Floor Protection Test Centre [Product Testing & Technical Reports]
10 July 2026
Installation Speed Test FPT-002 | Floor Protection Comparison
15 July 2026What We Did for Breathability Test?
Temporary floor protections have an clear job which is to protect finished floors from foot traffic, dust, paint splashes, dirt and the daily wear of construction, renovation and fit-out work.
But physical protection is only part of the story.
When a floor is covered for several days or weeks, an important question is often overlooked:
Can moisture vapour move through the temporary floor protection, or is it restricted beneath the covering?
To investigate this performance characteristic, a 160 gsm multi-layer self-adhesive floor protection sample was tested for water vapour transmission. The tested sample recorded a result of:
1,176 g/m²/24 hours
The laboratory report states that the test was conducted according to ASTM E96/E96M-24a, Procedure B, Water Method, at 23°C and 50% relative humidity.
The submitted sample was identified as a 160 gsm self-adhesive floor protection felt constructed from a 30 gsm breathable PE film, a 10 gsm adhesive layer and a 120 gsm felt layer.
The result provides measured evidence that water vapour passed through the complete multi-layer floor protection construction under the stated test conditions.
Here we explain the test, what the result means, how common floor protection materials differ, and why breathability should be considered alongside impact protection, spill resistance, grip and ease of installation.
Table of contents
- What We Did for Breathability Test?
- Quick Test Summary
- What Did We Test?
- Why Does Floor Protection Breathability Matter?
- What Does Breathable Floor Protection Actually Mean?
- Breathability Test Method
- Breathability Test Result
- How Do Other Temporary Floor Protection Materials Compare?
- What About Fabric Drop Sheets?
- How Our Multi-Layer Floor Protection Manages Moisture Vapour
Quick Test Summary
| Test Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Test | Water Vapour Transmission |
| Sample | 160 gsm self-adhesive floor protection felt |
| Material construction | 30 gsm breathable PE film + 10 gsm adhesive + 120 gsm felt |
| Test method | ASTM E96/E96M-24a, Procedure B |
| Procedure | Water Method |
| Test conditions | 23°C and 50% relative humidity |
| Test result | 1,176 g/m²/24 hours |
| Testing period | 25–31 March 2026 |
| Report issue date | 1 April 2026 |
| Report number | WTI26038736 |
What Did We Test?
The question behind this breathability test was straightforward:
Can water vapour pass through the complete multi-layer floor protection material?
This is an important distinction.
A temporary floor protection roll can contain several layers, with each performing a different function. Testing only a piece of the film would not necessarily describe the performance of the complete product used on site.
The laboratory report identifies the tested construction as:
30 gsm breathable PE film + 10 gsm adhesive + 120 gsm sticky felt.
The test therefore measured water vapour transmission through the complete submitted material system, including its film, adhesive and felt components.
The measured result was 1,176 grams of water vapour per square metre over 24 hours, under the specified ASTM test conditions.
Why Does Floor Protection Breathability Matter?
Finished floors are often protected before every other construction activity has finished.
A commercial fit-out may have completed flooring while electricians, painters, joiners and other trades are still moving through the project. A home renovation may require finished timber or tiled areas to remain covered while work continues elsewhere. On larger construction projects, completed spaces may require temporary protection for extended periods.
Moisture conditions also differ between floors and projects.
This does not mean that a breathable covering can automatically be installed over any newly completed floor. Flooring, adhesive and coating manufacturers may specify curing periods, moisture limits or restrictions on when a surface can be covered.
Breathability should therefore be considered as one factor in floor protection selection, not as permission to ignore curing requirements.
The practical point is simple: different materials can behave very differently when exposed to water vapour. A plastic sheet, paper product, cotton drop sheet, timber board and engineered multi-layer floor protection are not interchangeable simply because they can all be placed over a floor.
What Does Breathable Floor Protection Actually Mean?
In the context of temporary floor protection, breathability refers to the ability of the material to permit water vapour transmission.
It should not be confused with air permeability or liquid-water resistance.
Water vapour transmission
This measures the passage of moisture in vapour form through a material under specified test conditions.
Air permeability
This describes how readily air passes through a material.
Liquid-water resistance
This describes the material's ability to resist liquid water, such as a spill, splash or wet footprint.
These are different characteristics.
ASTM E96/E96M covers water vapour transmission testing for materials including paper, plastic films, sheet materials, fibreboards and wood products. The standard also makes clear that results obtained under one set of conditions may not represent performance under different conditions.
