How to protect furniture and floors before painting

To protect furniture and floors before painting, remove what you can from the room, group the rest in the centre and cover everything with dust sheets or old bed sheets. On the floor, use a decorator's dust sheet or thick paper, and tape the edges down. Thin plastic on its own is not enough: it is slippery and paint can get through.

First, take out everything you can

The best piece of furniture to protect is the one that is no longer in the room. If possible, move small furniture, lamps, rugs, books and fragile objects into another room. Take down pictures, mirrors and curtains as well. The less that is left, the less you have to cover and the lower the risk of damage.

Large, heavy furniture stays in the middle of the room. That way you have clear space to work next to the walls.

How to cover furniture

Use old bed sheets or fabric dust sheets, which absorb splashes. Thin plastic does not absorb, and paint can run off it.
If you use plastic, put it over a cloth, or use thicker plastic.
Stick the plastic down with masking tape so it does not fall off.
Cover the sides and legs of the furniture too, not just the top.
Protect appliances and televisions with plastic and move them away from the wall.

If the room is the kitchen, cover the cupboards and worktops. If it is the bathroom, cover the toilet, the basin and the bath, and close the shower screen door.

How to protect the floor

The floor is where most drops land. The protection depends on the type of floor.

Wooden floorboards or timber: use a thick dust sheet or protective paper. Tape down only with low-tack masking tape designed for delicate surfaces, so it does not lift the varnish.
Tiles or ceramic: a dust sheet or paper is enough. Tape the edges.
Carpet: cover with plastic underneath and a dust sheet on top, and do not let any paint fall.
Stone and marble: protect them well, because paint can stain them and is hard to remove.

Avoid using newspaper on its own on a wet floor, because it can tear and stick. And never leave masking tape on the floor for many days. The longer it stays, the harder it is to remove.

Sockets, switches, doors and windows

Switch off the electricity at the consumer unit before touching sockets and switches.
Remove the covers from sockets and switches. If you cannot, stick tape over them.
Stick tape along door and window frames and on the hinges.
Cover the window panes, if you wish. Paint can be taken off glass with a blade, but it is a chore.
Close the doors of rooms you are not painting, so dust and paint do not get through.

Common mistakes

Using only a thin sheet on the floor. The paint soaks through.
Covering the furniture and forgetting the sides.
Putting tape on dirty surfaces. The tape does not stick and paint gets underneath.
Stepping on the dust sheet with paint-covered shoes and spreading it through the house.

If water-based paint lands where it should not, wipe it up straight away with a damp cloth. Once it dries, it is much harder to remove.

Tip: Keep a damp cloth and a roll of kitchen paper to hand while you paint. A drop wiped up in two seconds can save you an hour of scraping later.