We are almost done painting the living room which has hardwood floors. Covering them was simple...newspaper and tape. How do I go about covering a carpeted floor so that it will stick? We have 2 1/2 carpeted rooms and pulling the carpet up will be our LAST resort.We are amateurs so please be kind! Thanks!
Are you painting the base boards also? If not, then do the same routine you did for the hardwood floors. If you are painting the base boards, the carpet needs to come up.
Whoa !! ...you dont need to pull the carpet... however it needs to be protected....most common is a canvas tarp sold in paint stores anywhere.....they wont leak thru.. and they are very sturdy so dont worry about tears also there is no need to tape them to the carpet. I am a handyman and painter and have used them for alot of jobs...they never wear out.
What I do is take a masking Machine using 1.5 tape. pull the tape and paper out and stick the tape to the carpet. do it so the tape gos down between the carpet and base board. then use drop clothes and put the edge under the paper.Now this hand masker can be bought at the Home Depot Or Lowe's. It is about thirty dollars but is well worth It for speed and protecting the carpet. If you get the tape on right you will not have the carpet sticking to the base boards and you can paint below the pile. Be care-full to not load the brush to much, only a half inch of the brush in the paint and rack off one side. Get a good paint brush. All I buy is Purdy. Use 12 paper on the Machine and try not step on it because it will tear. Your drop cloths can be old sheets or old drapes. If you use old sheets you will need to fold them so you have a double thickness. Good luck
Home Depot Carpet Protector
I'd buy carpet protectors. They are long self adhesive rolls of clear plastic that builders use on the carpeted floors in model homes so people don't walk on the carpet. You can get these at Home Depot or Lowes. They just roll out, stick to the carpet, cut and do another length the same way until you cover the entire room. Easy to pull up again when you are done. I'd overlap each strip by an inch to be extra sure that nothing gets under it.