That point becomes particularly important when looking at published results for other material types.
Breathability Test Method
The tested floor protection sample was assessed using:
ASTM E96/E96M-24a, Procedure B- Water Method
ASTM E96/E96M uses gravimetric methods to assess water vapour transmission through materials. The standard provides water and desiccant methods and uses controlled temperature and humidity conditions to create a vapour drive through the specimen.
For the tested floor protection sample, the reported conditions were:
- Temperature: 23°C
- Relative humidity: 50%
- Procedure: Water Method
- Reported unit: g/m²/24h
The final reported result was:
1,176 g/m²/24h
The testing period ran from 25 March 2026 to 31 March 2026, and the report was issued on 1 April 2026.
Breathability Test Result
Under the specified test method and conditions, the multi-layer floor protection sample achieved a water vapour transmission result of:
1,176 grams per square metre per 24 hours
In practical language, the test demonstrated that water vapour was able to pass through the tested floor protection construction.
The careful and technically supportable conclusion is:
The tested 160 gsm multi-layer self-adhesive floor protection demonstrated measurable water vapour transmission of 1,176 g/m²/24h under ASTM E96/E96M-24a Procedure B at 23°C and 50% relative humidity.
How Do Other Temporary Floor Protection Materials Compare?
Temporary floor protection comes in many forms. Common alternatives include plastic sheeting, paper, fabric drop sheets, cardboard, fibreboard, hardboard, plywood and other timber-based sheets.
There is no scientifically responsible way to give one breathability figure for every product within a material category. Thickness, density, coatings, composition and test conditions can all influence vapour performance.
However, published technical data provide useful reference points.
Published Material Reference Data
| Material | Published Vapour Reference | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Tested Multi-Layer Floor Protection | 1,176 g/m²/24h | ASTM E96/E96M-24a Procedure B, tested at 23°C and 50% relative humidity. |
| 6 mil Polyethylene Sheet | 0.06 perm | Reference value for a specified polyethylene sheet thickness. |
| 4 mil Polyethylene Sheet | 0.08 perm | Published reference value that varies according to sheet thickness. |
| Asphalt Kraft Paper Facing | 0.30 perm | Treated kraft paper reference; not representative of all paper floor protection products. |
| 19 mm Wood Board | 0.30–4.03 perms | Published permeability range for a specified wood board category. |
| 6.35 mm Exterior-Glue Plywood | 0.70 perm | Published reference for this specific plywood construction. |
| 15 lb Tar Paper | 4.00 perms | Published value for this specific paper type and weight. |
| 3 mm Standard Hardboard | 10.96 perms | Published hardboard permeability reference. |
The material-reference values are published by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation in its table of building-material water-vapour permeance.
What About Fabric Drop Sheets?
Fabric drop sheets are commonly used by painters, so it is reasonable to ask how they behave in relation to vapour.
The difficulty is that there is no single result for a “fabric drop sheet”. A lightweight cotton sheet, heavy cotton canvas, blended textile and coated fabric can all perform differently.
As a general fabric reference, not as a direct test of painter's drop sheets, a published study of 31 knitted cotton fabric samples tested to BS 7209 at 20°C and 65% relative humidity recorded results ranging from approximately 880 to 1,441 g/m²/day. Sage Journal
That research is useful because it demonstrates how much performance can vary even within cotton fabrics.
It also highlights why breathability should never be the only selection criterion. A highly vapour-open fabric may still offer very different performance from purpose-made floor protection when exposed to paint, dirty water, trolley wheels, ladder feet or other construction activity.
A painter protecting a room for a few hours has different needs from a fit-out contractor protecting a commercial floor for several weeks.
How Our Multi-Layer Floor Protection Manages Moisture Vapour
The tested sample uses several layers rather than relying on one material to perform every task.
Protective felt
The felt layer provides the main physical body of the floor protection. It helps create separation between site activity and the finished floor below.
Breathable PE film
The film forms part of the protective surface while the complete tested construction permits measurable water vapour transmission.
Adhesive layer
The adhesive is designed to help hold the protection in position. On active work sites, reducing movement and wrinkles can make floor protection easier to manage than loose coverings in suitable applications.
What makes the breathability result particularly relevant is that the laboratory tested the complete submitted construction, including all three components. The reported figure was not based only on an isolated film layer
