood and Masonite are commonly used as protection on commercial projects with numerous foot traffic. Masonite is a wood product made from wood fibers unlike plywood which is an actual sheet of thin wood. Both plywood and Masonite are sold in the usual measurement of 4 ft by eight toes and are more expensive per square foot than paper or polyethylene products. Masonite is commonly 1/eight or 1/4 inch thick. Plywood is commonly 1/four inch to three/four inch thick. Both products provide impact protection on a wide range of floor types and provide adequate protection towards heavy equipment use or furniture moving. Both plywood and Masonite are breathable and reusable however they are bulky to carry and store. These wood sheets needs to be used on top of a softer protection similar to a rolled textile as they easily scratch flooring. These sheets work well to protect carpet as they forestall wrinkles when rolling heavy loads over the carpet. Plywood and Masonite don’t supply moisture protection and will be harder to cut to size than other protection types.
Textile Products
Textile products are commonly manufactured from recycled cloth. In addition, these rolled protection products typically have added benefits akin to skid resistant backings or breathable plastic liners. For wood floors, these specialty textile rolls are highly really helpful as they’re breathable, skid resistant, reusable, usually leakproof and straightforward to cut to size.
To be able to receive the total benefits of utilizing surface protection, proper application is a must. The floors ought to be clean (vacuumed or swept) prior to covering with the protection products. The proper alternative of protection needs to be made in order that moisture just isn’t trapped on floors that are nonetheless curing. Trapping moisture can cause a full product failure and will invalidate a wood floor manufacturer’s warranty. For heavy site visitors or loads, several protection layers may be needed.
In summary, there are numerous selections in non permanent floor protection available today. When choosing a protection product, it is smart to consider the fee, period wanted, breathability and potential to reuse the product. Successful floor protection additionally includes proper installation and preparation of the floor. Always follow the manufacturer’s suggestion to be used so the potential for adhesive transfer is avoided. Protecting valuable floors is a sensible investment in time and money. Surface protection consultants are also available to help you choose the very best floor protection on your needs.