whats the best way of doing this?? masking tape along the edge? any tips appreciated. i didnt give the skirting enough coats before the carpet fitter was due and want to finish it off properly without getting paint on the carpet. thanks
My missus does it by putting down wide masking tape over the carpet and painting very very carefully. I don't have the patience.
In message , benpost writes
I bought some strips of slightly curved plastic, shaped rather like one slat from Venetian blinds. The idea is the slat slips under the skirting, and protects the carpet. Works well.
I have used one of those window frame plastic masking thingies, sorry don't know the proper name. Dig it in tight at about 45 degrees to the skirting board but be sure to wipe it clean after each use or paint will leak to the back face and get onto the carpet.
George
I use a piece of aluminium about 12" x 6", shove it between the edge of the carpet and skirting and it should make it possible to paint just below the carpet line. Watch for excess paint build up though
I used to have some half-round strips of thin plastic, you could wedge them in the gap under the skirting, then overlap them over each other going around the room. I've not seen mine for a while, may have lent them out, can't remember seeing them in shops lately, but somebody probably still sells them.
Slice a 2 litre drink bottle into strips. Works well, but if you remove the plastic before its dry there will be a bit of carpet sticking to the paint. Your choice either way.
NT
I've never found any kind of masking method that works as well as just cutting in with a 1/2" brush. If it's only an extra coat you don't have to paint right down to the carpet edge.
Coo. That's a good idea. I have some old venetian blinds, I'll cut one of them up.
Yep, I have those. I also tuck a dust sheet under the exposed edge to give a working area. Be very aware that they do get paint on them and that can easily transfer to place you don't want it when moving the slats. I guess the ideal would be to get enough to go right round the room so you didn't have to move them.
Before that, there was a proprietary device made from bent sheet metal and called a "George". You inserted it between the skirting and carpet then pushed it down to depress the carpet. Then you could paint the section of skirting that was exposed - about a foot long, perhaps more.
You could also use it to mask the gloss paint on a skirting board while painting the wall above.
I don't know if the "George" is still available, but this item might do the trick:
I saved the slats of old Venetian blinds for just that purpose!
The advantage the plastic strips (I'm sure the suggestion for cutting up a 2l drinks bottle would work OK) have is that you can lay a whole room or wall at a time, then you don't have the risk of hairs/dust getting "pinged" onto your wet paint as you move the guard along.
Dunno 'best'. I've previously used a wide paint-scraper to hold carpet back just enough to lightly paint below the carpet edge. But I'm afraid I'm sloppy enough just to let the carpet spring back after that, at which point some of it may touch the newly painted skirting. OTOH if the carpet's going to touch that closely you're never going to see the skirting behind the touching carpet anyway.
I'd have thought that all the cleverer ideas, like blinds slats, suffer from the same problem. If you remove them while the paint is wet the carpet can spring back, whereas if you let the paint dry, getting the slats out again without breaking the painty edge might be tricky.
Yes - that's why, after buying one of the purpose-made ones, I decided to use old, wide, Venetian blind slats!
I've found that waiting until the paint has _begun_ to dry, but not yet completely set, works well. In an 18'x11' room, by the time I finished painting the last bit, the first bit was just dry enough to start removing the slats.
Oh, absolutely. The trouble with the George was that, if you got too much paint on it, it would transfer it to places you definitely didn't want it to go!
I ended up wiping it thoroughly clean before moving it, which hardly made it a labour-saving device. The multiple plastic slats that others have suggested seem to be a good idea.
I bought some stuff on a roll. It had a crease so that it readily folded and shoved down the gap.
How about a length of damp proof membrane, it could be given a quick wipe over with silicon oil to act as a release agent.
Derek
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