Whenever we do a large scale remodel we seal our work space with heavy plastic sheeting taped to the walls and over doorways. Two consecutive, overlapping plastic curtains divide the work space from the non-work space. Floor surfaces get coverd, wall to wall, with masonite with the seams taped. Masonite also goes down from the front (or back) entry door of house to the work space. This helps with dirty or wet boots, hauling demo debris, loading in materials, less than careful subs, etc. Masonite goes on the treads of hardwood stairs as well.
I am curious what some of you use for carpeted stair treads. Masonite or drop clothes are too dagerous for the stairs when carrying loads. I have seen the lightly adhesive plastic but I need something much more durable; able to survive two or three months. Any suggestions or ideas would be most appreciated.
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"I have seen the lightly adhesive plastic but I need something much more durable; able to survive two or three months."
why....What are you doing to the stairs? I've used the carpet protection products from here: http://www.protectiveproducts.com/index.html
Never had any problems, but I've never wore spiked shoes indoors
http://www.dropcloth.com toll free 888-578-5573. They have some pretty good stuff--some is like felt with a skid resistant plastic backing. No, I don't own stock in the company. They sent me some samples and it looks like good stuff--don't know how expensive it is. I imagine that if you contact them, they would send you some samples too.
Carpeted? No problem - take a heavy drop cloth, and use quarter-round to hold it down. Put your 1/4-round at the base of each riser/back of each step, and fire in a couple 18 gauge brads. Just yank 'em out when you're done. No one could ever tell.
3 x 15 ft runners.
Put them out in the am and take them up in the pm. That's what helpers are for.
If you walk correctly on them during tha day the don't require a lot of repositioning.
If you have your boots untied (or sneakers) and your pant's down to your azz, then it's another story.
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BarryE Full gut of third floor and rebuild two bedrooms, one bath, closets, etc. Two flights of carpeted stairs for all the demo debris to come out and all the material to be loaded in. I figure eight weeks of poeple, tools, and materials, traveling these stairs. To boot I am guessing the house is 75 years old and the stairs are steeper, narrower and have shorter treads than you would be allowed to build today.
Danno Thanks for the link. I will be looking into it.
Biff Loman I think we might have a winner. I am not looking for a complex solution, just something I haven't thought of yet. Many thanks.
EricPaulson I would not carry a heavy load (big CMS, a few boxes of tile, table saw, radiator) up or down these stairs with an unsecured runner. If I won't, it is difficult to ask anyone else to.
Again thanks for your consideration and suggestions.
Full gut of the third floor? Is there ANY way you can make a garbage chute out a window?
jesse, just caught your post, and coincidentally the decision was made today to build the chute. There are some issues, the ground drops away severely on one side, you could spit on the neighbor's house on another side, shared driveway on another, massive shrubbery on the other. Turns out those cute little dormer windows up there on the third floor are a whopping 20Hx24W. Shrubbery is getting tied back, and because this side of the house has the highest ground, it looks like this chute will be about 37-40 feet.
Interior prep is underway, art off the walls, furniture moved (that would be the furniture that was supposed to be moved by the time we arrived), masonite down, runners and quarter round on the carpeted stairs.....I love that suggestion, thanks again.
BT is great. Wether it is the confused homeowner striving to understand, a DIYer trying to get back on the good side of the wife, or a pro drawing on the vast pool of diverse experience and knowlege of the BT sages, this is a priceless resource.
I agree iluvgear. I might have survived my first foray into the remodeling business if I had this resource. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I agree with all.
And like Bills idea on the stairs too.
Question. How are you going to build the shute?
Let me know what you use and how it goes.
I have seen the drywall bucket trick but too small.
Like the same idea with trash cans and cutting out the bottoms but I have a hard time spending hundreds of dollars on trash cans only to cut and throw out the most critical part.