[ponch37300]

When painting a room and the base trim is also painted and you are repainting it what is the best way to protect the carpet that is up against the base?

 

[chrisn]

Steady hand and a good brush

 

[Gymschu]

+1 on what Chris said. Masking, buying those plastic or metal paint guides, etc. are only partially effective. Paint still finds its way around the masking tape because of the irregular pile of the carpet. The metal guides, same thing happens AND, you have to clean off the paint after making a pass with your brush. A good, angled 2 or 2.5" brush is the way to go.

 

[ZTMAN]

Pros have steady hands, I don't. Some base is installed tight to the carpet. Some has a little wiggle room. If you have a little room, I find it best to cut strips of poster board, or other thin cardboard , and slide it under the molding. I am in the middle of doing a closet now, and last night cut up a large unused cake box and slid the strips under the molding, worked great

 

[afrig]

A lot of people are going to say a brush and steady hand. I was in the Navy and painted probably 85% of my time in. Over time you develop a steady hand and can just do cut-ins without a second thought, but when it comes to homes people like to take precaution.

One option is to buy wide masking tape and just tape along the base of one wall, paint it, and pull up the tape to avoid a mess due to wet paint on the tape and it being attached the carpet. But I don't like this method because carpet is often puffy and you don't want to have to be pressing down on it with paint on your hands.

You could lay down poster board and slide as much as you can under the trim and slide it over as you go. By slide it over I mean move it into position, paint, move it, paint, move it, repeat.

Or you could just get one of those really wide putty knives and put the edge under the trim, brush that section, and continue around the walls. I like this method because it's quick and easy. You can use the clean side of the knife to depress the carpet and get the lip of the knife slightly under the trip. I like this because you can hold the knife at an angle keeping your hand away from the carpet. Since it's plastic or metal you can just wipe it off as you go to avoid a mess.

I'd just lay a tarp and user poster board or a putty knife to depress the carpet and get under the trip and brush it out.

 

[ponch37300]

I have a pretty steady hand and can cut in walls/ceilings and windows and doors and wall/trim transitions. But the carpet is usually installed and tucked under the base trim. So the carpet strands kind of stick up next to the base and you can't really paint all the base without getting some on the carpet.

 

[Jmayspaint]

Pros have steady hands, I don't. Some base is installed tight to the carpet. Some has a little wiggle room. If you have a little room, I find it best to cut strips of poster board, or other thin cardboard , and slide it under the molding. I am in the middle of doing a closet now, and last night cut up a large unused cake box and slid the strips under the molding, worked great

Another thing I use for this method is old mini blind slats. Take an old set of blinds apart and the plastic strips work well for sliding under the base.

The method I learned to cut in to carpet freehand is better described as wiggly hand than steady hand. Splay the brush about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the carpet and kind of slide the tips of the bristles down in quick strokes. It's hard to explain without a demonstration. The carpet wiggle

I rarely bother with that method anymore though. Using the blind slats, cardboard or tape allows for a more uniform and thicker coat to be applied.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ponch37300]

That's a neat trick and I should have some old blind fins somewhere. I was searching the other day and came across these, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I19GVU...TF8&colid=3JIZWOWV3825H&coliid=I20BDYAA92FXPE but blinds should work just as good and I probably have some laying around for free.

 

[Nestor_Kelebay]

I prefer to use 2 inch wide painter's masking tape on the carpet. That way, you can leave the tape on until the paint is dry, and then pull the tape off.

 

[ToolSeeker]

I prefer to use 2 inch wide painter's masking tape on the carpet. That way, you can leave the tape on until the paint is dry, and then pull the tape off.

This doesn't always work with a deep nap carpet. The tape is hard to stick and the fibers let it spring back up. Either the blind slat or the edger she showed is a lot easier and quicker than tape. I use a slat from a vertical blind, gives you about a 6' run on a long wall, or the edger for short walls. With the edger just keep a damp rag handy and wipe it after each move.

 

[Nestor_Kelebay]

What I do is push the tape down so that the edge of the tape slips under the baseboard. Then, when I paint, there's no chance of the paint getting on the carpet. I just let the paint dry before pulling the tape off. Works for me, but as you say, it might not work so well if the carpet nap is especially thick.