Decorating. Carpet before or after?

[GetUps]

I need a new stair carpet. The old one is bald!

The stairs and landing also need decorating so it makes sense to decorate first. It's a very high stairwell so I will get someone in to do it.

So do I take the carpet up before they start? I imagine taking it up after has the potential to damage newly decorated skirting and the skirting won't be pained right to the vottom edge but if I take it up first, the decorator will be working on the gripper strips (is that what they're called, the wooden battons with nails sticking up?)

Take it up. We were advised to leave it, then the carpet fitter wrecked the skirting boards and we had to decorate again with the new carpet down.

Yes, carpet up first

The fitters don't take the carpet up, it must have been putting it down that did the damage?

The fitters did take the old carpet up and remove it. The damaged the paintwork both lifting and laying. Worst was laying though to be fair. The paint had only been on a week and perhaps could have done with longer to cure. Fancy paint 😂

I cut about an inch from the edge of the old carpet using a scalpel, which was messy but meant the decorators could get to the bottom of the skirting boards and we had some carpet down whilst waiting for the new carpet to arrive.

Take it up or cut it back. I didn't and when I replaced was left with a tide mark when the old carpet had been.

Painter will be used to working on building sites etc so sure they can handle gripper rods.