Protecting Floors and Furniture Without the Headache

One drip on the carpet can ruin a great paint day. A few minutes of setup saves hours of scrubbing.

Furniture

• Move what you can out of the room.
• Push the rest to the center and cover it with plastic sheeting.
• Take down curtains, pictures, and wall decor.

Floors

• Use canvas drop cloths. They stay put, soak up drips, and won't get slippery.
• Overlap cloths so there are no gaps.
• Tape plastic or paper along the edge of carpet next to baseboards.

Hardware and fixtures

• Remove outlet covers and switch plates. Put screws in a labeled bag.
• Cover door knobs with plastic bags or foil.
• Tape over light fixtures you can't remove.

Keep a "drip kit" handy

• A damp rag for latex paint
• Paper towels
• A small bucket of water

Wipe drips right away. Wet latex cleans up easily, but dried paint is a whole different job.

Bottom line: Clear it, cover it, and keep a damp rag in your pocket.

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