Dust control should be
addressed when it comes to hardwood floor
installations or when floors are being
refinished. Before any work starts one should be
aware what dust from sawing and finishing machines
can do to your indoor air quality. Even more
important in cases when some family members may
suffer from allergies.
During
the installation, professional installers will do
the cutting of hardwood away from the home's
interior. Places are typically garages or outdoors
with weather permitting. Patios and or lanais are a
poplar spot. In cases where this may not be
possible, an alternative is tenting the work areas
with plastic sheathing to be used as a dust barrier.
These items can be found in practically any hardwood
store, Home Depot, or Lowes.
Not
only is it important to keep larger open areas
protected with plastic sheathing, but dust can find
it's way inside kitchen cabinets, through doors and
their casings. Using 3M blue painters tape or the
purplish stuff is an ideal temporary dusk mask.
Scrap carpet padding can be used under the doors. Of
importance would be removing the tape in time wise
fashion, or not allowing it to be exposed to direct
sunlight most of the day. Prolonged exposure to
heat and or sun can allow the tape's adhesive to
bake into the trim work. The consensus calls for
purple tape as a safer alternative. Fresh paint can
also have a tendency to peel off if not cured
properly.
Other
areas of protection should include HVAC intake
units, should a lot of dust be raised during this
period. Failure to protect this area could force
dust into your heating or cooling system that could
be noticeable for months and years to come, unless a
thorough cleaning is done. Again, taping off with
sheathing is the best solution (seen below)
 In
some cases grinding or sanding of the subfloor may
be required to insure a flat subfloor; critical for
any successful installation. Tools with vacuum
attachments (shown left) will cut down on 95% of the
dust that would otherwise become airborne.
Other
activities that will raise dust prior to the
installation will be removal of carpet and padding.
These materials are a dirt magnet. After years and
years of vacuuming you will be surprised how much
dirt, grit, and sand gets through carpet and
padding.
If
you're fond of gadgets and other cool stuff there is
a company that deals exclusively with dust control
called Zip Wall.
The
same procedures for maintaining dust control in
finishing floors should also be taken into account.
It's also a good idea to insert fans in window
openings, drawing the potential airborne dust out of
the home. |
