I’m trying to protect our hardwood stairs during ongoing work in our house. Plaster dust, etc., is damaging the finish. FHB had a good article a while back on how to protect floors. But what about stairs? Obviously tarps are out for safety reasons. Any product available that’s sort of a removable plastic adhesive?
Thanks
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I bet this site will have something you can use: http://protectiveproducts.com/productline.html
Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
Justin,
I've used their products--zip rods, sticky mats--with success, but they have nothing that can be used on hardwood stairs. Just called to confirm.
BTW, that article in FHB had some great ideas.
Yep, I liked that article too. I just redid the drywall in a stairway in my house. PITA to protect a stairway, especially one that needs to stay functional.
Try this: Build a stairway over the stairway.
First, clean the hardwood of all dust and debris. Then cover it with a length of foam underlayment cut to the width of the stairway. Using OSB (just saw it for $5 a sheet) cut new tread covers for the steps. Put up a diagonal nailer on each side of the steps. Use scrap 1' 2x and fasten it verticly to the top of the OSB tread. Place each tread on top of the foam covered hardwood tread, and fasten the 2x to the diagonal nailer.View Image
Everything stays in place and is well protected. Only two holes in the drywall. You can even add more "armor" if you need it to the existing nailers.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
They have a white multipurpose tape that I use for stairs as follows - I cut cardboard an inch narrower than the tread from th eback and each end. I tack it in place with blue painters tape - small pieces.
Tjhen I peel off and cut a strip of the 12" white long enough for the tread. Takes two usually to get this right. Then I place the white tape over the carboard on the tread so it is sticking at the back and both ends, and curl the front down over the bullnosed edge of th etread.Here is another way to apply it alone. I peel it back on a plyuwood cutting surface with sticky side up. Then I take the cut cardboard and stick it down to the tape in the same placement. Now I can take the whole thing and place it on the tread without the blue tape tacking it. If I am going to be refionishing, I just put the tape directly on the tread, but you don't want that for protecting the existing finish. After a few weeks of traffic. the tape at center and edge will be welded to the finish and ;peel it away upon removal. Here is another way to deal with this problem. -
surface pro at http://www.dropcloth.com has tacky backed washable dropclothes that are thick enough to protect and made in strips for halls and stairs. The tacky back helps keep it from slipping on stairs with not much effort.Yet a third method for you -
Tell your contractor to quit ruining your house and find a way to protect it if he wants to get paid.
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On the treads and risers, I use red rosin paper and tape it down using blue tape. Obviously, you don't want anything that is slippery. The rosin paper stands up well, cheap, is easy to patch or replace. Sorry, let's try a smaller pic.
Just had another thought based on that last post.
They sell this mesh like foam rubber for lining drawrs and toolboxes - you can buy a 24" roll of it. Use this under a more traditional fiber based protector - it will keep it from slipping and give a little cushion. You can tape the fiber protector down normally then - like the rosin paper in the picture.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
I seen on one job site they had cleaned the stairs then put down the foam used for laminate floor all the way down the stairs and then put piced of drywall cut to prevent a hammer or something heavy dinging the tread.
Marc, go to HD or Lowes, purchase a length of indoor/outdoor carpet, or a 12x12 or similar size cut lengths of it to the width of your stair, then rip some strips of 1/4" luan (or similar)x 1 1/2", cut to width of stair, start at top of stair, tapeing runner to floor, then work your way down the stairway attaching luan strips to risers where they meet treads, fasten @ 3 spots R.,L., & ctr. I use 5d box nails driven just enough into riser to hold, I'm guessing you have painted risers. Even if you have hardwood risers this method is very effective for protecting the stairs. It should look similar to HAMMER1's photo, without the blue tape. You should be sure to clean thoroughly before applying the runner, and as PIFFIN said, tell the contractor you're back charging him for something HE should have included AND done ahead of time!!
When job is done you just pull the nails (make sure you don't drive them to deeply initially) and touch-up w/paint or putty stick or even light weight spackle on white painted risers works well. Good Luck!
Geoff
P.S. when you get to the end of the first length overlap the next length under the first so you won't have a tripping hazard, and trim the excess just below the luan strip.
There are companies that sell products specifically for those type of applications. Here is an example:
http://www.pro-tect.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/21
I've taken a couple of rides with rosin paper runners on the stairs...I will not let my guys walk on one anymore.On new work,we use pcs of cardboard from the cabinet boxes, each individually taped to the treads with clean release stuff. If any sunlight hits the stairs, we make sure to cover the whole tread, unless the client is going for the runner look later<G>That protect stuff looks, like the ticket for work that's already finished. Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."
What??!! One ride wasn't enough, had to go back and go for a second one?? Im with you on the rosin paper on stairs. Been a couple of times that I thought I might have to change my pants after taking a little slip on stairs with rosin.
What we have done that works pretty good, but not perfect, is to use left over EPDM (stuff for doing rubber roofing) cut a little smaller than the tread. This is then taped down to the treads. It grips the treads pretty good and give a little bit of protection against things that may be dropped.Live by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
I haven't seen resin paper that would last more than a couple of days on treads.bUt I'm getting more good ideas here.
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