Painting is messy business, but sometimes we must paint in situations where it is important to be neat and tidy.  There is quite a variety available, so what is best for your use?  Here are some of the pros and cons of each.

Thin Plastic 

This is your cheapest option.  The thin plastic is slightly thinner than your standard garbage bag, but comes in bigger sheets.  It rips easily, and after one use is almost impossible to fold neatly, so it ends up very crinkled.  As with all plastic surfaces, paint that dries on the surface of the plastic wants to flake off and make a paint chip mess everywhere.  Not only is it annoying to sweep that up, but the little pieces can get ground into the surrounding floor as you work if you don’t clean them promptly or if you use your plastic upside-down the second time.  They also float around and get into your drying paint and make a mess of your scenery.  This is decent for a one use kind of situation, like when you’re using a texturing material, and you know that whatever you use as a drop cloth will be toast at the end.

You can get huge rolls of thin plastic for really cheap, and just cut off what you need and toss it at the end.  This option does come in handy.

Thicker Plastic 

Thicker plastic still has the paint flake problem, but it’s easier to fold, so you will have an easier time remembering to keep the same side up. (Most weight plastics also come in black, but the black is more expensive.)  The thicker plastic won’t tear as easily, and is a bit better for covering big tools when you spray paint in the shop, because the thinner stuff will often tear on the corners of those tools.

Thicker plastic also comes in rolls that can be cut as needed.  They just cost a touch more than the thinner ones.

Tarp 

There are still some, although not as many, problems with dried paint flakes, and this is compounded by the fact that a paint spill will leak through a tarp. There are thicker tarps which make this less likely, but because of the weave of tarp material, leakage is always a possibility.  As long as you don’t have large quantities of paint it does a nice job of protecting underneath.  Because the surface is colored and not clear, it’s very easy to keep a consistent up side, which helps you not grind the dried paint into the floor.  Tarps come in much larger sizes at better prices than anything else, so if your goal is to cover a parking lot this is the easiest way to go.  Tarps are also good if you are (for whatever reason) painting in a field because you can stake them out and they prevent grass from creeping over the edge of the scenery onto your work.

Canvas 

Canvas comes in many different sizes and thicknesses.  As with a tarp, large spills will leak through.  Canvas has the huge advantage of not letting dried paint flake off.  In fact, the longer you’ve used it, the more small amounts of paint have dried on the surface and the better the drop cloth is.  As long as you don’t rip it, it’s the only drop cloth that improves with age.  While it does run a little more pricey than plastic or tarp, a nice thick canvas drop cloth is the best balance of cost and longevity. 

Rubbery-backed Canvas 

This is a fairly new product, and the most expensive of the bunch. There are a few different kinds available, and new version are still popping up.  The canvas side goes up and the rubber side down.  The canvas absorbs the paint and doesn’t have the dried flake problem of plastics.  The rubber prevents leak through, even with a big spill.  It is the best of both worlds.  It is also the heaviest of the bunch and least likely to move around on its own.  The down side is that the rubber is somewhat fragile.  It can be punctured easily, and once it has a hole, it likes to rip like crazy.  If you really need to be very careful of the surface you are painting over, this is by far the most complete protection.  It just requires slightly more gentle handling.  (Incidentally, this is also my favorite material to use when painting a banner for an event or band.  It doesn't require an additional drop cloth, takes paint well and looks nice hanging with the addition of grommets.)

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