It’s time to paint your baseboards, but you’re terrified of getting paint on your carpets. It can be a tricky situation, leaving many of us stressed and concerned that our carpets will become covered in paint – ugly, ruined, and in need of replacing.
These fears lead to many of us paying high prices for professionals to do the work, or we don’t paint our baseboards at all!
Well, no more! Today we are here to walk you through painting your baseboards above carpet for a no-fuss experience. Be sure to check out our handy tips and tricks to make your life even easier.
Keep reading to find out how to give your baseboards a new lease of life without damaging your carpet!
How To Paint Baseboards With Carpet
Let’s get straight into it! When it comes to painting your baseboards with carpet, there are three options you can choose from: removing the baseboards, peeling the carpet back, or painting with the carpet in place.
We will go into more detail about each method below (and offer a step-by-step guide for our favorite) to help you decide which method is better suited for your carpet and your needs.
But first, ask yourself: what was installed first, the carpet or the baseboards?
Check to see if the carpet runs to the wall. If it stops before the baseboards, leaving a gap at the edge of the carpet, or if the baseboards were installed directly on the top of the floor without a gap. Determining this can help you decide which method is best for you and make your work even easier.
Once you have determined this, use the option below that best suits your carpet and baseboard situation!
Remove The Baseboards
Our first option is to remove the baseboards from the wall, paint them, and reinstall them. It removes the tedious work of squatting or sitting and painting the baseboards, painfully trying to avoid getting any paint on the carpet.
So, removing the baseboards becomes the appealing choice for most DIY-ers. Simply remove them and paint at your leisure, without the worry of damaging your carpets.
This method can be risky. It can be difficult to remove the baseboards without damaging them or the walls in the process. If you decide to do this, take your time and be sure to pay attention to any damage on the walls or baseboards and rectify it before reinstalling them.
If your baseboards run to the floor without a gap, it can be easier to remove and reinstall when painting them. If the carpet touches your baseboard, it can be challenging to paint it without damaging the carpet (although we have some tips coming up, be sure to stick around!).
Peeling The Carpet Back
In most cases, carpets are secured to your wall or baseboards with a tack strip, usually made up of small nails that attach to the carpet’s backing. More advanced DIY-ers might find it easier to peel back the carpet, paint the baseboards, then return the carpet to its original place.
We recommend doing this if you have small carpeted areas or a professional completing the work. You run the risk of the carpets not being reattached and secured properly. If you are unsure, the improperly reinstalled carpets can cause safety issues in some cases! It’s best to leave this method to the experts.
Paint With Your Carpets In Place
For most of us, we should be able to paint our baseboards with our carpets in place with little prep work. It sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?
If your baseboards are installed without a gap, they can be tricky to paint, but not impossible. There are ways that we can “create” a gap between your baseboard and carpet, allowing you to paint them with ease.
You can use the following to achieve this:
- Paint Guide, Carpet Shield, Paint Shield
- Painters tape/masking tape
- Cereal box
Want to know how to do this? Use our step-by-step guide below to paint your baseboards with carpet.
1. Prep And Protect
To start, you will want to protect your carpets (the floor). Use some painter’s tape along the bottom of the wall, above the baseboards, to protect your wall from the paint. Next, add your preferred protection to the carpet (cereal box or shield, for example). We find it best to work in small areas and move the floor protection with you as you paint.
2. More Prep
Now it’s time to prepare your brushes. Place your paint bucket or container on a sheet to protect from spillage, damaging your carpet. Fill the brush to no more than half of the bristles (there are online tutorials you can watch to fill a paint brush properly).
Tap the brush against the bucket or container gently to remove any loose paint. Take care here; you don’t want to tip the paint!
3. Start Painting
Again, there are many helpful tutorials that you can watch online if you want some visual aids. But for those that want to know now, run your brush in the direction of the wood grain (often lengthways), back and forth on the baseboard, removing as much paint from the brush as possible.
Work in this manner until the area is painted. Ensure that the paint is fully dry before you add more coats if they are needed. Depending on the paint used, you can sometimes get away with just one coat!
4. Move Onto The Next Section
Once that section or wall is completed and dried, you can remove your painter’s tape or materials touching the paint and start a new section. We find a putty knife is the easiest way to remove the tape.
Prep the next area or section and repeat the above steps to paint your baseboards successfully.
Final Word
As you can see, painting your baseboards when you have carpets doesn’t need to be the challenge you previously thought it would be! Check beforehand if there is a gap between your baseboards and carpet, select the appropriate method and get painting!
Remember to follow the prep steps correctly for best results and seek professional help if you have any concerns or queries!
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