Flooring can easily sustain damage from heavy foot traffic, equipment, moisture, and other factors during construction or renovation. Various temporary floor protection products address these concerns.
This article will focus on three common types: hard floors, soft floors, and moisture-sensitive floors. Read on for our product recommendations tailored to each type.
What Is Considered a Hard Floor?
Flooring considered a ‘hard floor’ is made of cement, stones, or tiles. These materials, whether natural or synthetic, are rigid and don’t bend when walked upon. This type of floor is resilient, durable, and performs strongly in heavy traffic areas. Yet, it’s still susceptible to damage.
The impact of a heavy object on its surface is one concern, while exposure to such impacts without the right protection presents another challenge.
Temporary Floor Protection for Hard Floors
Floorgard Corry Board, one of our best-selling items, is specifically designed for this purpose. We recommend using the variant Floorgard Corry Board Sheet with a 10mm thickness for maximum coverage against foot traffic, sharp impacts, and prolonged use.
Made from corrugated polypropylene, this lightweight product features a twin-walled design that creates a sandwich that acts as a buffer. It’s available in various thickness options to cater to the requirements of different floor types.
Read our guide, ‘The Roles of Weight and Thickness in Floor Protection’ to find the best thickness level for your needs.
What Qualifies as a Soft Floor?
Soft flooring is characterised by its high elasticity form. It provides a bit more ‘give’ or cushioning underfoot. This results in footfalls that are much more muffled compared to hard flooring. Thereby, it has greater susceptibility to heavy traffic damage. Common types of soft floors include carpets, laminate, and vinyl, among others.
Temporary Floor Protection for Soft Floors
We have a few recommendations for you: STIXX Carpet Protector, Tuffcard, and Floorgard Corry Board Roll.
Let’s start with the STIXX Carpet Protector. This self-adhesive low-tack film protects fibre carpets while keeping their original condition. It saves time and effort in cleaning your carpet after a renovation or a quick DIY project.
Tuffcard is a thicker floor card compared to regular builder’s paper. It provides good coverage against scratches and light debris while painting, installing new fixtures, or making repairs.
Floorgard Corry Board Roll is almost the same as the hard floor variant but in 2mm thickness, the thinnest available. It’s lighter and suitable for light-duty tasks, such as protecting against light debris and paint spills.
What Makes Flooring Moisture-Sensitive?
Flooring can be considered moisture-sensitive due to its material composition and how it reacts to moisture or humidity. For instance, you’re working with an uncured timber floor, and it’s left unprotected. Moisture buildup in the room can get trapped underneath. This can cause the wood to ‘sweat’, leading to possible damage or warping.
Other examples of flooring susceptible to subfloor moisture include vinyl composition tile (VCT), rubber flooring, carpet tile, vinyl tile, and other non-breathable finished floors.
Protective measures must be in place during construction or renovation activities to prolong the lifespan of the flooring and avoid long-term damage.
Temporary Floor Protection for Moisture-Sensitive Floors
Breathable materials must be used to cover moisture-sensitive flooring. Products like the FR Breathable Fleece excel at protecting newly laid floors. This fleece is made with three layers: an anti-slip bottom layer, a vapour membrane in the middle that allows moisture to escape, and a fire-retardant top layer for added protection.
Note: The vapour membrane allows moisture to escape from the curing floor while preventing liquids from seeping through the top.
Consider the type of flooring you have or are working on when choosing temporary floor protection. We hope our recommendations help you decide what to invest in before starting your project.
For consultations or quotes, contact our team at hello@s-pgroup.com or call us at +44 (028) 9442 8611. Our 5-star rated customer service team is ready to assist you.