Applying Tape to Wood Floors

There has always been a debate as to whether one can apply tape to a wood floor. The fear is that it can potentially peel off the top coatings. In discussions with flooring contractors all over the United States the overwhelming consensus is to not warranty a job where tape was applied by others to a wooden floor. One of those reasons is that once we leave a job we do not know how long a homeowner or another tradesman left the tape they installed to the wood surface. The only tape we recommend is the Delicate Series tapes made by different manufacturers like Scotch Delicate Purple and FrogTape Delicate Yellow. They claim that it can be applied to fresh surfaces for a minimum of days without damaging the surface film. But as is the case contractors may leave it on to long and the finish peels. They may make claims that it was only on the floor for a shorter period but that may not be true.  Therefore as flooring contractors we can’t take responsibility for things we have no control over. I tell my clients that if they decide to tape with the delicate surface tapes to be careful to not leave the tape on the floor any longer than is necessary to paint a wall or baseboard then remove it slowly. That is the best way to deal with it and never more than a day. My contract explicitly states I do not warranty a floor that has tape applied to it. Manufacturers of wood flooring have the same warranty clauses in regards to tape of any kind. On prefinished floors I will usually take a few boards out of a box and test them with various tapes and then peel them the next day to see how well the finish held up. That way I know what to expect if I decide to use tape. Buyer beware is what comes to mind in regards to tape and wood floors.