Every week on The Block, after the room reveal, Protecta project specialist David Perna walked the site with the contestants and builders, checking what needed protecting now and what was coming next. Watch the full interview below, and read on for a few highlights.
How did protection work from week to week?
“After each reveal, we’d walk through with the contestants and builders to look at what was already done and what was coming up. The builders, 9in6, drove protection hard and early. They’re the ones who ultimately deal with the defects, so they worked closely with us to make sure there was plenty of stock on hand.”
How did a noise barrier end up as a nightclub?
“One contestant asked if we had sound protection so nobody could hear them working late. We had a fairly new product that was right up their alley. That turned into ‘Can we make a room out of it?’, then ‘Can we make a nightclub out of it?’ Of course we can.”
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(See how it came together in our Week 3 recap.)
What was your most creative fix?
“A landscaper told us that cleaning mud out of a textured pool finish after landscaping could take upwards of four hours. We moulded Protecta Shield XTRA (Protecta Shield XTRA - PSHX1550 - Protecta) to the shape of the pool. At the end, the pool was spotless, and he enjoyed watching everyone else clean theirs.”
Did protection slow the trades down?
“Certainly not. It was accepted that protection had to be used, as it should be on high-end homes like these. Some installs looked great and some looked a bit slapdash, so we stepped in with a pointer here and there.”
The biggest lesson?
“Protection needs to go down early. It can’t be bolted on. Get it in before the mess starts and before the foot traffic comes in. Protection is just as important as your design, because everything else relies on it.”
Protection works best when it’s planned from day one, so talk to your local Protecta Solution Specialist before your next project gets underway.