How to Install Corner Guards Professionally

Corner guards are a fantastic way to protect the corners of walls in homes, offices, and other commercial areas from becoming damaged, especially in high traffic areas. Corner guards can save both time and money on repairs and increase the overall appearance of a space. Corner guards are a low-cost solution with many benefits, and they’re easy to install.

Here is a simple guide on how to install corner guards professionally:

1. Measure the space

Before you learn how to install corner guards, the first thing to do is find out the length of space you need to guard. You will definitely want to start from the floor, but you may not actually have to go all the way up to the ceiling.

It may be preferable to just go halfway up the wall, covering the space that sees the most damage. That’s a choice that is unique to your specific wall and situation. What you will want to do is make sure that if you are installing corner guards on multiple walls, that the heights are consistent throughout.

2. Order to size or cut

You may be able to order your corner guards to the size you need, but if not, you can also order them to the next available size up and cut them down to size using the appropriate tools if you have them. If you are cutting them, make sure to follow the “measure twice, cut once” rule, and mark all cuts with a pencil to ensure consistency.

3. Clean the wall

Before attaching the corner guards to the wall, it is a good idea to clean it. This will ensure that any adhesive you use will stick. It also is just a nice thing to do so that you don’t have big smears of dirt sticking out from underneath the corner guards.

4. Repair the wall

It may also be a nice idea to repair the wall. It isn’t a total necessity, but if ever the guard is removed, it will already be done. In addition, it will make sure the corner guard adheres properly where it is supposed to. If there are chunks out of the wall and it is uneven it may make it difficult for the adhesive to stick

5. Choose an adhesive method

There are three different ways to attach the corner guards to the wall. The first, and probably the most popular is to use a glue. The next option is to use double sided tape. Thirdly, the guards can be attached by screwing them directly into the wall.

• Apply adhesive – Glue

If you have decided to use glue to attach the corner guard, then you just have to spread the glue onto the corner guard itself using a wave motion. This ensures that all sides of the corner guard will have adhesive to help it stick to the wall. Try to keep the glue closer to the centre than to the end so it doesn’t seep out when pressed onto the wall.

• Apply adhesive – Tape

If you have opted for the tape option, start by sticking one side of the tape onto the corner guard, one on each side. Take the backing off of one of the strips of tape, and only remove the first couple of inches off the bottom of the other, leaving the rest in place. It will come off once the guard is on the wall.

6. Align the corner guards

Starting at the bottom-most part of the wall where you want the guard to cover, set the guard in place and align it in this way moving up the wall to the top of where the guard will reach. If you have used double sided tape, pull the piece of backing you left on the one strip off.

Once the corner guard is in place, press and hold for a few seconds to make sure that the adhesive is sticking. Once this is done, it should stay in place for good.

7. Wipe down

If you have used glue, you may need to wipe off any glue that has seeped out. You may also just want to wipe down the corner guards of fingerprints and dirt, so they start out looking nice.

For those who have opted to use glue or tape, read the instructions on the adhesive to find out how long you have to wait before the adhesive will be set. It will take some time before the glue is dry or the tape has bonded with the wall.

8. Fasteners

If you do not want to use tape or glue on the wall, you can use fasteners. These will require you to drill a hole in the wall. Using the corner guard as a guide, mark the places where you will need to make holes.

Remove the corner guard and drill those holes, then re-align the corner guard and attach the fasteners in those spots using a screwdriver or drill.