Got Carpeted Floors? Here’s How to Keep Them Safe When Painting Baseboards

When painting near carpets, there’s always that risk of making a mess. That’s why it’s important to take preventative measures to protect your carpet. You can do this by simply pulling back the carpet edges and folding them to be out of the way, or you can spread painter’s tape along the carpet’s edge. To show some extra TLC to your carpet—and be a little more cautious in the face of paint spills—lay a drop cloth over the rest of the carpet. 

If you go the tape route, you can go a step further to ensure you’re maximizing your carpet protection efforts. 

Using a putty knife, press onto the tape to move it under the baseboard. This shouldn’t be too difficult, as there’s usually a decently large gap between the carpet and baseboard. This helps prevent drippage on the edges of your carpet when your paintbrush makes contact with the floor.

Use a dry cloth to wipe down the baseboards and eliminate any debris (the last thing you want is any chunks of dirt or dust infiltrating your new paint job).

If your baseboards are visibly covered in dust, using a damp cloth is more effective. Just make sure the baseboards are fully dry before painting!

Only cover about half of the bristles when dipping the brush into paint. With this method, you’re less at risk of dripping paint (and a big mess). 

To remove any dripping or loose paint from your brush, simply tap the brush against the paint bucket or use the sides to wipe it off.

Finally—it’s time to paint! Apply one coat, wait for it to dry, then add another coat if needed. There’s no rule about how many coats to put on, so if you think it’s necessary, apply a third. 

To make this process easier, try sticking to painting in one direction—from either the left to right along the length of the baseboard or vice versa. 

After your paint has dried (a safe bet is to wait two to three hours after the last coat), remove the tape and drop cloth.