We trades get into the habit of picking up a certain supply at a certain quality from a certain merchant. But those choices could be costing us precious money and may not be suitable for our work.
Especially for those who use lots of cardboard protective flooring, we end up throwing away much of the supplies or overpaying for quality we do not need.
For everyday decorating, refurbishment, fit-out and general trade work, there is a strong argument that lighter, water-resistant protection can provide the performance required without forcing contractors to pay for material they may never actually need.
But what is the best value for the protection we need?
We compared TI-Pro's 260 gsm floor protection with widely available Proguard, Trimaco X-Board and Ram Board alternatives to see what contractors are actually paying for.
First, compare price per square metre (not price per roll) . This is critical as certain retailers are purposefully misleading in their sizing. They may have roll prices that cover different amounts and so the amount of floor they cover varies significantly.
TI-Pro 260 gsm: £0.43/m² ex VAT.
As of 7 August 2026, TI-Pro's 260 gsm floor protection is listed by Trades International from £21.60 per 50m² roll excluding VAT. The product uses Spillux Technology™, which is designed to temporarily hold liquid on the upper surface while allowing moisture and vapour from below to escape. It is described as breathable and spill resistant.
View TI-Pro 260 gsm floor protection That £0.43/m² figure provides a useful baseline against which to compare other water-resistant breathable boards.
Proguard Heavy Duty Card: £0.75–£0.87/m²
For the fairest comparison, we looked at Proguard's standard Heavy Duty Card PRC55, rather than its more expensive Extra Heavy Duty version.
Proguard specifies this board as:
- 1m × 50m
- 50m² coverage
- 500-micron thickness
- Impact resistant
- Slip resistant
- Water resistant
- Breathable
Proguard specifically positions it for short erm protection against general site activity.
Current Proguard retail examples
| Retailer | Current displayed price | Approx. ex-VAT equivalent | Approx. ex-VAT cost/m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wickes | £45.00 inc VAT | £37.50 | £0.75 |
| Sitebox | £47.99 inc VAT | £39.99 | £0.80 |
| SitePro Direct | £49.03 inc VAT | £40.86 | £0.82 |
| Leyland SDM | £51.99 inc VAT | £43.33 | £0.87 |
Prices checked 7 August 2026; delivery and trade-account discounts excluded.
The Verdict: TI-Pro: £0.43/m² vs. Proguard Heavy Duty: roughly £0.75–£0.87/m²
Both products offer protection, are breathable and resistant to everyday liquid exposure.
That puts the independently retailed Proguard product at roughly 74–101% more per square metre, depending on retailer vs. Trades International Card Board.
Trimaco X-Board: £1.17–£1.23/m²
X-Board is an interesting comparison because Trimaco explicitly markets it as a lightweight floor-protection product rather than simply maximising board thickness.
That supports the wider argument that effective temporary floor protection does not necessarily have to be extremely heavy.
X-Board uses Spill Block™ technology, which they claim to be breathable, and is promoted as preventing paint, mud and water from reaching the protected surface. Wickes describes it as 2.5 times thicker than builders' paper, reusable and impact resistant.
Its standard UK roll provides approximately 27.1m² of coverage. That's important because on a per metre basis, it impacts the coverage and value.
Current X-Board prices
| Retailer | Current displayed price | Ex-VAT price | Approx. ex-VAT cost/m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toolstation | £37.99 inc VAT | £31.66 | £1.17 |
| Wickes | £38.00 inc VAT | ~£31.67 | £1.17 |
| Bradfords | £39.88 inc VAT | £33.23 | £1.23 |
| MP Moran | £47.03 inc VAT | £39.19 | £1.45 |
| EH Smith | £53.22 inc VAT | £44.35 | £1.64 |
On August 7 2026, Toolstation currently lists the 35" × 100' X-Board roll at £31.66 ex VAT / £37.99 inc VAT.
The Verdict: TI-Pro: £0.43/m² vs. X-Board roughly £1.17/m²
That's roughly 2.7 times the cost per protected square metre. Metre for metre, that is a significant gap with no real quality impact. so while X-Board offers its Spill Block technology, is impact resistance and and potential reusable, the question is clearly why are contractors paying a premium when that is available in much more economic product like TI-Pro
Ram Board's lighter water-resistant product
Ram Board actually offers a lighter product specifically called Ram Board Home Edition®.
