How to Paint Baseboards Like a Professional

Painting your baseboards can have such an impact on the look and feel of your home. With this easy step-by-step guide on how to paint baseboards, you will be painting baseboards like a professional the fast and easy way!

I am a true believer that with just a little paint, you can really transform a space or even a piece of furniture. I’ve shared several painting tutorials, whether it be a guide to painting, tips for the DIY painter, or how to use milk paint, I really do feel painting is the most budget friendly project you can do. Not only is it budget friendly, but it packs a huge punch in making a major difference in the look and feel of your home. Now all of those projects are a great place to start, but let me tell you the biggest impact painting has had to my home, painting my baseboards! Mine were full of scratches, scuff marks, and just straight up worn. After giving them a fresh coat of paint, it looks so fresh and new. It doesn’t have to be a project you dread, with this step-by-step guide I will show you How to Paint Baseboards Like a Professional the fast and easy way!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my full disclosures here.

How to Paint Baseboards

Steps for Painting Baseboards:

Step 1: Gather your supplies and wipe down the baseboards.

First, one important step is that you will have to wipe off and clean those baseboards. I know that cleaning doesn’t sounds fun, but this step is oh so important. You don’t want to risk getting dust and dirt in your fresh paint that later you would have to sand off and then start over!

Step 2: Caulk and Patch

Second, before you can start painting, you need to make sure to patch up any little holes you have on your baseboards. Even though my baseboards were filthy, I was lucky and didn’t have many holes to patch up (whew)! After you have patched you will need to start caulking to fill in any cracks between the baseboards and the wall to give you a nice smooth professional finish. Caulking is something I knew nothing about until a few months ago when I installed my shiplap (a tutorial on that later). I was surprised at how easy and quick it was. It was also kinda fun! One tip is to make sure when you cut open your caulk you cut it at an angle. This will help your caulk get pushed into those cracks. Don’t go crazy on the cutting here, if you cut too much A LOT of caulk will come out and you will have a mess.

After you have your cut, then load up your caulk gun and start caulking. Start with the tip on top, pull the lever slowly and move it along the crease where the baseboard meets the wall (on top of the crack you are trying to fill).

You will want to do this in small sections because you will need to wipe off the excess before it dries. This stuff dries pretty quick and after it dries you will have to chip it off (which won’t be fun).

Next take your damp rag and wipe off the excess with your finger along the top of the baseboard. This will also help push the caulk into the crack. There will be a lot of excess, but you should see that the crack is no longer there.

It takes about 30 minutes for the caulk to fully dry so go take a well deserved break, maybe enjoy some coffee….you have made it this far!

Step 3: Sanding

After all the patching you will want to make sure your baseboards are smooth and clear of bumps. Patching sometimes can make them bumpy and you will be able to see it through the paint if you don’t sand it down. Take your 3M sanding sponge and sand down any bumps before painting.

Step 4: Tape & Drape

This was the first time I have used this stuff and I am hooked! Tape N Drape makes it so easy! I didn’t have to bring out my big drop cloth, I could just roll this out and tape off my floors and cover them at the same time. How had I not heard of this before?!

Step 5: Paint

Finally, it’s time to paint. Something else I didn’t know until a few years ago was that you needed a different kind of paint for baseboards and trim. The paint you use on your walls is usually a satin or flat, but paint for baseboards & trim needs to be a premium semi-gloss paint. I don’t know all the science behind why (again no expert), that’s just how it is! Give your paint a good stirring to mix it up really good, pour some into your HANDy Paint Pail and you’re ready to start painting.

To make this even easier, they make this thing called a painters shield (I don’t know if that is the technical term, but works for me), get one! This in combo with the tape & drape really made me not have to worry if I was going to get paint on the wall or the floor. Put up the shield and get to painting.

*One tip make sure to keep the shield cleaned off to make sure paint doesn’t transfer to your wall.

After 1 or 2 coats let it dry, and you have baseboards that look like new! Look at the difference this made already? In combination with the newly painted walls it made the room look cleaner and brighter.I recommend touching up your baseboards anytime you are in the process of updating or renovating a room. It makes it seem like less of a chore if you do it a little at a time versus all at once.

How to Paint Baseboards with Carpet:

So of course, we all know the ideal situation is have hardwood or tile throughout our home and never have to worry about painting baseboards in rooms with wall to wall carpet, but that is just not always the case. The good news is, it can be done! It’s tricky, but I’ve figured out some helpful tips on how to paint baseboards with carpet.

1. Take some of your frog tape (or you can use packing tape if you prefer) and stretch out a line of tape where the carpet meets the edge of the baseboard but still enough to where you can push part of it between the carpet and baseboard. Then, either take your paint shield or a putty knife and push the tape up under the baseboard.
2. Next, I suggest laying another layer on top of the first for a little extra protection.
3. After you have layered about 2 coats of paint on the baseboard, let the paint fully dry before removing the tape.

With this technique you can easily paint baseboards with carpet.

That’s it! You now know how to paint baseboards like a professional. I hope you found this helpful! I have made sure to add sources for all the items in this tutorial below. Just click any image for the full product details.

Click any of the images below for full product details.

Looking for More Painting Posts:

• Painting Tips: How to Paint a Room Quickly
• Best White Paint for Trim
• The Best Shades of White for Interiors
• The Best Farmhouse Paint Colors

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, see my full disclosures here.