If you normally buy Florprotec Card, T-Bord, carpet protection film, hard-floor protection film or temporary protection tapes and you're looking for another UK supplier, you may be struggling to find similar products to serve your needs.
In light of market changes, we've heard from many trades looking for solutions to their site protection needs. There are many good options for your needs and our team is already helping others find the products that match. We've announced an increased stock and our pricing promise.
Trades International is increasing availability across our TI-Pro temporary protection range and ZULU tapes to support UK tradespeople looking for continuity of supply. TI-Pro includes polypropylene protection boards, cardboard floor protection and protection films, with 2mm protection boards currently starting from £1.75 per sheet.
This is designed to help you work out what you actually need before you switch.
What is a good alternative to Florprotec in the UK?
There isn't one product that replaces the entire Florprotec range because Florprotec sells different protection products for different applications. Its range includes Florprotec Card, T-Bord polypropylene protection sheets, temporary floor coverings, films and tapes. The sensible way to find an alternative is therefore to identify the type of protection you previously bought and then compare specification, application, coverage and price.
For common temporary floor and surface protection requirements, this is a useful starting point:
| If you previously bought | What you're looking for | Trades International range to consider | What to compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florprotec Card | Cardboard floor protection | TI-Pro Floor Protection | GSM, coverage, breathability, spill resistance, traffic |
| Florprotec T-Bord / polypropylene board | Fluted polypropylene protection board | TI-Pro 2mm Protection Boards | Thickness, sheet size, grammage/weight, intended use, certification |
| Carpet protection film | Temporary carpet protection | TI-Pro Protection Range | Surface compatibility, roll size, removal period |
| Hard-floor protection film | Temporary protection for suitable hard floors | TI-Pro Protection Range | Floor type, adhesive, curing requirements, removal period |
| Masking and protection tapes | Tape suited to a particular surface/job | Trades International tape range | Tack, surface, indoor/outdoor use, UV resistance, clean removal |
These aren't claims of product equivalence. They're starting points. If you've been buying a specialist product, particularly something carrying a flame-retardant or other required certification, compare that certification before substituting another product.
What is an alternative to Florprotec Card?
If you've been using Florprotec Card to cover floors during decorating, refurbishment, fit-out or general construction work, you're looking for a temporary card or cardboard floor protection product. Florprotec describes its own product as a recyclable temporary floor-protection board for short-to-medium-term projects, so the next step is to establish what level of protection your particular job requires.
Trades International supplies TI-Pro cardboard floor protection in 50m² rolls. Our 260gsm product currently starts from £21.60 per roll, which is approximately £0.43/m² ex VAT at the advertised starting price. That can make it an economical option for decorating, refurbishment and other jobs where you need to cover a large floor area against normal site traffic, dirt, dust and decorating work.
However, don't switch purely on price. If your previous card was heavier because you regularly move equipment over it or work in high-traffic areas, compare the protection level as well as the cost. Our guide to What GSM Floor Protection Do I Need? explains how traffic, duration, floor type, spills and the type of work should influence the GSM you choose.
Where can I buy cardboard floor protection in the UK?
Trades International supplies cardboard floor protection directly to UK contractors, decorators, builders and fit-out businesses through our TI-Pro protection range. TI-Pro cardboard floor protection is currently available in 50m² rolls from £21.60, equivalent to approximately £0.43/m² ex VAT at the advertised starting price.
If you're comparing suppliers, don't just compare the price printed next to each roll because coverage varies. Convert each product to a cost per square metre and then compare products suitable for the same type of work. We did exactly that in our 2026 UK Cardboard Floor Protection Price Comparison, where we compared published prices for TI-Pro, Proguard, X-Board and Ram Board while also explaining that these aren't identical products.
That qualification is important. A £0.43/m² product isn't automatically “better value” than a £1.20/m² product if the more expensive board provides a performance characteristic your job actually requires. The objective is to find the lowest sensible cost for the protection level you need.
What is an alternative to Florprotec T-Bord?
Florprotec T-Bord is a fluted polypropylene protection board, so if you've been buying it for temporary floor or surface protection, you should compare it with other polypropylene protection sheets rather than automatically switching to cardboard.
Trades International supplies TI-Pro 2400 × 1200 × 2mm polypropylene protection boards, currently starting from £1.75 per sheet. These are lightweight, rigid protection sheets intended for temporary surface protection and are commonly referred to by tradespeople as Correx-style protection boards.
