Interior Painting - Completed with Pics!

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Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Sooo, SWMBO decided she was going to paint my daughter's room for her birthday. After discovering what a big job it was (currently has a dark color) she's handed it over to me....

Anyway, what's the best way to paint trim along a carpeted floor? Any tips, tricks, suggestions would be much appreciated!

Travis
 
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Trent Mason

New User
Trent Mason
Re: Interior Painting

Travis,

Run painter's tape (I prefer 2") along the carpet, right up against the baseboard so that no carpet is coming up between the edge of the tape and the baseboard. Do that all the way around the room, then paint away! Also, leave the tape down until the paint is dry. :icon_thum
 

Glennbear

Moderator
Glenn
Re: Interior Painting

Travis,

Run painter's tape (I prefer 2") along the carpet, right up against the baseboard so that no carpet is coming up between the edge of the tape and the baseboard. Do that all the way around the room, then paint away! Also, leave the tape down until the paint is dry. :icon_thum

This is exactly the method I have used in the past with great success. Lots of time on my hands and knees but much better results than the hand held "painting shields" :no: they sell. :wsmile:
 

bigcat4t9r

New User
Randy
Re: Interior Painting

My advice is to be careful - haha. Done a LOT of painting in my time in college and since.

I'm not a fan of tape as usually people use that as a crutch to slather too much paint on. But it has its place if used properly. Use regular painters tape on the carpet. I like the new "frog tape" that has a special edge to it to stop paint from creeping under it if you're going to tape off the wall/trim connection.

Seriously though, I use a good 2" or 2 1/2" angled sash brush and the best paint you can afford (I use semi-gloss oil base enamel). I lay on my side so the baseboard is in clear view of my eyes. Dip brush, skim off one side and use the skimmed side to apply. I put the heavy paint from the back of the brush in the center and use that as a refiller of sorts.

To paint clean edges, I "sneak" up on the edges by starting a pass away from the line and pull up to the edge and then continue the edge and then pull away from the edge at the end of the pass.

I use this method for ceiling to walls, door/window casings and baseboards. For the walls, painting over dark means you definitely want to use primer. I HATE painting bathrooms because of all the obstacles (close second to ceilings). Use at least egg-shell or satin in a damp environment for durability.

Good luck.
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Re: Interior Painting

Travis,

Run painter's tape (I prefer 2") along the carpet, right up against the baseboard so that no carpet is coming up between the edge of the tape and the baseboard. Do that all the way around the room, then paint away! Also, leave the tape down until the paint is dry. :icon_thum

Huh, tape the carpet eh? Never thought of that... worth trying, thanks!

This is exactly the method I have used in the past with great success. Lots of time on my hands and knees but much better results than the hand held "painting shields" :no: they sell. :wsmile:

Yeah, I've tried the shields in the past for corners and ceilings with little success. They just tend to make things worse IMHO.

I'm not a fan of tape as usually people use that as a crutch to slather too much paint on. But it has its place if used properly. Use regular painters tape on the carpet. I like the new "frog tape" that has a special edge to it to stop paint from creeping under it if you're going to tape off the wall/trim connection..

Yep, I hear what you're saying but I'm thinking I might do the tape method and the "sneak" method just to better my odds. It's already got two coats of primer on it and it's looking like I'll probably do two coats of color just to be safe.

Thanks guys!
 

Sandy Rose

New User
Sandy
Re: Interior Painting

My wife and I have repainted every room in our house (some of the rooms more than once) and the best way I've found to protect the carpet is to get a roll of carpet protector - it's essentially a thick roll of clear plastic the has adhesive on one side. I put it along the baseboards and press it into the small gap where the carpet goes under the trim that way, the carpet is pushed down enough to not worry about it .
 

crokett

New User
David
Re: Interior Painting

I have 2 methods for painting around carpet:

1. Small sash brush and learn to cut in free-hand - works on low-pile carpets. I am good enough free-hand that around trim, etc I don't tape. I just do cut-in.

