# Hardwood ladder safety & efficient hardwood floor protection (OMS)



## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

I've made my way into some higher-end homes and really want to step up my game when it comes to floor protection. But first, I'd like to revisit ladder safety on hardwood.

I've got a couple of jobs coming up with high foyers (18-20') with nothing to back-brace a ladder against. Obviously I can't foot my own ladders so I need to make sure they don't slip. I've used the search and seen non-slip rubber mats used (what my old boss used), non-slip rug pads, and even two ladder pivot tools used (which would be a huge pain to move along). What I'm looking for here is some reassurance in this area...is there a _specific_ brand of non-slip mat that seems to really grip the floor and your ladder? What is the greatest angle you'd trust a non-slip mat to (I have a stair railing I have to clear in one instance)?

*OK, onto floor protection...

*When working on hard surfaces, I like to keep a runner in place at all times, leading to and from anywhere I might need to walk. For a single worker, laying down construction paper is a real PITA and time-consuming, IMO. I've seen this stuff before from ULINE. It's pricey, but IMO the customer is paying for floor protection anyway, so the added cost is offset by it's apparent ease of application. Does anyone have experience with it? Is it as easy to lay down as it appears? Does it stay in place, and are there no issues with residue or discoloration on cured hardwood? 
















https://www.uline.com/BL_6424/Hard-Surface-Protection-Tape

What about the carpet version? I hate how I'm constantly kicking drops back into place, especially on stairs. I'd like to find like an 8" version of this stuff for carpets you could easily lock downright next to the baseboard. If your dropcloth moves, no big deal. We all know the only time your roller or brush drips is when you're over an area where the drop moved.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

On hardwood we use a combination of the pivot as a wedge against the bottom rung and anti slip pads, like the cabinet shelf liners work good. We just lay out drop cloths.


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## Painter (Nov 24, 2009)

I use 3M floor grippers under my drops on all hardwood and tiled surfaces. They are a 3.5' x 12' runners and work great. I got tired of the same issue and walking around on drops like I was walking on ice. I also have drops with grippers on the back for stairs.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Have used the non slip throw rug pads forever without incident. As for clearing a stair rail at an extreme angle, is there any way to brace against an opposite wall with lengths of 2x6s or having someone at the ladders bottom for bracing? I prefer an object to brace against versus a person assisting - an object's attention span doesn't wander.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

If I need to anchor a ladder on a slippery surface most of the time I fill a fiver with water with a lid and put it up against the bottom rung. If the floor is real slippery I use two, one behind the other. Just have to remember that they are there when you step off the ladder. I use the gripper drops on stairs as well, I wish they made them in 25' lengths as well as the 12'.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

*Hardwood Floor Protection*

Floor paper might be a PITA, but it's the first thing I put down. Projects longer than a day also get Ram Board, since floor paper alone will not protect those floors from getting scratched or dented if something falls on em.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ram-Board-38-in-x-50-ft-Temporary-Floor-Protection-Roll-RB-38x50/202823781


Get a few sheets of this to lay it over top of the Ram Board. It's also a must for me on any projects which require scaffolding 
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjmoNvs48_SAhVV72MKHbTZB6AQFghJMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homedepot.com%2Fp%2FHardboard-Tempered-Panel-Common-3-16-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-0-155-in-x-47-7-in-x-95-7-in-832780%2F202404545&usg=AFQjCNGCgr0bF7X4HysRJoXzcdL3ICk07w&sig2=gVHlUPlCE_8P9t6ZByJFlQ


As far as the plastic film you posted, I love stuff like that for carpeted stairways, high traffic carpeted areas, etc, but I just don't trust it enough to stick it to someone's hardwoods. You'd be putting a lot of faith in the finisher of the floors by doing so, and the cost for repairing the finish far outweighs the extra time to put heavy floor paper down instead IMHO.


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## Danahy (Dec 11, 2008)

I like using 2 bath mats with latex on the bottom (Walmart $12) ladder sits on one, the other gets placed where I'm going to put the ladder next. Those and the foam muffins against the wall I feel safe working alone on any hard surface.

For a floor runner leading from the front door to my work area I'm using a 4x12 stays put drop cloth that I cut in half , so it's now 2x12'. It's the canvas drop with the non slip carpet stuff on the bottom, and a thin layer of spill proof plastic in the middle.


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

40mil pvc shower pan liner works pretty well on the floor under the ladder. Also, a bath mat, as someone else mentioned. The pan liner is pretty cheap, but I generally get some more here and there after we do bath remodels and I scavenge the scraps.

We had a big job in a vaulted living room after a fire restoration...patching, primer, paint and what not. We put down builders paper. taped the seams and covered that with a layer of 1/8" (or 1/4" maybe) masonite. We rolled a scaffold tower all over that floor and it was as good as new after we picked up the protection at the end. Obviously, you wouldn't need to go through all that for a simple job, but it worked very well for the more involved work we were doing.


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

Thanks for the reinforcement of confidence all. Everyone seems to be trusting their lives to bathmats and drawer liners just fine. :thumbup1: I really like the idea of wedging the ladder pivot tool under the first rung.



