How to Paint Baseboards but Not the Carpeting

To enjoy the best possible benefits of fresh paint on interior walls, trim, and baseboards, homeowners usually opt to simply hire a professional painter. Since professionals know how to get the job done right, you know you won’t have to worry about things such as paint getting on your beautiful carpeting. But if you want to save on the cost of labor and do the interior painting yourself, there are ways to emulate a professional finish while at the same time protecting your lovely carpets.

Did you know that professionals usually take longer to prep for painting than to do the actual painting? A great outcome is dependent upon prep work, and that couldn’t be truer than in rooms that are carpeted throughout.

Three Problems to Avoid

There are three possible unsightly results to painting a carpeted room without taking the right kinds of precautions:

1. Tiny pieces of lint from the carpet can get into the paintbrush and ultimately get painted onto the wall. The result is that, when the lint is pulled off, it leaves a marred spot that disrupts the entire finish.
2. No matter how steady your hand, painting a baseboard will usually result in paint getting on the tips of the carpet fibers.
3. Sometimes an amateur painter will use the strategy of being careful not to paint too near the carpet, which results in a partially unpainted baseboard that has an obvious and unsightly line.

A Step-by-Step Solution

All three above-named problems can be eliminated with a single professional painters’ secret, and it is simple enough that anyone can achieve it. The following is all that is needed:

• Buy blue painters tape that is 2” or 3” wide.
• Adjacent to the wall line, run a single strip of tape along the baseboard. Be sure there are no gaps where the carpeting can be seen.
• Do not use several strips of shorter tape because they create seams through which paint can seep, even if the pieces of tape are overlapping.
• Tuck the edge of the tape down underneath the baseboard along the floor. The best tool for this purpose will be sturdy and flat, such as a putty knife. Press the tape down under the baseboard so that it will stick and stay in place nicely.

No Worries

All that’s left to do now is to paint your baseboard, walls, and trim. It is nothing to worry about, if paint gets onto the tape. Do be careful, however, not to allow heavy drips of paint to pool onto the tape because it can end up bleeding onto the carpet along the tape’s edges.

The final step is to pull the tape up before the paint on the baseboards is completely dry. If you don’t do this, the tape will become bonded to the wall with dried paint, which will create bigger problems when you remove the tape. A good approach is to peel the tape off, rolling the tape inside out as you peel so that any wet paint is tucked inside the ball of tape.

To schedule a professional interior or exterior paint job, contact our paint professionals today.

Franklin Painting LLC – Call us Toll Free at 877-646-7774
or at our main office number 860-678-7701
160 Brickyard Road, Farmington, CT 06032

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