2. A very wide knife used to smooth wallpaper. Press down the carpet at the edge of the wall, paint a section, then move the knife. Wipe the knife off every 2 or 3 times so you don't get it gooping up enough to transfer to the carpet

I don't like tape on a carpet.
 

cpw

Charles
Corporate Member
Re: Interior Painting

I've taped off carpet before and it worked pretty well, but I found it time consuming. Last time I was faced with this problem I bought a heavy duty 12" drywall knife. I wedged the knife down between the baseboard and the carpet, and painted the section of baseboard I had exposed. I carefully pulled the knife out, wiped any paint streaks off the knife with a damp rag and moved on to the next 12" section.

605583_front200.jpg
 

Charlie

Charlie
Corporate Member
Re: Interior Painting

Lowes/HD/paint stores have packs of plastic strips about 3' long x 2" wide made purposely to slide between the baseboard and carpet for painting. They are easy to install/remove and can be used many times. Much better/easier than tape. Been using them for years.
 

RobS.

Robert Slone
Senior User
Re: Interior Painting

If you get little paint globs on the carpet let them dry. Pick them out the next day with your fingernails. If you try to wipe it away wet you'll make a big mess. This works well with latex. The worst spots can be snipped away with scissors. The pile is close enough to the wall that unravelling won't be a problem.
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Re: Interior Painting

Thanks guys, I've not gotten to this part yet due to other stuff coming up. I might swing past the BORG on the way home and look for the carpet strips.

Trav
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Re: Interior Painting

Whew! Finished, finally!! Thanks to everyone for their help. I used the tape along the carpet trick and it worked pretty well. I'm not a very talented painter and as careful as I try to be I end up with a lot of paint where it's not supposed to go. I've also found I tend not to refil my brush/roller enough so, after it dries, I find glaring thin spots that I have to go back and touch up.

Anyway, this turned out to be a pretty big project for such a small room. First, the original "Thomas Blue" was dark enough that I went ahead and used two coats of primer. Second, all the trim, doors, and windows needed to be painted. They were currently the "builders off-white" color that was used throughout the house. Soo, after the primer on the walls I used two coats of bright white semi-gloss on the trim. Once that was done I taped up all the trim and used the new SW Duration satin finish in some pinkish lavender color my daughter picked out for the top coat. I have to say I'm REALLY impressed with this paint. It's totally worth the extra $$ just for the ease of application and coverage. If it turns out to be half as durable over the long run as it's advertised to be it will be a wise investment indeed. The last step was to add a peel 'n stick border that my wife had picked out. Anyway, here are before/after pics (the after was with my camera phone so it's not great but you get the idea)...

Before:



After:

 

Glennbear

Moderator
Glenn
Very good Travis, it looks great. :eusa_clap On another note, what is it with spouses and borders ? :icon_scra When I was preparing my last house for sale there was a lot of cussing directed at my absent ex-wife as I dealt with the residual goo on the wall from borders. :argue: IMHO there should be a national prohibition on applied borders. :rotflm:
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Glenn, I know exactly what you mean and I have no answer for you. SWMBO says "I want a cute border", I say "Yes Dear".
 

Trent Mason

New User
Trent Mason
It turned out great Travis! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

As for the border discussion, Christy has helped me take enough of them down while doing remodeling work that I'm pretty confident we'll never have borders or wall paper. :kamahlitu

:rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Yeah, the thing is, this border might not be so terribly evil. It's not a traditional wallpaper w/glue type border. It's literally peel and stick and is sold as moveable/repositionable. It was handy putting it back up as I could lift it off and re-stick to correct bubbles/creases. Who knows what it will be like when we try to take it down in 15 years but for now it wasn't soo bad.

Travis
 

gdoebs

New User
Geoff
That Duration paint is awesome and well worth the $. We got lucky as it was 15% off a few weeks ago. I just got done painting 800 sq ft. of walls!

My idea of a border is crown moulding!
 
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