During construction, even the most cautious of workers will have to contend with surface damage. It is easy for floors, mirrors, tables, and indeed most other kinds of surfaces to receive unintended damage during construction. The best way of preventing such damage is to carefully consider potential sources beforehand; once you have identified when and how damage is likely to occur, you can formulate a plan that minimises the chances of it happening.
As well as some well-thought-out preparations before you begin construction there are also a number of tools and other items you can use during construction in order to protect nearby surfaces. Below are some words of advice from construction experts and how they manage to avoid surface damage during construction work.
Glass
Whether it’s windows or mirrors or some other source, glass is one of the more delicate materials that is regularly encountered during construction. The physical properties of glass on a microscopic level mean that it is particularly susceptible to scratches and other damages resulting from exposure to small dust particles. Glass is obviously a rather fragile material anyway, and when damage is sustained it is one of the most difficult material types to repair, often necessitating replacing the glass entirely.
When working near glass, ensure that it is covered by a soft and gentle material, anything too hard could end up scratching the glass. Also, ensure that the material you use as a covering is fastened securely so as to prevent any stray particles becoming trapped underneath and damaging the surface when the cover is removed.
Wood
Wood is another very common building material, but unlike glass there are a wide variety of tree species which produce wood used in construction. Each of these different types of wood have very different properties. Hardwoods are more likely to be found as flooring and they are one of the most common surfaces that become damaged during construction.
It is vital that before any construction work begins you give some consideration to what kind of floor protection you will use. Many contractors looking to save a bit of money opt for cardboard or Kraft paper, and while these may work as temporary solutions on smaller jobs it is generally advised to choose something more resilient like heavy duty floor protection.
Metal
Like wood, the term metal encompasses a range of materials that all have slightly different properties. Some metals are incredibly strong and resilient and almost impossible to damage, even if you were trying to! However, other metals are soft and some are easily scratched.
Steel, for example, is a very strong metal, but if proper care isn’t taken, it can easily become scratched, removing any anti-corrosive coating that might have been added. Where this occurs, there is a much greater chance of corrosion occurring and this can ultimately lead to entire pieces needing to be replaced.
Ensure that the metal is covered in the same way that glass is; securely and with a material that won’t create any scratches.
Preventing surface damage during construction is crucial. If proper care isn’t taken, then surfaces can easily become damaged and eventually require replacing.