GB2130505A - Paint mask - Google Patents

Abstract

The edge of a fitted carpet 14 during the painting of a skirting board 12 or lower portion of a wall is masked by means of a metal or plastics strip 1 of bowed transverse section which in use is partly flattened downwardly so that it exerts compression upon the carpet edge, the strip being flattened by nails 16. The strip (Fig. 5) may be asymmetrically bowed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and apparatus for protection of carpets during decorating The invention relates to the protection of fitted carpets and other floor coverings when adjacent walls or skirting boards are being decorated or otherwise treated with the floor covering in place. Whilst the invention may have use in protecting smooth floor coverings it is primarily intended for the protection of pile carpet of which the upstanding pile makes it difficult to paint skirtings and the lower portions of walls up to which the carpet is fitted without contaminating the carpet with paint and contaminating the paint with carpet fibre.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of protecting the edge of a floor covering laid on a floor when decorating or otherwise treating a skirting board or wall adjacent to the edge comprising placing over the floor covering along the said edge an elongate strip formed of resilient material with an upwardly bowed section perpendicular to its length, at least partially flattening the bow downwardly whereby the opposed longitudinal edges of the strip are spring urged towards the floor.

Preferably the flattening of the bow is effected by means securing the strip to the floor through the floor covering and may comprise double headed nails.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an elongate strip of resilient material formed with a bowed section perpendicular to its length for use as described.

The strip is preferably constant in section transverse to its length and the section may be of constant thickness but preferably tapers towards at least one of its edges. The transverse section may be symmetrical or the apex of the bow may be nearer to one of the opposed longitudinal edges. The strip may be of metal but is preferably of plastics material which may be extruded. The strip may be flexible enough in its length direction for it to be formed into a roll and to enable it to conform to stairs.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a length of carpet protection strip; Figure 2 is a section on line ll-ll of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the strip in use; Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic view of a strip in a second embodiment in use; Figure 5 shows in section a protection strip in a third embodiment; and Figure 6 shows the strip in use on a staircase.

Fig. 1 shows a length 1 of strip material provided with perforations midway between edges 4 and 6 for the passage of nails. The strip has the section shown in Fig. 2, that is to say it is symmetrically bowed and the lower surface 8 has a larger radius of curvature than the upper surface 10 so that the section gradually tapers from the apex of the bow at the mid point to smaller dimensions at the respective edges 4, 6.

The strip of this or any embodiment is made of any suitable resilient material such as plastics material and, being of constant section, may be extruded. The choice of material will be governed by the desirability that it should be strong, durable, readily cut and perforated by hand tools, but above all it must be capable of exerting spring pressure when at least partially flattened as will be described below.

The thicker mid-section helps to provide sufficient resilient energy, but as will be seen by reference to the Fig. 4 embodiment below it may be possible that the section should be of constant thickness, that is to say the curvatures of surfaces 8, 10, should be identical.

In use of a strip as shown in Fig. 2 in the painting of a skirting board 1 2 against which a carpet 1 4 is fitted as shown in Fig. 3, the strip 1 is laid on the carpet with one long edge 4 against the lower edge of the skirting.

The strip is pierced with holes 2 at intervals along its length and substantially along the centre line between the edges 4 and 6, and a double headed nail 1 6 is inserted in each of the holes 2 and driven through the carpet 14 into the underlying floor 1 8. The lower head 20 of the nail 1 6 forces the strip 1 towards the floor at least partially flattening the curvature therein.

By virtue of the resilience of the material of the strip, the deformation caused by flattening forces the edges 4, 6 of the strip downwardly, compressing the carpet 14 towards the floor 18 as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. It is expected that the carpet will be compressed by a distance greater than the thickness of the strip at the edge 4 so that clear access is given to the skirting 1 2 below the level which could be reached without the use of the strip.

