Hardwood Floors after Installation
| Protecting the floors once they are down is quite another matter.
Whatever you do, SAVE THE CARDBOARD BOXES that the hardwood flooring ships in. These boxes can be flattened and taped to the floor with blue painter's tape. This painter's tape can be applied for up to 14 days without difficulty, and after that any gluey residue left by the tape can be safely removed with Mineral Spirits and a soft rag. We put cardboard down on the main traffic areas and constantly rearrange the cardboard to accommodate shifting traffic patterns. Take a look. |
 We started out by taping the cardboard sheets to each other, trying to keep the floor as free of tape as possible. However.... |
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 ...we quickly discovered that securely taping the edges of the cardboard to the floor provided better coverage by preventing dust and debris from getting up under the cardboard. (crunch crunch). |
 The main traffic areas constantly shift as finishing work moves from room to room. |
 Note the intersecting traffic at the base of the stairs to the loft. Such areas are critical coverage areas and must be monitored closely. We also use the dry vac and a broom and dustpan to keep the area as free of potentially damaging debris as possible. |
 Here is yet another traffic pattern...this one to the porch which, in turn, leads to the deck. Eventually the saws and woodworking stations have to be moved outside of the house, thereby creating intense new traffic patterns as workers move in and out for every board needing to be cut. Crews also move outside to smoke (because we don't let them smoke inside the house), and also to eat their lunch. |
 It is not easy to keep up with the traffic patterns. Here they have moved into the kitchen to complete electrical change orders while finishing carpenters work on nearby beams. Lesley tapes more and more cardboard down as the traffic intensifies. Now, you don't have to do all this. It is up to you how to protect your hardwood floors. However, this is the way we decided to handle the problem and so far it has worked pretty well! It points, again, to the need to BE THERE throughout the construction process. Every single day presents problem-solving situations that you cannot expect your general contractor to resolve for you; not, that is, if you want it done your way. |
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