Go Paint Something!

You’ve really got to be careful when you’re masking off areas you don’t want painted. What kind of tape? What kind of surface? And  - watch this – how’s the humidity?

Let’s start off with masking a wall. What kind of paint is already on the wall? Are you masking a ceiling? OK, OK, I’ll get to the point. If the paint is fresh, you need to use “purple” masking tape, which is made for *delicate surfaces”. You don’t want to pull off the paint when you pull off the tape. Same goes for masking over fresh faux finishes. Or, I would even venture, ceilings. Ceiling are notorious for having the paint pull away when you pull the tape. Probably because contractors usually save their cheapest paint for the ceiling. It doesn’t hold worth a damn. Just remember, apply the tape, don’t press too hard, and pull it off just as soon as you paint. Don’t wait until the paint has dried. And don’t pull the tape off at a 90 degree angle either! Put your hand close to the surface when pulling the tape, almost at about a 160 degree angle. It just helps it keep from pulling off paint.

When taping walls, some of the same rules apply. Make sure that the paint has truly cured, because if it hasn’t, you run the risk of pulling off paint when pulling tape. Also know this: just because the tape is blue doesn’t mean that it’s going to keep the paint from delaminating. Blue painter’s tape is made for long-term applications, where you leave the tape in place for days at a time. Most blue tape can be left for up to two weeks and removed without leaving any sticky residue. That doesn’t mean it won’t pull paint, it just means that it won’t leave a sticky mess like regular masking tape. Now, you can also get “orange core” blue tape, which means that the cardboard in the center is orange. Expensive stuff, put its supposed to be better for sensitive surfaces, like fresh paint, faux finishes, etc.

When you put tape on the wall, make sure it’s down tight. Once it’s in place, run your finger down the entire edge – hard. There’s nothing worse than having paint crawl under the edge that you’re trying to protect. Sometimes, depending upon the surface, I’ve even used a wallpaper seam roller over the tape to make sure it’s really down. Works great! Again, paint it, and pull it.

Same thing for taping on a canvas mural. You really need to make sure that the tape is down. A seam roller is indispensible for this. Humidity is a huge factor, however. Sometimes, when it is really hot outside, and you’re trying to work in the mornings, the surfaces are so damp you won’t be able to use duck tape, much less masking tape. Nothing will stick. You’ll probably just have to wait until about 10am or so until the temperature levels out.

And don’t forget that the same rules apply to using thin tape as well, except that this tape can be easily “bent”, making some cool shapes. Again, go over it with the seam roller after applying.

So, to sum it up: Apply the tape, make sure it’s “down”, paint it and pull it - slowly!

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Now that you can tape, go paint something!

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