I just went through this. Use two inch wide blue masking tape. Place
it as close as you can to the moulding and then press it down hard. Use a
wide putty knife or equivalent to really press it down right next to the
moulding. I actually let a tiny bit of tape overlap the moulding since it
would be pulled off the moulding and onto the carpeting when I used the
knife. The idea is to cover the carpet and press it down enough so that it
stays down just a bit with the tape on it. After the paint dries and you
pull up the tape, you will see two things. The first is that the carpet
will spring back to just above the bottom of the painted area so you won't
be able to see any line. The second is that the carpet will be cleaner
where the tape was as the tape will have pulled up any dirt.

Good luck.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
I know - it should be done before the carpet goes down, but in one room, I
don't have a choice at the moment. Anyone have any amazing tricks to avoid
getting paint on the carpet while painting the molding? I've already
imagined some schemes with the blue tape, but I'm open to new ideas, or to
someone else doing the job. (Teenage son says "Me?")