Decorating is one of those jobs that you either love or hate and with everyone trying to save their hard-earned cash as the moment, more and more people in the UK are turning to DIY as a way to make their homes look beautiful.

If you have a hardwood floor in a room which is going to be decorated you’ll have to do everything possible to make sure the floor is protected. Step ladders and paint splashes can damage a wooden floor, but no matter how hard you try to stop damage it can sometimes occur.

If you are using step ladders to reach the ceiling in the room it’s important you check that the step ladder’s feet are well protected with rubber. There should be no bare metal or rough edges on the feet which can scratch or dent the floor when the ladders are being used.

When you are painting the room it’s also important that you use large dust sheets to cover the floor surface. This will stops drips touching the floor surface and will also give the floor a degree of protection from the ladders you are using.

If you do drip paint on a hardwood floor there are a few things you can do:
• Always try to remove the paint whilst it is still wet. Warm soapy water should be good enough to wipe those drips away for emulsion paint.
• If the paint has dried it will occasionally flake away quite easily when wiped with a wet soapy cloth, although it is important not to use a scouring pad or other abrasive wipe.
• If the paint has been spilt over a large area and is oil based you might have a bigger problem removing it from the floor. In the worst cases a professional hardwood flooring refinishing company will be able to refinish the floor for you, after you have done your best to remove as much paint as possible.