The important point is that “2mm” doesn't make two boards identical. Thickness is only one specification. Material weight, construction, recycled content, stiffness and additional properties can differ. Corplex, the original UK manufacturer of Correx, publishes thickness and grammage as separate specifications across its fluted polypropylene sheet ranges, which is a useful illustration of why you should compare more than thickness.
We've gone into this in detail in Is All 2mm Correx the Same? What to Check Before You Buy. If you're replacing T-Bord or another polypropylene board, that checklist is a good place to start.
Can I replace flame-retardant T-Bord with ordinary 2mm Correx?
Florprotec sells specialist T-Bord FR, which it describes separately from its standard protection products because flame retardancy is a specific product characteristic. A standard 2mm polypropylene protection sheet shouldn't be presented as an equivalent simply because it has the same nominal thickness.
If your specification, principal contractor, building, insurer or site rules require flame-retardant protection, check the certification of the proposed replacement before ordering. If you don't require that specialist property and were using standard polypropylene board simply as physical floor protection, then products such as TI-Pro 2mm Protection Boards may be relevant to compare.
This is one of the reasons we'd rather know the exact Florprotec product you've been buying than simply tell you that “Correx is Correx.”
Is cardboard floor protection waterproof?
Don't assume cardboard floor protection is waterproof simply because it can cope with some spills.
There is a useful distinction between waterproof, water resistant and temporarily holding a spill on the upper surface. Those aren't interchangeable claims. If liquid exposure is one of the main risks on your project, check the specification of the particular floor-protection product rather than relying on the generic word “cardboard.”
Breathability may matter too, particularly over certain newly installed or curing floors. Heavy impermeable protection can be inappropriate in some circumstances because moisture may need to escape from underneath. Products such as Ram Board illustrate how established protection manufacturers distinguish between physical protection, liquid holdout and vapour transmission rather than treating them as the same property.
The practical rule is simple: if moisture is a concern from above or below, investigate the specific product before covering the floor.
How much cardboard floor protection do I need?
If your floor protection comes in a 50m² roll, the basic calculation is floor area divided by 50. A 100m² floor therefore has a theoretical requirement of two rolls, 250m² requires five and 500m² requires ten.
| Floor area | Theoretical 50m² rolls required |
|---|---|
| 50m² | 1 |
| 100m² | 2 |
| 150m² | 3 |
| 250m² | 5 |
| 500m² | 10 |
Real sites aren't theoretical, so don't order purely from that number. Allow for overlaps, cutting, corridors, stairs, irregular rooms and any locations where you intend to double up the protection. For larger projects, calculate from the plans or actual protected area rather than assuming that the building's total floor area equals the amount you'll cover.
This is also why coverage matters when comparing prices. A £20 roll covering 25m² costs twice as much per square metre as a £20 roll covering 50m² before you consider any differences in specification.
How much 2mm Correx do I need to protect a floor?
A 2400 × 1200mm sheet has a theoretical area of 2.88m². On that basis, 100m² divided by 2.88 gives approximately 35 sheets before allowing for cutting, overlaps and waste.
In reality, you'll normally need more than the mathematical minimum because rooms aren't perfect rectangles and sheets need to be cut around walls, doors, stairs and fixed objects. Our Maths of Correx article goes through this calculation in more detail and looks at how sheet price, quantity and reuse affect the real cost of protecting a project.
This is worth recalculating when changing suppliers. Ordering the same number of sheets you've always ordered is easy, but it doesn't necessarily mean you're ordering the right quantity or getting the best delivered cost.
What should I use to protect carpet during building or decorating work?
For temporary protection of carpet against dirt, dust and normal decorating traffic, a purpose-designed carpet protection film can be more convenient than covering the entire area with rigid board.
Trades International supplies carpet protection film within the TI-Pro protection range. If you're replacing a Florprotec carpet protection product, compare the intended carpet type, roll dimensions, coverage, adhesive system and maximum application/removal period rather than simply comparing roll prices.
Don't use carpet film as though it were a universal adhesive floor film. A product designed to adhere temporarily to carpet can behave differently on timber, laminate, tile or another hard surface. Use protection intended for the actual substrate.
What should I use to protect hard floors during decorating?
The answer depends on the floor and the work.