Painter said:


> I use 3M floor grippers under my drops on all hardwood and tiled surfaces. They are a 3.5' x 12' runners and work great. I got tired of the same issue and walking around on drops like I was walking on ice. I also have drops with grippers on the back for stairs.


These sound pretty great...how well do they hold up? Any problem leaving them down as main runners through the house after the drops are picked up for the day? 

This ULINE stuff I posted about really piques my interest. I mean, to lay down paper, you have to tape it. The adhesive on this stuff seems to be really light tack....maybe lighter than tape. I was hoping there was a guinea pig here for it already, but there doesn't seem to be. I supposed I could buy some and lay it down in my own home for a week to see how it does.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

I have left the gripper drops on stairs for days, both wood and carpet in an empty house, with lot's of work traffic and they have not moved. They work very well. Don't want to make hasty claims about an occupied house.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

kmp said:


> If I need to anchor a ladder on a slippery surface most of the time I fill a fiver with water with a lid and put it up against the bottom rung. If the floor is real slippery I use two, one behind the other. Just have to remember that they are there when you step off the ladder. I use the gripper drops on stairs as well, I wish they made them in 25' lengths as well as the 12'.


I sure would not be trusting my life on that set up.:vs_no_no_no:


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## goga (Aug 6, 2015)

Simple ladder levelers with round pads and on bottom, well, a carpet underlayer. Had never had anything scratched or ladder moved.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

A Trimaco rep said told me that you need to be careful leave products like the Uline floor protection on carpet for too long because it could leave adhesive residue on the carpet. I'd also be hesitant to use it on hardwoods for the same reason, or that you could damage the finish like Stelzer mentioned. 

Unless I'm doing touchups or painting a small wall, I've pretty much stopped using drops on any thing other than carpet. After you get the hang of it, you can lay rosin paper down pretty quickly and unless you tear the paper you don't have to worry about for the rest of the job.

If I do need drop clothes I recently switched from Canvas to the Trimaco Eliminator Butyl drop clothes. Unlike canvas they grip grip hardwoods much better and paint won't bleed through.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

I wouldnt do the blue plastic stuff on hardwood. After walking on it I couldn't imagine it coming up easy, across the whole area. I think I've used that on a painted plywood stairwell (to a basement) and that stuff stuck everywhere. 

I'm fan of 4' wide floor paper, taped well enough where it counts and it won't move side to side when placing an extension ladder on it. Sometimes newer workers forget about taping it to avoid that lateral movement which can even break loose when walking and coming to a stop.


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

804 Paint said:


> This ULINE stuff I posted about really piques my interest. I mean, to lay down paper, you have to tape it. The adhesive on this stuff seems to be really light tack....maybe lighter than tape. I was hoping there was a guinea pig here for it already, but there doesn't seem to be. I supposed I could buy some and lay it down in my own home for a week to see how it does.


I'm at a job right now for my remodeling contractor. I happen to see a roll of Uline right here. The contractor uses it for hardwood and tile floors, carpet too. And it jogs my memory about all the jobs I've seen him use it on. I get there to paint and it's laid down in hallways, or carpeted rooms here and there.

It reminds me of the pros and cons of using. Usually it's full of holes, and covered in debris on these jobs. It's not easy to push broom or vacuum (with awesome results anyways) compared to floor paper. Yes it's quick somewhat to lay down, blocks moisture, but not where you have seams. How easy is it to clean the stuff up though?? I remember pulling this stuff up but it won't come up with in one big piece, so dust goes evetywhere. With floor paper we can pull a whole living rm floor, and fold it up in one piece with the residual dust and stuff inside.

The roll they use here is 24" which would take a lot of strips to cover a living room. You would have to get different size rolls to accommodate whole jobs, 24", 36" and 48" stuff. As well you can't dispense pieces and cut to size like floor paper, can't use it across counters or appliances with much success, it's slippery if you have wet shoes from outside or something, and I couldn't imagine painting a large millpack with it down everywhere.


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

The pros would be using it in closets for walls and ceilings, but not if painting base.
Stairwells
Carpeted hallways


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

That was a very helpful post, rides. I didn't think about sweeping up over that stuff, but I could always place a drop on top of it wherever there was a lot of sanding to be done.

What tape are y'all using to secure paper to hardwood? I always use 3M light tack stuff without a problem, but I wonder if it's overkill. I see regular blue used all the time, but I'm too nervous to use it on my own jobs. Seems like it could burn in easily.


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## Kimberlibre (May 24, 2021)

pivot and anti slip pads just like the old guys!


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Quelana said:


> Well, I am having a similar dilemma right now. I have been using the pivot and anti slip pads for a while, however the last time I have almost fallen from the freaking ladder as the it slipped and went sideways. I do not really remember the height in there, but it was waaay more than 3 meters, if it was not for their great area rug, I would have ended in the hospital.


I like the Pivot tool but wish the part that rests on the upper step had a bit more depth to it so it would extend further back for a more secure bite. On some stairs, especially those with a heavy pad under a thick carpet, I get concerned that upper lip might slip off.


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