Looking for tips on painting skirting boards.

[AL_n]

I'm getting a tad to old to relish crawling around on the floor. Heck, even getting half way down there is getting to be a pain!! So I'm looking for ways to make skirting board painting as quick easy as possible. In particular, I'd like NOT to have to remove or roll back the carpet.

Please let me know what you think; I am thinking of masking off the carpet somehow and then spray-paint the skirts. Has anyone got an easy method of masking out a carpet? I suppose a 4ft piece of 6" skirting board with handle attached mught be a way...

The state of the skirting boards is quite good; they have only been painted once previously. After wiping them over with wet sponge, they look almost presentable, except that the once-white gloss has turned to yucky cream. I'd like to repaint them (spray perhaps) with some kind of non-yellowing white - (gloss, matt or eggsshell). Any suggestions on an inexpensive opaque acrylic white spray-can paint?

TIA

Al

[Roger Mills]

I can't see how you're going to spray them without getting paint all over the walls and carpet unless you do a hell of a lot of masking.

Brush painting is by far the best, using a paint guard[1] over the carpet in short sections at a time.

Ok, you'll probably need to kneel down - but I can't see how you would apply masking to walls and carpets without doing that, anyway.

[1] e.g. IIRC such devices used to be referred to as a "George" - but I could be imagining it.

[F]

I have one here. Used once and consigned to the back of the garage shelf. It worked fine until I removed it to go to the next section of skirting board and the carpet gradually returned to its previous state and stuck itself to the fresh paint.

Now I just put masking tape along the carpet as I press it down. The carpet stays pretty much down until I remove the masking tape when it springs back up and hides the painted/unpainted junction.

[AL_n]

Roger Mills wrote in news:d3e672F1i6U1 @mid.individual.net:

I've done a lot of spray painting in the past, and by proper control of the spraying device, one can avoid a lot of overspray, and won't need "a hell of a lot of masking". What does go onto the wall can be painted over with emulsion when the wall is painted. This is not to say that I am totally against brush painting, but having done a lot of spraying and brushing during my career, I lean towards spraying for certain jobs. That's partly because I can get a more even thickness of paint, and the paint goes into nooks and crannies that a brush tends to have trouble with. And fast-drying paints are more commonly available in spray cans

But, hey, I appreciated your POV.

Al

[AL_n]

F wrote in news:p8udncNSnNfJm0 [e-mail]:

Thanks... I have to admit, I've never tried using masking tape on a carpet. What makes the carpet stay depresed when you press it down? I would have thought it would spring back up as soon as you remove the pressure.

As for masking devices such as the one in your link, I do have something similar skulling around somewhere.

Al

[DerbyBorn]

"AL_n" wrote in news:XnsA4F9C9CFD65E8zzzzzz@130.133.4.11:

I once bought some wide tape that had a fold / crease in it. The tape was plastic. It would hold the carpet down quite well and the crease pulled it back from the skirting. It worked well.

[John Rumm]

I also remember that name being used. ISTR seeing very large (i.e. several feet wide) versions designed for use by sprayers as well.

[Ernest Clark]

I have just finished 3x2m skirting with 2 doors/frames.Done in satinwoodwh ich takes 6 hrs to dry. I used widemasking tape cut in smallish lengths to ensure it was right up at edge of carpet, lightly sanded the old gloss pain t, washed and then took 2 hours to do 1 coat which was fine. After 6 hours I took up the masking tape carefully (some areas were still tacky). This is the only foolsafe method of doing it with minimal prep that I know (being an amateur). You can either get someone in to do it - cost about 150 , spli t the job over 2 days to ease the pain, or use a kneely pad for gardeners. Once you are at shirting level you don, t need to get up till the end. I ta ke a long time to do painting as I now split the jobs up so I dont rush and bodge.

[F]

I catch a couple of mm of the edge of the masking tape low down on the skirting board (below the normal level of the carpet).

[stuart noble]

I've never found it that difficult to get the flattened bristles of a small brush down behind the carpet edge but it's a hands and knees job, which the OP seeks to avoid

[AL_n]

F wrote in news:GLednQnc0OZnbk [e-mail]:

Sounds worth a try - Thanks!

Al

[AL_n]

stuart noble wrote in news:b2DAx.295883 $ [e-mail]:

As much as is possible, at least! :-) I definitely subscribe to Stuart's 'doing it in small stages' philosophy.

Al

[Pass me the gentle persuader]

"AL_n" wrote in news:XnsA4F98B34A7579zzzzzz@130.133.4.11:

I have a friend who always painted the skirts with the same white satin vinyl emilsion he used for the walls. I thought there is a lot to be said for that idea, since it is perfectly colour-matched, and the skirts don't turn yellow and they are washable.

[puzzle]

For the last 20 years I have used gloss enamel radiator paint from Wilko. It stays white longer but it is more expensive. I started using it after the expensive dulux went yellow after a couple of years.

make sure it is the oil based and not the water based if you decide to use it

[stuart noble]

Depends how heavy handed you are with the vacuum cleaner. Emulsion has very low resistance to wear and tear

[DerbyBorn]

F wrote in news:GLednQnc0OZnbk [e-mail]:

Found it:

Absolutely brilliant. It hs very shiny plastic (non stick) and has a fold in it which you push down between the carpet and the skirting. Just going to Google to see if it is still available.

[DerbyBorn]

DerbyBorn wrote in news:XnsA4FAA19F561F6TrainJPlantntlworldc@81.171.92.222:

Brilliant. Seems to be unavailable though now.

[DerbyBorn]

DerbyBorn wrote in news:XnsA4FAA32078CADTrainJPlantntlworldc@81.171.92.236:

Sorry - I accidentally moved it. Now:

[AL_n]

DerbyBorn wrote in news:XnsA4FAA3EE11D1ETrainJPlantntlworldc@81.171.92.236:

I wonder whay it's no longer available. It looks fabtasmic!

Al

[AL_n]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Thanks - that sounds like an excellent tip. I have to admit, I haven't known a rediator enamel that has turned yellow - depite the heat it is subjected to.

Al