We just had carpet to protect when we did our kitchen remodel and we used clear carpet protecting film that is sticky on one side. We got it at Lowe's and it really saved our carpet. We had to replace it on our stairs half way through the project because the dry wall guys gunked it up so bad. We got a similar product at Sherwin Williams. The Lowe's product was easier to handle and worked better for us - plus it was cheaper! It is a 2 person job to put it down - one person to hold one end of the film while the other person pulls enough off the roll to lay down. Do flat areas first to get the hang of it and then do the stairs.

I don't have any first hand experience with protecting your wood floor.

Did you post this in the flooring forum? I have the same issue -- keeping hardwoods through a full kitchen gut that requires going through the den to get in and out.

I protect areas with sheet plastic, then covered with 4' by 8' sheets of half-inch homasote.

The plastic does not get taped to the floor. The homasote simply gets laid over the plastic. The sheets of homasote then get taped at the seams.

There are commercially made adhesive films that work for stair treads. Be VERY careful with the stairs. One slip and cha-ching.

I've also had great results with the adhesive carpet protector poroducts. here's the one we used:

Here is a link that might be useful: carpet protection during construction

My GC used a carpet pad covered with a heavy plastic and then taped down. The pad does wonders to keep bits of drywall and tile (from the cutting) from penetrating through just a sheet of plastic and getting to the wood.

There is a thin foam sheet made for this application. It comes as a fanfold that expands pretty large. The foam comes in blue or pink as I recall and is available at Lowe's or HD. Then you can cover the foam with plastic to keep little parts and dust from getting under the foam.

Take a look at Blake Products. Blake Products manufactures surface protection products designed to protect floors, carpets, doors, tubs, cabinets, counters, and many other surfaces during the construction process. Blake ships products all over the world.

If you are in need of protecting a surface from damage during construction, Blake Products can help.

www.blakeproducts.com 866-235-8426

Here is a link that might be useful: surface protection

Corrugated cardboard.

For wood floors, we use rosin paper (red, in rolls at home improvement stores). It's a pain to tape down, but it does work. Also helps to put painting tarps on top to create a walkway for the workers --forces them on a certain path (most of the time!)

Expect dust, lots of it, in the most unlikely places. Change your central air filters lots more often than usual. And use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. LOL

I've been using floor protection on my projects for a while now. I just started buying from www.carpetbarrier.com and their xcelstrip product makes applying the stuff much easier!

It's ALL about Ram Board! By far the best floor I've ever used on my job sites. You can find the dealer nearest you at www.ramboard.com!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ram Board

Ram Board all the way! We use it for all our construction jobs both large and small. Tried a knock off brand for a bit because it was a bit cheaper but it definitely wasn't as durable. Also, now all the ram board is water proof!! Spill Guard i think they are calling it.