As we began a recent remodeling project, our first task was to protect the terrazzo floor. We put down a layer of black plastic, followed by a layer of plywood. The problem was, how to keep the plywood sheets linked tightly together throughout the duration of an extensive remodel. We knew duct tape would be tedious to install and it would likely pull up or get torn in places. Then my colleague Dennis Johnson had an idea — truss plates. We stopped off at a local truss manufacturer’s shop and bought a box of 2-in. by 4-in. truss plates. Nailed at the corners as shown in the drawing, the in. prongs of each plate grabbed the neighboring sheets of plywood and held them fast throughout the job. And their low profile meant we never tripped over them.
Matt Jackson, Rapid City, SD