Misconceptions abound when it comes to using tape during a painting job, as people often choose the wrong type or pay more than they need to. Here, John Bunnell, owner of the CertaPro Painters franchise in Austin, Texas, explains what kind of tape to use and when.
Clean Lines? Not Always
A lot of people think that to get clean lines during a paint job, areas need to be taped, when in fact, the most skilled painters use little or no tape. One of the reasons I discourage using tape is that there are quite a lot of textured walls, especially in the Austin market.
When you apply tape to achieve a clean line, you don’t always get the desired result. Because of the wall texture, your paint can seep under the tape and give the paint job a very uneven look. So a good painter should not rely on tape to achieve a clean line: Nothing beats a craftsman with a steady hand.
At CertaPro, we typically use tape and paper to cover objects that are not to be painted, like baseboards and floors.
Benefits of Blue Tape
The benefits of blue tape are often misunderstood. A lot of people pay up to twice as much for blue tape because they think it’s more delicate, or more suitable for delicate surfaces. But in fact, most blue tape has the same level of adhesion as your standard white masking tape.
The true advantage of blue tape, which should probably be called “safe-relief tape” (meaning it’s easier to remove), is that it stays on surfaces longer and can be removed more safely than the standard masking tape.
How to Choose the Right Tape
When choosing the right tape for your painting job, you should look at two factors:
1. Adhesion level. If you are taping on a delicate surface like wallpaper, you need tape with a low adhesion level.
2. How long the tape will stay on the surface in question. If the tape will stay for more than three or four days, you will probably need a blue tape or another safe-relief tape.
If you have questions about what type of tape to use for a specific painting job, it makes more sense to consult a professional painter than to simply ask around at your local hardware store. A painter will advise you about the best tape to use, and may even save you money!
