The wife has been doing some projects in the house and is about going mad. We have eggshell paint on plaster walls and when she paints and uses "painter's tape," the the tape pulls the paint off the wall.
She'd like to know if there is a better alternative, if she should look for a particular brand, or if there is something else to help with the issue.
TIA, Dave
What color is she using? Blue is stickier than light green, I believe. Is she pulling off old paint or new?
It may help to work quickly. Put the tape up, paint and take the tape down within an hour or less.
*That happens when the paint is new. Even though the paint may feel dry to the touch it actually takes several days for it to dry and harden completely.
Happens if left on too long though i found if you took it after a couple of days it was okbut not after a week having done both!!
Too much paint. The tape is there to guard against getting paint on the woodwork or trim, but you shouldn't go at it like crazy and get all that much paint on it. Still try to cut in carefully against the tape.
Also, she could use a razor knife or utility knife to gently cut the joint between the painted wall and the tape.
This is what she needs..
U should be able to find it a Home Depot..
Rich
If she used the blue 3M stuff, sometimes that will pull paint off (as we learned ourselves), typically latex over an oil-based paint. What seems to work better (and cost more) is the green stuff called Duck Tape. At least I think that's the brand: it's at the big box stores and comes in a green plastic container with clear lid, not just shrink wrap like the blue tapes. It worked well for the stripe project in one room, where we alternated flat and eggshell finishes of the same color on the walls.
Depends on what she is doing. It would be easier to learn to "cut in" if you are talking about edges. If she is making stripes, then you need tape. Apply it lightly but evenly and remove before too long or it will stick.
Ya, cut in with a good brush and don't use tape.
s
You're waiting too long. Pull the tape with the paint wet.
Steve
i wondered if they meant it was pulling the paint they stuck the tape to off the wall. that happened to me a time or two. Then i learned to cut in without tape.
Stick it to your shirt first then stick it on the wall. Works every time.
I got tickled watching my sister in law trying to paint staight line on a cinder block wall using masking tape. She finally got POed whe I broke out into a laugh. I snapped a chaulk line and started my cut-in work. Funny thing is she taught me how to cut in. Shes a bit of an artist.
Jimmie
Jimmie
I would not tape new paint for at least a couple of days. Even then, tape needs to be removed as soon as possible and before the paint dries. Also important is to pull the tape back on itself when removing it - don't pull it straight out from the surface.
Get a good quality trim brush and practice and forget the tape.
Taping everything is what they do on those "expert" home shows sponsored by big box where they drop off a pallet of tape at the house they are working on.
Agreed. It's MUCH easier and faster to paint a straight line than to get the damn tape put on straight.
Finding a good brush that will cut in and learning how to cut in is the secret. I can cut in stuff faster than people can tape and paint and pull tape and fix the boo boos. The trick is keeping the brush hidden so that someone else doesn't use it and smoosh it all up or leave it all full of paint for a week and ruin it.
Steve
Taping is, after all, for people who can't paint.
Steve
Not at all .. I know very skilled painters and some mask,some don't. Probably all do sometimes. Being on a ladder and working higher up is a skill that diminishes with age :o)
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