Abstract: A guard for protecting a baseboard from paint during the painting of a wall surface has a generally horizontal shield supported by stands whose height is selectively adjustable. All elements of the mechanism for vertical adjustment of the height of the shield are disposed such that, in use, they are fully covered by the shield to avoid contamination of the mutually moveable parts by paint, to thus secure a lasting convenient adjusting the height of the guard, as opposed to cumbersome handling that is often encountered in prior art due to the dried paint preventing smooth movement of the parts of the adjustment mechanism.