Trimaco

Trimaco drop cloths and floor paper cover floors, furniture and trim before you paint or renovate, and painters, contractors and do-it-yourselfers all use them. Each Trimaco line handles a different risk, so match the cover to the job: paper for traffic paths, canvas for drips, grip-backed canvas for smooth floors.

Trimaco has made jobsite protection products since 1906 and calls itself a single source for total jobsite protection. The company is located in Morrisville, North Carolina. It’s known for surface protection, drop cloths, masking and dust containment, and it serves the paint and coatings, flooring, construction and marine trades.

Canvas drop cloths

Canvas goes along the walls where you’re cutting in and rolling. It soaks up drips and splatter, so paint stays on the cloth instead of riding out on your shoes, and it stays in place better than plastic sheeting when you’re walking on it and moving a ladder. The heavier the canvas, the more it absorbs and the better it protects. Large spills soak through canvas, lighter weights first, so if a gallon tips over on a 6 oz. cloth, it’s on your floor. Set the bucket and roller tray on the SuperTuff extra heavyweight canvas.

Good cotton canvas washes and goes back out on the next job. Let latex drips dry, shake the cloth out outdoors and wash it by itself. Canvas is bulkier than plastic and won’t fold small, so roll it for the truck.

Canvas on hardwood, tile and laminate

The usual worry with a drop cloth on a finished floor is that it slides out from under a ladder foot. Plain canvas can slip on hardwood, tile or laminate if it isn’t secured. For those floors, use Trimaco’s non-slip canvas, the Stay Put Canvas Plus, which has Surface Grip to hold the floor and Spill Block against leaks. Trimaco also makes a leak-resistant drop cloth rated 300% more slip resistant than plain canvas, and it marks its slip-resistant cloths at the stitching so you can pick them out of a pile. With plain canvas on a smooth floor, tape the corners down before anyone climbs a ladder.

Builder’s paper and red rosin paper

On a remodel, paper goes down wall to wall over the traffic paths where the crew walks for days. Trimaco makes both Builder’s Paper and Red Rosin Paper for this. Overlap the rolls and tape every seam and the edge along the baseboard, because grit that works under the paper scratches the floor it’s there to protect. Keep red rosin off light carpet and unfinished wood anywhere it might get wet, since soaked rosin paper can bleed color.

Masking paper

Masking paper covers trim, windows, cabinets and anything else the roller or sprayer shouldn’t touch. For a room or two, tape and paper by hand. For a whole house of windows before spraying, use a hand masker, which lays tape along the paper edge as it unrolls. Trimaco makes maskers and blades. The mistake to avoid is leaving the tape edge loose: run a putty knife or your thumb along it before you spray, or paint wicks underneath.

DuPont Tyvek coveralls

Trimaco sells DuPont Tyvek coveralls, along with a Tyvek jacket and a high-vis coverall. Tyvek keeps overspray and sanding dust off your clothes and out of the truck cab. Buy one size up, because a snug suit splits at the seat the first time you squat to cut in a baseboard.

Rags, shop towels and tack cloth

Trimaco’s wiping line covers the rest of the job: Old School Premium Knit T-shirt Rags and cotton rags for wiping stain, SuperTuff Shop Towels for hands and tools, and a tack cloth for picking up sanding dust before the last coat of finish. Rags soaked with oil-based stain or linseed oil can heat up and catch fire on their own when they’re balled up in a pile. Lay them flat outside to dry, or drop them in a closed metal can filled with water.

Other Trimaco protection

Large renovations, heavy contractor traffic and wet or high-impact work may need stronger protection than canvas, such as the Stay Put Surface Protector, which shields surfaces from spills and scratches. Contractors also use X-Board Pro in place of Masonite. For dust, E-Z Up poles hold up a barrier that keeps dust and debris in the work area, E-Z Floor Guards go over shoes to keep them from tracking it through the house, and the Spray Shield blocks overspray. The SuperTuff Paper/Poly drop cloth has an absorbent paper top over a leak-resistant poly backing and drapes well over furniture and shrubs. Lay it paper side up.

Trimaco specs

Product	Spec	Built for
Trimaco canvas drop cloths	6 oz. to 12 oz. weights	Drips and splatter along walls and under ladders
Stay Put Canvas Plus	Surface Grip and Spill Block	Hardwood, tile and laminate floors
SuperTuff Paper/Poly drop cloth, item 02301	9’ x 12’ (2.74m x 3.65m)	Painting, cleaning and wallpaper removal
SuperTuff Paper/Poly drop cloth, item 02304	2-pack, 9’ x 12’ (2.74m x 3.65m)	Painting, cleaning and wallpaper removal
SuperTuff Paper/Poly drop cloth, item 02501	4’ x 10’ (1.21m x 3.04m)	Draping furniture and shrubbery

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Trimaco Stay Put Surface Protector for?

The Stay Put Surface Protector is for surfaces that will take spills and scratches over a long job, where a canvas cloth or paper would wear through. Sweep the floor before it goes down and tape the seams so nothing works under the edges. Stay Put is also the name on Trimaco’s Canvas Plus and Stay Put Vinyl, so make sure you pick the one the job needs.

Can you use newspaper instead of Trimaco masking paper?

Newspaper doesn’t work well for masking because the ink can transfer to wet paint and the thin newsprint lets paint soak through onto the trim. On a spray job, cover big spans like cabinet runs and window walls with masking film, which Trimaco also makes, and use the paper along edges and trim.

What are Trimaco’s Tyvek coveralls good for?

DuPont Tyvek coveralls are made for dry dust and paint mist, and the fabric breathes, which matters in a hot attic in July. The standard white suit isn’t a chemical-splash suit, so wear a chemical-rated garment for stripper or solvent work. Pick the high-vis coverall when you’re working near a road or moving equipment.

Is red rosin paper enough to protect a floor?

Red rosin paper is thin, so it handles dust, drips and foot traffic but won’t stop a dropped hammer or a dragged ladder. Where tools and heavy loads land, lay a heavier protector like the Stay Put Surface Protector or X-Board Pro over the paper or in its place.

What are Trimaco E-Z Floor Guards?

E-Z Floor Guards are protective covers that go over shoes to keep floors clean, and they’re handy when someone shows up without work shoes. Put them on at the door and take them off before you climb a ladder, because shoe covers can slide on a smooth rung. Trimaco also makes Smart Grip Shoe Guards and Heavy Duty CPE Shoe Guards.