Duck tape: is there a brand that doesn't leave sticky residue [or is there an alternative]?

Question

I want to use something like duck tape to hold down some plastic drop cloths [and some carpenter's rosin paper] onto floor carpet. However, duck tape [and to a lesser degree, "gaffer's" tape] leave a sticky residue if it is left on the carpet for very long.

Ideally, I'd like to leave the tape on the carpet for 3 to 6 months.

My experience is that masking tape doesn't have enough "sticking power," in addition to the fact that it, too, leaves a very sticky residue after a short period of time.

Does anyone know what type of tape will be kept on the longest without leaving its glue? [Even if I can't find something that will last 3 months without depositing its residue, learning about something that will last longer than duck tape will be useful].

Thanks.

Bob

louie · Accepted Answer

I think your problem isn't so much the tape as it is trying to tape toa carpet.  As you've no doubt discovered, nothing really sticks toowell to a carpet that doesn't leave a lot of mess behind.  Have youthought of taping the edges of the sheet to a loose board and lettingthe board weigh it down?

adrian · Answer

The blue masking tape can be left on for at least a month, I'd say,without leaving a residue.  But it won't stick to a carpet.  It mightwork to stick it to the baseboard.

PanHandler · Answer

'Duck' is a brand name for one of many 'duct' tapes on the market.

John H. Holliday · Answer

Well, I guess you could try *duct* tape.Doc

zxcvbob · Answer

You need "gaffer's tape".  It is a strong cloth tape that is designed not to leave adhesive behind when you remove it.Bob

Roger Taylor · Answer

I used pieces of wooden lath, 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch, and pressed it down over doubled-over tarp edges, then nailed every couple of feet, using 1 inch thin-shank nails, which did minimal damage to the underlying wood floor. The boards were easy to pop up my prying up the board with a small pry-bar, and there was no visible damage to the carpet. If you have slab under the rug, this won't work.

Ken · Answer

Have you thought of using an office staple gun to staple the drop cloth to the baseboard?  Such staples are so small that upon removal, the holes are almost invisible.

Joseph Meehan · Answer

Three months is a long time.  How about lifting the carpet around the edges and flipping the ends of the plastic over that and then replacing the carpet with the plastic over it securing both.

Norminn · Answer

Tack it down.

john3jersey · Answer

Wow...what a good bunch of ideas you all have provided:

- I never thought of the "loose board," "office staple" or "wooden lath" solutions, so I'm going to try all of these and see which ones work best in my particular situation.

Although the "wrapping the plastic around the carpet edges" won't work on my wall-to-wall carpet [I forget to mention that that's the type of carpet I have, which is not on a slab], it's a great idea that I can try on the "non-wall-to-wall" carpet in another room.

Thanks, everybody, for your ideas!

Bob

Joseph Meehan · Answer

Note the OP has used gaffer's tape.  I almost missed that also since so few people know about it.

Duck tape: is there a brand that doesn't leave sticky residue [or is there an alternative]?

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