Ram Board itself says Home Edition is designed for lighter applications while retaining many of the features of traditional Ram Board. Crucially, it still uses Spill Guard® technology.
Ram Board explicitly describes Home Edition as water resistant, protecting against liquids including water, paint and mud.
Its specifications are:
- 36 mil thick
- 36" × 50' roll
- Approximately 13.9m² coverage
- Lightweight/lighter-duty construction
- Spill Guard technology
- Water resistant
- Breathable
- Reusable
Trio Plus, a UK Ram Board specialist, currently lists Ram Board Home Edition at £45.83 ex VAT / £55.00 inc VAT for approximately 13.9m². That works out to be £3.29/m² ex VAT. Given the vast majority of contractors only need basic coverage, why are we paying more?
This should be treated cautiously because Home Edition has more limited UK distribution than the mainstream Ram Board product.
What does Ram Board cost?
We also checked the mainstream Ram Board product across multiple UK retailers so that the comparison isn't dependent upon one specialist Home Edition listing.
Current examples include:
| Retailer | Current price inc VAT | Approx. coverage | Approx. inc-VAT cost/m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Building Supplies | £59.99 | ~29.3m² | ~£2.05 |
| Toolstation | £77.99 | ~29.3m² | ~£2.66 |
| Travis Perkins | £82.06 | ~30m² | ~£2.74 |
| Wickes | £90.00 | ~29.3m² | ~£3.07 |
| Bradfords | £94.07 | ~30m² | ~£3.14 |
The Verdict: TI-Pro: £0.43/m² vs. Ram Board £2.05/m²
Choosing a lighter product from a premium brand does not necessarily mean buying inexpensive floor protection. You may be paying substantially for the brand, technology, reusability and product construction.
The 1,000m² question
Material pricing becomes much more significant when multiplied across a project or a contractor's annual purchasing. Using sample prices from the current listings:
| Product | Approx. cost/m² ex VAT | Approx. material cost to protect 1,000m² |
|---|---|---|
| TI-Pro 260 gsm | £0.43 | £432 |
| Proguard Heavy Duty | ~£0.75–£0.87 | ~£750–£870 |
| X-Board | ~£1.17–£1.23 at lower-priced retailers | ~£1,170–£1,230 |
| Ram Board mainstream | typically ~£1.7–£2.6+ depending on retailer | ~£1,700–£2,600+ |
| Ram Board Home Edition* | ~£3.29 | ~£3,290 |
*Home Edition calculation uses the single directly verified UK specialist price and should not be treated as a broad UK market average.
If TI-Pro provides the level of protection required for a particular project, then finding the right supplier can save hundreds or thousands of pounds without impacting the project. This is substantial savings.
260 gsm is often the right value
For everyday internal construction, decorating, refurbishment and fit-out applications where the main risks are general site traffic, debris and temporary spills, a breathable 260 gsm protection board can offer a compelling combination of:
spill resistance + impact protection + breathability + ease of handling + significantly lower cost per square metre.
At approximately £0.43/m² ex VAT, TI-Pro sits well below the current retail cost of the comparable branded products examined here.
TrustPilot review of Trades International product and service
So contractors must be rethinking why are they spending £0.80, £1.20, £2.00 or more per square metre?
To explore Trades International range of protective card board floor protection starting at £0.43/m² ex VAT, start shopping here.
Price-comparison methodology
Prices were checked against publicly accessible UK retailer pages on 7 August 2026. Prices can change without notice and may differ according to quantity, trade-account discounts, location, delivery charges and promotions.
Comparisons are based primarily on cost per square metre, because competing products have different roll dimensions and coverage.
Where possible, three or more independent live retailer listings were checked for each mainstream competitor. Manufacturer sources were used for technical claims concerning water resistance, breathability, thickness and intended application.
Ram Board Home Edition has substantially less UK retail availability than standard Ram Board, so its price calculation is based on the directly verifiable UK specialist listing identified at the time of research rather than presenting a single price as a three-retailer market average.
No claim is made that the products provide identical impact resistance, wear resistance or duration of water holdout. The purpose of the comparison is to evaluate cost against the level of protection required, rather than claim that products with substantially different constructions are physically identical.
Note- Trades International has no claim on any 3rd party brand. This was intended to be for informational purposes only. All customers should do their own price check to verify latest price movements.