For straightforward decorating, cardboard protection may provide economical coverage. For greater physical protection, polypropylene board may be more appropriate. For certain suitable finished hard floors, a purpose-designed hard-floor protection film may be useful. Trades International carries all three types through the TI-Pro range.
Newly laid, recently finished and moisture-sensitive floors require more thought. Before putting adhesive film or an impermeable covering over a floor that is still curing, check the flooring manufacturer's requirements. The cost of the protection is tiny compared with the cost of damaging a finished floor.
Where can I get floor protection delivered quickly in the UK?
Availability is part of the product when you're running a live site.
A cheaper roll or sheet doesn't save money if decorators, builders or flooring contractors are waiting for it to arrive. This is particularly relevant for Florprotec customers reviewing their supply arrangements and trying to maintain continuity between projects.
Trades International is increasing availability across its TI-Pro protection and ZULU tape ranges to help contractors maintain continuity of supply. We currently offer free UK delivery across the range, with next-working-day delivery available subject to order timing, stock availability and delivery location. You can see current products, pricing and availability at TradesInternational.co.uk.
If a project depends on materials arriving on a specific day, contact us before ordering so availability can be confirmed rather than assuming every item and postcode qualifies automatically.
What masking and protection tapes can I use instead of Florprotec tapes?
Choose the tape according to what you're sticking it to and what you need it to do. A tape joining floor-protection sheets has a very different job from masking tape applied directly to finished paintwork.
Trades International's ZULU range includes general-purpose, indoor, indoor/outdoor and sensitive-surface masking products alongside joining and protection tapes. Our Trades Guide to Choosing Masking Tape vs Painter's Tape explains how surface, tack and clean removal should influence the choice, while our Blue Masking Tape guide looks specifically at indoor/outdoor use, UV exposure and price per metre.
For an independent manufacturer reference, 3M's professional masking range is a useful example of why there are different tapes for different applications. Professional manufacturers offer multiple adhesion levels and surface-specific products precisely because the strongest tape isn't automatically the right tape.
What should I check before changing floor protection supplier?
If you're moving from Florprotec or any established supplier, we'd check the product, specification, price, delivery and continuity of supply together.
Start with the actual product you currently use. Check its thickness or GSM, dimensions, coverage, material, intended application and any specialist properties or certifications. Then compare the replacement on the same basis. For card, calculate price per square metre. For polypropylene board, compare sheet dimensions and price as well as thickness and material weight. For films and tapes, surface compatibility and clean-removal requirements are particularly important.
Then look beyond the unit price. Is delivery included? Is the product normally held in stock? Can the supplier provide the quantities you use regularly? Can you get another delivery quickly when a job changes unexpectedly?
A few pence saved on a product isn't much of a saving if the site runs out halfway through the job.
How is Trades International supporting contractors looking for an alternative floor protection supplier?
We are increasing availability across the protection products tradespeople use repeatedly: TI-Pro cardboard floor protection and protection films, TI-Pro 2mm polypropylene protection boards and our ZULU tape range.
We're also trying to make comparison easier. Our Correx price comparison, cardboard floor protection price comparison, 2mm Correx specification guide and GSM floor protection guide are there so contractors can see what they're comparing rather than simply taking our word that one product is “better.”
Our current advertised starting prices include 2mm TI-Pro protection boards from £1.75 per sheet and 260gsm TI-Pro cardboard floor protection from approximately £0.43/m² ex VAT. Current prices and availability should always be checked when ordering.
I know the Florprotec product I used. How do I find the right replacement?
Reach out to us at contact@tradesinternational.co.uk or via our website WhatsApp.
If you've been buying Florprotec Card, T-Bord or another named product, that's much more useful than simply saying you need “floor protection.” We can start from the product and application and help you identify which Trades International products are relevant to compare.
If you don't know the product name, tell us what you're protecting, how long the protection normally stays down, how much traffic it receives and whether the job has any specialist requirements such as flame retardancy or breathability. That gives us enough information to point you in the right direction.
We won't tell you two products are equivalent when they aren't. If your existing product has a specialist specification that we can't match, we'd rather say so.
For contractors reviewing their supply arrangements, continuity matters just as much as price. The protection needs to be suitable, it needs to be available, and it needs to arrive before the people on site need it.
Your supplier may change. The job still has to get done, and the floor still needs protecting.