We’ve spoken with countless contractors and remodelers over the years and they all seem to have one dilemma in common — how to protect stairs at the job site during construction. Plain painters’ drop cloths are slippery and dangerous. Heavy-duty paperboard is durable but hard to work with; it has to be taped down, making it very labor-intensive. Adhesive-backed plastic doesn’t provide much impact protection and there’s the possibility that the adhesive can damage the existing finish on the stairs. So what’s a concerned contractor to do?

Protect Stairs with Clean&Safe®, Clean&Safe®Pro & SurfacePro®

For most projects involving stairs, Clean&Safe® and Clean&Safe®Pro are more than adequate protection. The 32″ wide rolls are well-suited to fit comfortably on standard stair widths without cutting. Clean&Safe®Pro will hold up better on stairs than Clean&Safe® over time, but either product can be used. Simply unroll the surface protection from the top of the stairs to the bottom, plastic side down, and crease the material so it folds naturally over the stairs. If desired, the product can be secured by tacking it underneath the lip of the stair tread with a small strip of trim and two or three small finish nails. SurfacePro® can be used on newly-finished stairs that need breathable surface protection. It provides slip-resistance without trapping moisture underneath, protecting the soft finish on surfaces while still allowing them to cure.

One Contractor’s Solution for Long-Term Stair Protection

One of our customers, Stefan Rumancik with Designer Builders, explained how he protects stairs during long-term projects by using a combination of Clean&Safe® and MDF board. He rolls out Clean&Safe® on the stairs from top to bottom, folding and tucking the product so it forms to the shape of the stairs. Then he lays down stair tread covers on top of the Clean&Safe® made from 1/2″ MDF with a rounded edge. The heavy MDF treads hold the Clean&Safe® runner in place without fasteners or tape and provide added impact protection; the texture of the Clean&Safe® fabric helps secure the MDF boards and the Clean&Safe® protects both the stair tread and the riser. Stefan says using this method they’ve left the stair protection in place for months if needed, with the homeowner using the stairs daily as well. With both the Clean&Safe® and the precut treads being reusable, they can take the system to the next job when they’re finished.

Sometimes a product is an ideal solution; sometimes the best solution is a combination of products. What’s your solution to protect stairs? We’d love to hear how you use our products!