How to choose site protection: felt, film or cardboard

To shield a floor from paint and splashes you need an absorbent felt or protective cardboard; for walkways with loads and tools, cardboard or a polyethylene mat is better; for wrapping furniture and furnishings in a removal, bubble wrap; for quickly covering large surfaces, a polyethylene sheet. The choice depends on what you need to protect, what may fall or knock against it and how long the job lasts.

Types

• Bubble wrap. Polyethylene with air bubbles that absorb impacts. Bullpan 32 is the plain bubble wrap; Bullpan Duo is laminated with paper. Used for furniture and removals.
• Protective cardboard. Recycled cardboard for floors, in sheets or on a roll. Cover Paint is for painting work, Cover Roll is rolled out from the roll over long surfaces. Pressed cardboard is also available.
• Closed-cell polyethylene mat. A soft mat that cushions knocks and does not absorb water, such as Cover Pan.
• Absorbent felt. A polyethylene fabric that holds spilled paint and liquids. An example is the Panfilm absorbent felt.
• All-purpose dust sheet. A polyethylene sheet to cover furniture and surfaces during painting and dust-raising work, such as Full Cover.

How to choose by job

Features to check

Material. In the collection you find recycled cardboard, polyethylene, paper with polyethylene and polyethylene felt. Cardboard withstands foot traffic but is afraid of water; polyethylene is waterproof; felt absorbs.

Thickness and weight. For polyethylene sheets there is a thickness of 80 μm; for felts, 250 or 270 g/mq. The higher the value, the sturdier and longer-lasting the protection; for a short job the lower value is enough. The closed-cell mat, instead, has a thickness of 2 mm.

Bubble wrap weight. In Bullpan Duo the bubble wrap is 70 g/mq and the paper 65 g/mq. Film with paper protects better against scratches and streaks.

Colour. Some materials are transparent, which is useful for seeing what you are covering underneath.

Common mistakes

• Using cardboard where it gets wet. Cardboard absorbs water and deforms: for jobs involving water choose polyethylene.
• Laying the sheet on the floor without fixing it. It slips and can cause trips. Secure the edges with paper masking tape.
• Dragging sharp tools over the protection. It tears and no longer protects. Better to lift them.
• Not overlapping the sheets. Paint gets through between one sheet and the next. Overlap the edges and fix them.
• Removing the protection by dragging it. Remove it by rolling it inwards, so as not to spread dust and splashes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between felt and protective cardboard?

Felt absorbs paint and liquids, while cardboard acts as a rigid surface against foot traffic and impacts. On a floor during painting work felt is often used; in a busy corridor, cardboard.

Can they be reused?

Intact, clean polyethylene can, if it has not torn. Wet or crushed cardboard and felt soaked with paint must be replaced.

What product do I need for a move?

Bubble wrap: it is made precisely for furniture and removals. With laminated paper it protects better against scratches.

How do I prepare the surface?

First clean it, then lay the protection. If there is dust or dirt underneath, it can mark the floor.

All the sheets, felts and cardboards are in the Site protection collection: to choose the material and the length, ask the AMES technicians for a quote or advice.