Prepping an area before painting is a very important step. This can include putting painters tape to have clean edges. After you have completed the painting you are ready to remove the painters tape. This is where you can encounter a problem. As you remove the tape, you see that there is also some paint that is coming off of the wall and the areas you recently painted. Now the big question is why. Why is your painters tape peeling off paint? Here’s a few reasons why and what we recommend to avoid it.
- Wrong kind of tape. At the store you will see a variety of painters tape options. We recommend using the blue painters tape for interior painting. We have found other masking/painters tape tend to have more tack to them that when you take them off you will end up also removing some of the paint. The blue painters tape have a lot of different options based on adhesive levels, so make sure that you grab one that is best suited for your needs.
- Leaving the tape on too long. Keep in mind that different paints have different drying times. Read the instructions on the paint cans to determine the bestdrying time for your project. You might want to remove the tape about halfway to the recommended drying time. If you leave the tape on longer than you will find that the tape adheres more to the surface and can remove the paint once it it finally taken off.
- Removing the tape properly. You will want to score the edges of where the tape is to avoid removing any of the new paint. Scoring the edges will help by separating the new paint from the tape area and can stop/reduce the paint from peeling. You can use a putty knife or razor blade to do this, but be very careful is using the latter. One major recommendation by Scotch Blue is to remove it a 45 degree angle. And don’t rush. The more paitient you are removing the tape the better the final product will be.
Choosing the right tape along with these tips will help bring your painting project to life!