Is It Better To Paint A Home's Interior Before Or After Putting In New Carpet?

Are you planning a complete room remodel? Updating your wall color and floor can create a new look in any room. If you're changing these two elements, you may be wondering which one to start with. For a pristine (and paint-free) finish, it's best to start with the walls before laying down new carpet. Painting your walls before installing new flooring ensures that no droplets will stain the fibers. The last thing you want to see after your hard work is a blotch that needs to be covered!

When shopping for carpet, you may notice that there are stain-resistant options available. Wool and nylon are among the top stain-resistant carpet fibers, but that doesn't mean they are completely invincible to certain elements like paint. Flooring options like hardwood, laminate, and vinyl have surfaces that make it possible to remove paint drippage, but unfortunately, it's harder (and sometimes impossible) with carpet. Therefore, starting with the walls is the better option. But what if you've already put in fresh flooring?

If you have recently installed new carpet, it may not be feasible to rip up the floors just to paint your walls. Fortunately, there are some tactics you can use to prevent your new floors from getting paint stains. The biggest areas you need to cover when painting a carpeted room are the trim and the entire floor surface. This can easily be done with polythene dust sheets that you can find at your nearest hardware store.

Depending on the size of your room, one polythene dust sheet may be enough to cover the full space. Begin by removing the dust sheet from its packaging and completely unfolding it. Use painter's tape to secure the edge of the sheet to the top of your trim in order to shield it. Then, allow the sheet to cover the floor. You will need to tape the edge of the sheet around the trim on every wall.

Have a small paint spot on your carpet? Don't worry! If you catch wet paint in time, you can remove the stain entirely or at least the vast majority of it without leaving behind a major eyesore. All you need is a clean rag, dish soap, warm water, and a little rubbing alcohol.

When cleaning a paint spot, never pour solutions directly onto the stain or rub it. This will only darken the stain and smear it deeper into the carpet. Instead, put the water and a few drops of dish soap on your rag and blot the stain until it fades. If the stain is tough and not coming out, soak your cloth entirely in rubbing alcohol and go back to blotting the spot. Allow the alcohol to sit on the stain for at least fifteen minutes before taking a dry paper towel or cloth and blotting the excess alcohol out of the carpet.