As the strip is flattened so it slightly widens, and if as is frequently the case there is a gap 22 between the skirting 1 2 and floor 18, the edge 4 may slide into that gap. In any case, if the strip is placed close enough to the skirting before nailing, and the optimum location will be found out by experience, the edge 4 will, with the strip flattened, reach if it does not overlap the edge 24 of the carpet 14, so that the carpet is completely covered whereby the skirting 1 2 can be painted or otherwise treated without contamination of the carpet and without interference by the carpet of the painting or treatment operation. The strip itself may become contaminated with paint, but if it is made of smooth plastics and is sufficiently flexible, hardened paint may be peeled off if necessary.

When the treatment of the skirting is finished, for example when the paint is dry, each of the nails 1 6 is removed from the strip 1 which, by virtue of its resilience, recovers its original bowed shape and becomes available for use on a subsequent occasion. It is expected that the carpet 1 4 will also recover from the compression imposed by the strip whereby the pile will extend above the level down to which the skirting was painted.

In order to fit the strip over the edges of a stair carpet as shown in Fig. 6, it may be necessary to make a transverse cut though the apex of the bow at appropriate positions so that the strip can form internal and external right-angled corners of small radius of curvature. Between these corners each length portion of strip is expected to behave as in the example quoted above.

It will be understood that the transverse curvature of the strip lends it considerable strength and reduces the tendency of the strip to bow lengthwise between fixing points, and for this reason it may be desirable that the dimensions and properties of the strip shall be chosen so that a less than complete flattening of the transverse bow will afford sufficient compression to the underlying carpet.

It will be readily understood that the flexibility of the strip lengthwise which enables it to roll also tends deleteriously to allow it to bow between fixing points, and it may be necessary in order to avoid lengthwise bow to relinquish the ability to roll.

Thus, in the embodiment of Fig. 5, the strip is curved asymmetrically in transverse section with the portion 26 of deepest bow further from the edge 28 which in use is arranged against the skirting and closer to the opposite edge 30 at which the material of the strip is somewhat thicker. The strip is secured and flattened towards the floor by fixing means passing through holes located in the region 26. As indicated in relation to the Fig. 1 embodiment, the flattening of the strip causes it to spread widthwise, but the thicker section at edge 30 combined with the greater angle of the strip to the horizontal at that edge compared with edge 28 tends to result in the edge 28 advancing more firmly against or even under the skirting.

The strip shown in Fig. 4 is of largely constant thickness. The apex of the bow, along which holes are provided for the passage of nails, is closer to one of the longitudinal edges of the strip, whilst the strip is tapered sharply at the opposed longitudinal edge.

Whilst the strip of any embodiment may be provided with holes at any suitable intervals along its length, it is found that two holes per meter length is a suitable spacing and it is found that with the strip made of material with suitable elastic properties and of suitable thickness, fixing at those intervals does not allow for lengthwise bowing so that midway between fixing points adequate pressure is still maintained upon the underlying carpet.

As already mentioned, the reduction of lengthwise bowing brings with it the disadvantage that the strip cannot readily be rolled, but it is expected that it may nevertheless be possible to use such a strip for stairs by careful notching of the strip at appropriate positions.

Particularly because of the relatively steep angle relative to the floor of the edge furthest from the skirting in use, the edge can readily secure the edge of s dust sheet placed thereunder before the fixing of the strip to the floor.

Claims (8)

1. A method of protecting the edge of a floor covering laid on a floor when decorating or otherwise treating a skirting board or wall adjacent to the edge comprising placing over the floor covering along the said edge an elongate strip formed of resilient material with an upwardly bowed section perpendicular to its length, at least partially flattening the bow downwardly whereby the opposed longitudinal edges of the strip are spring urged towards the floor.

2. A method of protecting the edge of a floor covering according to Claim 1 wherein the flattening of the bow is effected by means securing the strip to the floor through the floor covering.

3. A method of protecting the edge of a floor covering substantially as described.

4. An elongate strip of resilient material formed with a bowed section perpendicular to its length for use according to the methods of Claim 1, Claim 2 or Claim 3.

5. A strip according to Claim 4 which is constant in section transverse to its length.

6. A strip according to Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein the section is at least substantially of constant thickness.

7. A strip according to Claim 6 which tapers towards at least one of its edges.

8. A strip according to any of Claims 3 to 7 wherein the apex of the bow is nearer to one of the opposed longitudinal edges.