You did it. You installed all of that brand new hardwood flooring. Congratulations! Wait, what’s that sound? That’s the sound of dozens of dirty boot wearing trade workers currently on their way to your jobsite. Your hard work and labor will soon be coated in layers of mud, paint, and plaster and scared with scuffs and scraps unless you do something. The answer to this problem is temporary surface protection, but that’s obvious. You need much more specifics and questions answered. What surface protection do you need, and how much?
Here is the answer up front. For every 300 square feet of hard surfaces you need one roll of Builder Board (100ft roll). For every two rolls of Builder Board you need one roll of Builder Board Seam Tape AND one roll of Surface Shields 3inch Blue Tape.
Here is an example: If you have 1200 square feet of hardwood flooring. You’ll need a bare minimum of four rolls of Builder Board, two rolls of Builder Board Seam Tape, and two rolls of Surface Shields 3inch Blue Tape.
As promised, let’s talk about Builder Board Project Edition. This is a lighter duty version of Builder Board. This board is about 49% thinner than traditional Builder Board, three inches shorter (35inches rather than 38inches), and about 52% lighter. Builder Board Project Edition covers about 291 square feet, so it is best to calculate 275 square feet to give yourself that extra 5%.
The “1 roll of tape to 2 rolls of board” rule still applies with this lighter board, and yes, you still need both tapes.
The final tips when using either board is, always buy an extra roll for safety. Even though you accounted an extra 5%, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It is also very important to always patch up or replace any damaged board. Your surface protection is only as strong as its weakest point.
