GB2285001A

GB2285001A - Carpet grip or nail-strip quard for use in painting skirting boards

Info

Publication number: GB2285001A
Application number: GB9326257A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Stanley Bunting
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-12-23
Filing date: 1993-12-23
Publication date: 1995-06-28
Also published as: GB9326257D0

Abstract

Skirting boards 2 are rubbed down and painted, after detaching the edge of the carpet 5 from the carpet grip or nail-strip 3, using a guard 9 which covers the nail-strip to prevent injury to the hand. The guard includes a front edge 6, contacting the floor between the skirting board and nail-strip, and a rear edge 7 seating on the floor adjacent the rolled back carpet 5 so that the guard does not exert any pressure on the protruding nails. The guard includes a handle 10. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DECORATION This invention relates to decoration, particularly but not exclusively the treatment, as by rubbing-down or painting, of the skirting-board of a room having a carpet or other floor covering fixed closely adjacent to the skirting-board by means of lengths of nailstrip.

It is well known to fit carpets by means of lengths of nail-strip secured to the floor in close parallel relationship with the skirtingboard. A nail-strip is a wooden batten which is nailed to the floor alongside the skirting-board and has staggered rows of nails extending therethrough from the underside so as to project from the upper surface obliquely towards the adjacent wall. When fitting a carpet, an edge is stretched into close proximity with the skirting-board and secured by pushing it down onto the nailed surface of the nail-strip.

In order to enable the carpet to be properly fitted there is a small gap between the nail-strip and the skirting-board.

In rooms without a skirting-board the carpet will be fitted in the same way with its edges adjacent the bottom of each wall of the room. For convenience the description will assume the presence of a skirting-board but it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited.

When decorating or otherwise treating the walls of a room the skirting-board causes particular problems. Firstly, the carpet has to be turned back from the underlying nail-strip to give full access to the skirting-board and secondly the nail-strip, which is exposed by this removal of the carpet, is a dangerous impediment to the effective treatment of the skirting-board because of the upwardly projecting nails. Covering the nail-strip has hitherto not been an effective solution because if soft material is used the nails will either protrude through the material or treatment of the skirting-board will again be obstructed and if solid material is used pressure exerted thereon by the decorator steadying himself for his work is likely to result in deformation of the nails causing problems in subsequent re-attachment of the carpet.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating the bottom of a vertical surface, e.g.

a wall of a room, having a floor covering fixed adjacent said surface by means of a nail-strip, comprising removing the carpet from the nail-strip, covering the exposed nail-strip with clearance by means of an elongated portable cover having a depending front edge contacting the floor between the nail-strip and the surface, and treating the surface in front of said cover.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a man rubbing down a skirting-board using a cover in accordance with the method of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows the cover to an enlarged scale, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3:3 of Fig. 2 with the cover in the position of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, a room wall 1 has a skirtingboard 2 with an adjacent nail-strip 3 nailed to a board floor 4 covered by a carpet 5. The carpet 5 has been folded back from the nail-strip 3 to leave the nail-strip exposed as seen in Figs. 1 and 3.

In the course of treating the skirting-board 2 using conventional techniques such as rubbing-down or painting, the decorator covers the nail-strip in the treatment zone with a portable cover of elongate rectangular shape in plan having front and rear edges 6, 7 respectively depending from forwardly and rearwardly inclined upper wall sections 8, 9 respectively. The front wall section 8 is inclined at a steeper angle than the rear wall section 9 and the height of the front edge 6 is equal to or greater than that of the nail-strip 3 (or at least the batten part thereof) so that the edge 6 may contact the floor 4 closely adjacent to the nail-strip 3 leaving the maximum gap possible between the front edge 6 and the skirting-board 2. The cover has a central handle 10 by which it may be lifted and moved.

In use, the cover is positioned in the way shown in Fig. 3 with the front edge 6 contacting the floor 4 adjacent the nail-strip 3 and the rear edge 7 seating on the floor adjacent the rolled back carpet 5. It will be noted that in this position the cover clears the nailstrip 3 so as not to exert any pressure on the protruding nails.

The cover can thus be easily positioned over the nail-strip 3 and adjacent carpet 5 and pulled back to give the maximum clearance between the skirting-board 2 and the nail-strip 3. The inclined wall section 8 of the cover further facilitates access to the skirting-board 2. The cover can be used as a steady for the workman without fear that pressure on the cover will deform the nail-strip. As the decorator progresses along the skirting-board he can simply slide the cover over the floor without necessarily having to lift and re-position it.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the cover, which in the illustrated example is made of sheet metal, may be moulded in synthetic plastics material with an integral handle.

Furthermore, the cover may be made of a different shape in section provided that it achieves the same purpose. Although the invention has been described primarily in relation to the treatment of a skirting-board it is to be understood that the treatment method and cover of the invention may be used for the treatment of other vertical surfaces, for example the bottom edge of stair risers of a staircase normally covered by a carpet held in position by nail-strips adjacent the risers.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of treating the bottom of a vertical surface, e.g. a wall of a room, having a floor covering fixed adjacent said surface by means of a nail-strip, comprising removing the carpet from the nailstrip, covering the exposed nail-strip with clearance by means of an elongated portable cover having a depending front edge contacting the floor between the nail-strip and the surface, and treating the surface in front of said cover.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover has a depending rear edge parallel to said front edge.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover has an upper wall which is inclined downwardly towards said front edge to facilitate access to said surface.

4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the height of said front edge is equal to or greater than the height of the front edge of the nail-strip to enable the cover to be positioned at the maximum clearance from said surface.

5. A cover for a nail-strip, as defined in any one of the preceding claims.

6. A cover for a nail-strip substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A method of treating the bottom of a vertical surface, e.g. a wall of a room, having a floor covering fixed adjacent said surface by means of a nail-strip, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.