Random OT question - Any advice on cleaning plaster off floorboards.

[anrkyuk]

Had some guys over plastering our hall, stairs & landing today, their back tommorow and I'm just fishing for any tips on cleaning the floors up once they leave. I cleaned some up today using a mix of flash and water and sponges but it seemed more like I was spreading it rather than cleaning it and a fresh bucket of water was needed almost every step up the stairwell.

[Ⓥenom Ⓢnake 🐍]

If they did not use drop cloths, you demand they fix it due to damages.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

warm water and mild soap. rags and maybe a putty knife or spatula.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by anrkyuk:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

warm water and mild soap. rags and maybe a putty knife or spatula.

So basically what I have already been doing, just keep repeating untill eventually it's all gone, well thats my w/end wasted. Ty

i remembeer that from "this old house" when i was a kid.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

you're welcome!

i try to be helpful a few times a day, at least... maybe...

[Spawn of Totoro]

What kind of wood floor?

Have you tried letting it dry before cleaning it?

Check and see if the contractor is responsible for damages and tell them to put something down on the floor or ask if they plan on cleaning it up themselves. Any good contractor will put some kind of protection down to protect the floor and clean up when they are done.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by anrkyuk:

The boards are very old light oak, the boards arn't decorateive, once the plaster on the walls is dry and I've painted I'll be putting down some underlay and carpet, Im just trying to prevent the spread of all the plaster dust and obv want to clean up as much as poss before I paint.

Then a vacume and a scrapper would work. If you scratch the floor, someone can always sand it latter on to fix it.

Most likely that is why they do not care about the floor if they know what is planned for it. Still, they should put some cloth down to keep the mess to a minimal. You won't have to worry about dust after the pad for the carpet is down as it won't pass through it.

[Mr. Shaggnificent]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

[...]putty knife or spatula.

Use a stiff(but not wire) brush, not a putty knife. Even if you are going to cover it up, you may change your mind later, so why damage it if you don't have to.

Source: I'm a painter who has followed many messy tapers and plasterers.