Whether you are a professional decorator or a homeowner looking to spruce up their property, taking on a new decorating project can be fraught with difficulty. Some homes are filled with antique furniture, and even if not, no one wants to be dealing with unnecessary mess and damage.
It only takes one accident to cause serious damage to your floors, fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to mitigate the risk.
Protecting Carpeted Floors
Throwing down an old sheet or some fabric to keep your carpeted floors safe is easy, but it isn’t always the best solution. For one thing, if you spill any liquids or paints on an old sheet then they may well seep through. You can buy special protective films to use over carpeted floors and keep them protected.
The smart grip drop cloth from Trimaco is a perfect example of this. Trimaco’s drop cloths consist of two layers, one an absorbent canvas that will soak up any liquid that you spill on it, the other a slip-resistant layer that ensures the cloth doesn’t compromise your safety during your decorating project.
Protecting Hard Floors and Tiles
If your floors are polished, it is worth investing in some thicker and more robust protection for them. You can easily lay down protective rubber sheets that will keep your floors safe from any physical damage resulting from a dropped tool or spilled bucket. Cutting these sheets down should be relatively easy, you can even fit them snugly around doors, radiators, and other fittings to avoid leaving any gaps.
By securing the edges with adhesive tape, you can create a good enough seal to prevent the vast majority of spills from being able to break through to the floor beneath.
Protect Your Furniture
Even the simplest of decorating projects can lead to more mess than you are expecting. Whether it’s paint, dust, or other debris, the potential hazards for your furniture are endless. If you have any important or antique furniture within the vicinity of your works then you should try to move them somewhere more secure, if at all possible.
Remember that wooden furniture is like wooden floors in that if you allow liquids to seep through then liquids can seep into the wood and into the furniture itself. This can cause damage and discoloration to your furniture and can completely ruin an antique piece.
Preventing Spills
The best defense for your floors and furniture is to prevent any spills or accidents from occurring to begin with. Slip-resistant cloths are the best method, especially if you can find one that is also very absorbent. If you can move furniture out the way prior to beginning your decorating, then this reduces the amount of general clutter around you. If you are working in a cramped and cluttered environment, the chances of accidental spills will skyrocket.
It is always better to prevent accidents from happening than to scramble to react to them. With just a few simple measures, you can significantly reduce the chances of any part of your home becoming damaged during renovations.
