Hi Coleen
Masonry dust, the bane of this work. You might laugh but we use vaseline to good effect. Place all soft furnishings, including curtains, in one room then seal it off. We seal off drawers and cupboards with a generous application of Vaseline to closing edges. As far as possible cover surfaces with polythene sheeting. Low tack masking tape is a good idea. But a large tub of vaseline is cheaper than a lot of rolls of masking tape. The vaseine also means you have access when you want it without having to change the tape every time. Vaseline traps the dust to good effect and its just a case of wiping it off when tidying up.Masonry dust is extremely fine and will travel on the slightest draught. If you can create a path for it to travel, then seal the rest of the house the cleaning should be confined to a managable area.Cover all your ceiling lights, remove the bulbs to ensure nothing gets melted by accident. Remove wll hangings/pictures, plants or anyting that might be difficult to clean. Place these in your sealed room. Lay a doormat at this door incase you need something whilst the job progresses.Unfortunately mess is a by-product with the job. Speak to your contractor. We use wet-cut when possible, but sometimes it's just not practical. Discuss this option with him.
More importantly don't stress about the mess. It is a once off thing and worth it once the job is done. Otherwise you would not have thought of doing it in the first place. Prepare the area well to minimise the disruption in advance, accept it, communicate your wishes and concirns to your contractor. Good luck with your project.