Paint Shield For Carpet Edges

Abstract

A painter's aid in the form of a paint shield of relatively thin resiliently flexible sheet material having a longitudinal edge lip for insertion between the edge of a wall-to-wall carpet and the adjacent wall baseboard and a longitudinal body portion extending transversely of the lip for covering the carpet edge to protect the latter against paint when painting the baseboard. Features of the shield reside in the out-turned shape of the lip which spaces the latter above the lip from the baseboard to permit painting of the baseboard to a level below the upper carpet surface, inwardly projecting carpet engaging prongs on the lip for resisting upward retraction of the lip from its position between the baseboard and carpet, a flange along the edge of the shield remote from the lip having holes to receive pins for anchoring the shield to the carpet, and an arcuate upwardly arching section of the shield between the flange and lip for eliminating upward lip retracting pressure on the shield by the carpet.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to painters' aids and more particularly to such an aid in the form of a paint shield for covering the edge of a carpet when painting the adjacent wall baseboard.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

A variety of paint shields have been devised for shielding one area against contact by paint when painting an adjacent area. Typical paint shields of this kind, for example, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,098,005; 2,482,977; 2,698,002; 2,889,804; 3,380,435; and 3,429,296.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a painter's aid in the form of a paint shield for protecting the edge of wall-to-wall carpet against paint when painting the adjacent wall baseboard. The shield is constructed of thin resiliently flexible sheet material and has a relatively narrow longitudinal lip for insertion between the baseboard and carpet and a relatively wide longitudinal body portion extending transversely of the lip for overlying the carpet edge. Spaced along the edge of the body portion are holes to receive pins for anchoring the shield to the carpet.

According to an important feature of the shield the lower edge of its lip turns outwardly away from the body portion in a manner such that when the body portion of the shield is pressed down against the carpet, the lip fulcrums on the carpet edge to engage the out-turned lip edge with the baseboard. This action spaces the lip above the edge from the baseboard, such that a paintbrush may be inserted between the lip and baseboard to paint the latter to a position well below the level of the upper carpet surface.

According to another feature of the invention, the lip of the shield is provided with carpet engaging prongs to resist upward retraction of the shield portion from its position between the baseboard and carpet. Also, the section of the shield body portion contiguous the lip has an arcuate upwardly arching shape which prevents the carpet from exerting an upward force on the shield tending to retract the lip from its position between the baseboard and carpet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present painter's aid or paint shield;

FIG. 2 illustrates the initial position of installation of the paint shield between a wall baseboard and carpet; and

FIG. 3 illustrates the final position of installation of the paint shield.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The illustrated painter's aid comprises an elongate paint shield 10 constructed of relatively thin resiliently flexible sheet material, such as plastic. The thickness of the shield is somewhat critical to its intended use. It has been determined that the ideal thickness of the shield, when constructed of sheet plastic, such as styrene is on the order of 0.015 inches.

Shield 10 has a relatively laterally wide longitudinal body portion 12 bounded by one longitudinal edge of the shield and a relatively laterally narrow lip 14 bounded by the opposite longitudinal edge of the shield. The body portion 12 of the shield extends generally transversely of the lip 14, such that the shield is adapted to be placed in its installed position of FIG. 3. In this position, the lip is inserted between the baseboard 16 of a wall 18 and the adjacent edge of a wall-to-wall carpet 20 secured by a tackless carpet anchor strip 22 to the floor 24 and backed by the usual carpet pad 26.

