Painting baseboards when you have wall to wall carpet is like trying to apply lipstick when you have a handlebar mustache. It can be messy, but with a little preparation the results can be quite stunning. That's why you need to know about the packing tape trick.
There's a tool that's widely available at home improvement stores that's supposed to work for this application. It's basically a straight edge about 12 inches long. You shove the straight edge down the crack between the carpet and the baseboard, hold it there with one hand, and paint with the other. Basically, it gets covered in paint, you wipe it off each time you move down a foot, and you end up with 1000 paint-soaked rags. Plus the carpet fibers flop right back into the wet paint. We've also tried shoving blue painters tape down the crack and under the edge of the baseboard, but it tears too easily. We even tried plastic trash bags and a dry erase board. Nope and nope.
But yesterday it occurred to us to shove packing tape under the edge of the baseboard. Score! It doesn't tear easily, and it sticks the carpet down away from the wall. Sure, other people may have already figured this out, but we like to think of this as a simultaneous, independent discovery (much like calculus but with far more important ramifications).
Run the packing tape along the edge of the carpet (we scribbled on it with pink Sharpie so it would show up better in the photos) and let it lap up onto the baseboard about 1/4 inch. With a butter knife or a flat head screwdriver, push the top edge of the tape under the baseboard. Now you're ready to paint!
Editorial note: Never stick packing tape to your mustache when applying lipstick.
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brilliant! i hope i remember this tip next time I need to paint my baseboards.
Ah---what an excellent tip. A little prep work makes all the difference in a professional job.
This is what I did when I painted our old house. Worked like a charm!
What happens when you tear off the tape? Does it also wipe the paint off if it's still wet or peel it if it's dry? I would be interested to know, because it seems like a great idea!
Best post intro I've read all week!
Great tip. Now I just have to find time to paint.
@amy the tape is on the carpet.
This tip could not of come at a better time, we're getting ready to paint our basement that currently has wall to wall carpet and felsh colored walls.
Thank you for sharing! : )
Is there a reason it has to be packing tape? We've done this dozens of times with wide painter's tape with no problems. But maybe there is something awesome I am missing?
This is a great trick! Thank you for sharing. :)
Wouldn't blue painters tape work better as it doesn't peel off paint?
The packing tape is only stuck to the carpet. The sticky side of it never comes into contact with a painted surface.
When I've tried painters tape, it rips really easily when I shove it under the baseboard and when I pull it out after painting. It is made to tear easily. Packing tape holds up much better to the forcing and pulling.
loved this entire post!
when do you pull the tape up?? when the paint is dry or wet?
What do you suggest doing if you are painting baseboards in a house with natural wood flooring all through out? Its gonna be a big project!
I pulled the tape up before the final coat was completely dry.
For a big project with wood floors, I'd use blue painters tape and lots of friends!
Genius hint, thanks for sharing. Especially for the renters who are allowed to paint but can't take the chance on it getting on the carpet.
You are a lifesaver!!!, I have a TON of baseboards to paint in our new house (www.hilldalehouse.wordpress.org) and it is quite daunting. And I hate that painters tape rips... i still find bits of it from previous owners' paint jobs...
eeek, i'm almost excited about painting now!
www.hilldalehouse.wordpress.org
Thank you, thank you, thank you! We have owned our house for over 5 years. The owners before us sweetly painted "grass" on all the baseboards in the nursery. We use that room as the guest room now and I am always so embarassed that there is STILL grass in there. I will be using this tip this weekend.
Really? Nobody commented on the mustache and lipstick? Thanks for the humor, too.
This is a fantastic tip. Black packing tape makes it more visible and a 3" putty knife works great to slide the tape under the baseboard.