Painting is one home improvement project that can have a dramatic impact on the appearance of your home without costing you a fortune or being terribly difficult to pull off yourself. Of course, you only want to get paint on the areas that you intend to be painting, not your hardwood floor. That means you’ll need to take steps to protect it from getting paint on it.
Supplies
Protecting your hardwood floor all starts with making sure you have the right supplies. First, you’ll need something to cover the floor with. Rosin paper is a good option. Plastic drop cloths are cheap, but rosin paper is easy to walk on and tends to not be as slippery underfoot. You’ll also need a good tape to tape the paper down. Painter’s tape is usually best for this.
Process
Once you have supplies, you can get started protecting your floor. Kick things off by cleaning your floor so it won’t get scratched while you’re laying down the paper and painting. Then, run some tape around the edges of your floor to protect the edges. Then lay your rosin paper on the floor. It should be flat and flush against the wall and cover the entire floor. Make sure any overlapping pieces overlap by at least 0.5 inches. Cut off extra and put it away for future use.
Troubleshooting
Ideally, your protection will prevent any paint from reaching your hardwood floor. If you discover that paint has fallen on the floor anyway, make sure you clean it up fast. Waiting and allowing it to dry will mean a tougher time cleaning up and could result in damage to your hardwood. If you find your tape isn’t sticking, it’s likely because the surface you’ve applied it to isn’t clean and dry. Take steps to control the moisture in the room, wash the surface you intend to tape so it’s completely clean, and allow it to dry completely before trying to reapply your tape.
Getting paint on your hardwood floor instead of on your walls, ceiling, or trim like you intend to can be frustrating. If you take steps to protect your hardwood floor instead, you should be able to avoid such a problem. You’ll be well on your way to enjoying your newly painted walls with your beautiful hardwood floors before you know it.
Sometimes even the best efforts fall short of preventing damage to your hardwood floor. If you need to replace your hardwood floor due to damage, Fluent Floors can help! Click here to get started finding a flooring that matches you.