According to one important feature of the invention, the body portion 12 of the shield 10 is shaped in transverse cross section to provide a flat flange 28 along the outer longitudinal edge of the body portion and an arcuate upwardly arching section 30 between and joining the flange and the shield lip 14. The lip 14 has a reverse curvature to the arcuate shield section 30 and turns outwardly at its lower longitudinal edge in a direction away from the shield body portion. When the shield is placed in its initial position of installation of FIG. 2, the pile along the edge of carpet 20 presses against the inside of the lip 14 and the adjacent part of the arcuate section 30 and urges the outer surface of the lip and section against the baseboard 16. In this position, the body portion 12 of the shield extends upwardly at an oblique angle to the carpet 20 and the body flange 28 is spaced from the carpet. When the shield is forced downwardly to its final installed position of FIG. 3, wherein the flange 28 seats flat on the carpet, the shield effectively fulcrums or pivots on the lower out-turned edge of the lip 14, thereby initially rotating and then flexing the lip and arcuate body section above the lip edge away from the baseboard 16, against the bias of the carpet pile and the inherent resiliency of the shield. This action provides a space 32 between the shield and baseboard through which a paintbrush may be inserted to paint the baseboard to a position well below the upper carpet surface.

It is evident from the above description that when the paint shield 10 occupies its final installed position of FIG. 3, the resilient bias force of the carpet pile against the shield and the elastic strain energy stored in the shield tends to cause the shield to spring back to its position of FIG. 2 when released. According to another feature of the invention, the shield body flange 28 is provided with holes 34 for receiving pins 36, such as the illustrated two-headed nails, for anchoring the shield in its final installed position of FIG. 3. Pins 36 may be merely inserted through the carpet 20, as shown, or driven into the tackless strip 22.

The arcuate section 30 of the shield body portion 30 provides an advantage in addition to that just explained. This additional advantage resides in the fact that the upward arch of the arcuate section locates the latter out of contact with the carpet pile in both the initial shield position of FIG. 2 and the final shield position of FIG. 3. This prevents the pile from exerting an upward force on the shield tending to retract the shield lip 14 from its position between the baseboard 16 and carpet 20. Another feature of the invention in this regard resides in prongs 38 which are bent or stamped inwardly from the lip 14 to press firmly against the carpet pile in the final shield position of FIG. 3, thereby to resist upward retraction of the lip from its position between the baseboard and carpet. When the shield occupies its position of FIG. 2, the prongs 38 only lightly engage the carpet, such that the shield may be easily removed.

It will now be understood that the paint shield 10 may be easily installed on and removed from its position of FIG. 3. In this position, the shield protects the carpet edge against paint when painting the baseboard 10 and yet permits painting of the board to a position well below the carpet surface.

Claims

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A painter's aid for shielding the edge of a wall-to-wall carpet against paint when painting the adjacent wall baseboard, comprising:

an elongate shield of relatively thin resiliently flexible sheet material having a relatively wide body portion and a lip along one edge of and generally transverse to said body portion,

said shield being adapted to be placed in a position wherein said lip is inserted between said baseboard and the adjacent carpet edge and said body portion extends inwardly from said baseboard over said carpet,

said body portion having holes along its outer edge to receive pins for anchoring said shield to said carpet, and

at least one pin extending through at least one of said holes anchoring said shield.

2. A painter's aid according to claim 1 wherein:

said lip turns outwardly at its longitudinal edge away from said body portion to engage said baseboard approximately at floor level, whereby when said lip is inserted between said baseboard and carpet, the carpet pile urges said lip edge and a portion of said shield above the latter edge against said baseboard to space said body portion above said carpet and downwardly movement of said body portion into contact with the carpet effects rotation of said shield about said lip edge against the bias of the carpet pile and flexing of said shield to rotate the portion of the shield above said lip edge out of contact with said baseboard to provide an intervening gap through which a paintbrush may be inserted to paint said baseboard to a position well below the level of the carpet surface.

3. A painter's aid according to claim 2, wherein:

said shield body portion has a flange along its outer edge containing said pin-receiving holes.

4. A painter's aid according to claim 3 wherein:

said shield body portion has an arcuate upwardly arching section between and joining said flange and lip for preventing upward pressure of the carpet pile against said shield adjacent said lip tending to retract said lip from between said baseboard and carpet.

5. A painter's aid according to claim 4 wherein:

said lip includes inwardly projecting prongs for engaging the carpet pile to resist upward retraction of said lip from between said baseboard and carpet.