Blue Tape on Wallpaper

[Manjo]

By mistake, I applied a medium strength 3M Painters Blue Tape on a fine-sddBy mistake, I applied a medium strength 3M Painters Blue Tape on a fine-paper wallpaper in order to protect it while I painted the crown moulding. As a result, when I began to remove the blue tape, it took a couple of patches of wallpaper off the wall.

I was eventually able to get the tape off using a heat gun on low. While getting the hang of heat/speed, I bubbled/blistered a 2 inch by

1/4 inch wide patch of new moulding paint with the heat gun.

My questions are:

1. What brand/type masking tape can I use on fine-paper wallpaper to avoid pulling off the top layer of paper when removing the tape?

1. How can I fix the edges of the paint blister and finish it so it' looks better?

TIA for any tips, suggestions, and comments.

Manjo

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I would call 3M at 800-447-4235 and ask them for advice. I spoke with them last week about another product and I was impressed with their service. They know their stuff.

[Jeff]

3M makes five grades of painting tape. Look on side of roll at dots. White tape is like paste-its for delicate surfaces, then smooth blue, rough blue, forget then light green for rough surfaces like brick.

[RicodJour]

You can't really, but if I had to try, I'd poke a few tiny holes and squirt in some carpenter's glue through a syringe, then rig up something to keep pressure against the bubbled paint. If the molding is complicated/detailed, you might have to pull a mold from another section and then use that to clamp the glue-repaired-paint-bubble in place. Depends on how badly you want to avoid attempting a paint touch up. Since it's new molding paint, and presumably there's some leftover paint floating about, I'd head right down the touch up paint route.

3M is a great company. If it says 3M on the package, it's a good product. That's the rule of thumb. Whether it's the right product for the application and you're the right person for the job is another matter entirely! ;) R

[Manjo]

No offense to 3M, but I got some semi-capable person who suggested the "orange" labeled Blue tape that was just a tad less adehesive than the "blue" labeled tape. The person went on to suggest acetone that I was pretty sure would have a negative effect on the wallpaper printed design and/or the paste holding it on the wall. When I asked about using water they thought that was a good idea, but it turned out to have little to no effect to soften the tape adhesive.

The hot air gun was their suggestion. I put off using the gun to last because I was afraid the heat would have a negative effect on the wallpaper. It softened the adhesive enough to slowly pull the tape away from the wallpaper "at a 45 degree angle," which was the second good suggestion from 3M. If I were more knowledgable, I would have figured a way to hold a long blade taping tool between the moulding and wallpaper to make a clean break line to protect the new paint, while applying the heat gun, and pulling the tape.

So bottom line, I'm glad I callede them. They provided a lot of suggestions that would work on a painted surface, but some were questionable for wallpaper.

Manjo

[Manjo]

Jeff,

thanks for the info on 3M tape. I'll look for the white tape on the next project.

Manjo

[Manjo]

Yep. I really boned that patch of paint with the heat gun. I will continue to try the paint touch-up route since all the moulding is newly painted. So the colors will match. The moulding is a bit complicated and not symmetric (basically a "wavy" Colonial design). But the slightly bubbled area is on a horizontal edge perpendicular to the wall so a small piece of scrap wood would do the job.

I have half dozen small (about twice the width of a pencil point) blisters that are just about unnoticeable. The bigger problem is the area about 2" x 1/2" where the paint blistered and broke through out the patch. I cut away the raised and broken paint and tried white glue that pulled the edges up a bit, but it still looks ragged. I've tried a razor blade on the edges that helped just a bit. I also painted the patch hoping the drying paint would "pull up" the edges, but with no noticeable improvement.

I will try the stronger carpenters glue. I was wondering if very fine

400-600-grit sandpaper would take the edge down???

Manjo

[Steve]

Manjo wrote on 05 Dec 2007 in group alt.home.repair:

This is your solution. Sand carefully until the edges of the bare spot are feathered, then repaint. Go ahead and repaint a few inches beyond the spot so it's less noticeable. Spot-repairing paint is an art, so practice first on a piece of scrap wood or an out-of-the-way area. 220 grit is plenty fine enough.

[Manjo]

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. I've finally got the large blister about 98% fixed. I painted the trimmed blistered edges with an oil based primer. This seems to have dried out and stiffened the "whiskers" at the edge enough so I could sand the them off with a 220 wood sandpaper. The edges smoothed out enough where I could then prime the blister again and then put on a finish latex coat. Since the patched crown moulding area is 7 1/2 feet high and not over a dooway or in a high traffic area, the patch is almost unnoticeable unless you stand there and look for a while.

Manjo

[Norminn]

clipped

Just for future reference, and from finding out the hard way, paint (both alkyd and water-based) will feel dry quite some time before it is cured (hard). Takes alkyd, I believe, sometimes two weeks to cure. So sanding before alkyd is cured and is still somewhat "gummy" makes it difficult to get a smoothe surface. Best to wait. Sanding latex smoothely has always been a problem for me. It tends to "roll". For that reason, I have always used alkyd for doors and woodwork, as well as for kitchens and baths. Easier to clean, harder to stain, but the whites tend to yellow. It is also important to mix paint completely just prior to starting each job, even if it was "shaken" at the store. By not mixing, you can get differences in the color and/or gloss.

Happy to hear you got your problem fixed.

[Manjo]

Norminn,

Thanks for the tips. I would have waited a while longer, but the moulding is in the dining room and we needed to get the job patched so we can set-up for Christmas (which is an extravaganza of epic proportions :>).

I'll keep an eye on the patch and if it changes for the worse, I'll redo it giving the job more time to set after priming.

Happy hoildays,

manjo