A system for protecting a surface of a substrate includes a protective film, which is configured to be applied and secured to the surface, as well as a backing on an adherent surface of the protective film and an application tape over an exterior surface of the protective film. Protruding features, such as tabs, adjacent to different peripheral edges of the protective film may enable removal of the backing and the application tape from the protective film, and may include features that indicate the order in which each protruding feature is to be grasped to peel its corresponding element away from the protective film. Methods of using such a system are also disclosed.