Protecting a New Surface During the Rest of a Refit
The Awkward Middle of a Project
Worktops are fitted before splashbacks, before final decorating and often before flooring is finished, because everything above and behind them is measured off the surface. That leaves an expensive finished item sitting in an active work area for a fortnight, which is when most avoidable damage happens.
Cover It Properly or Not at All
Thin plastic sheet traps grit and turns into an abrasive pad under anything that slides. Corrugated board or hardboard laid over a soft underlay works, taped to itself rather than to the stone. Tape on a polished surface can leave adhesive residue, and on a honed surface it can leave a mark that needs polishing out.
The Tiler Is the Main Risk
Splashback work happens directly above the surface with wet cement products, grout, and tools placed down without thinking. Cementitious material left to dry on stone is alkaline and can etch a polished finish. Agreeing that the surface stays covered until grouting is complete removes almost the whole exposure.
Do Not Use It as a Bench
Cutting anything on it, standing on it to reach a wall unit, or resting a tin of paint on it are the three that appear again and again. Standing on an overhang is the one that causes structural damage rather than cosmetic. Say it out loud to everyone on site, because nobody assumes they are the problem.
Sequence That Reduces Exposure
Where the schedule allows, decorating above the worktop line and any dusty floor work should finish before fitting rather than after. That is not always possible, since a splashback height depends on the installed surface, but every task moved earlier is a task not happening over a finished top.
Inspect Before the Trades Leave
Uncover and inspect while the people who might have caused a mark are still coming back. A chip found six weeks after the last trade has left belongs to nobody. Found on the day, it is usually resolved without an argument, and small chips in stone are repairable if they are caught before something catches on them.