How to Mask a Car for Priming Using Foam Tape

Foam tape is highly versatile, so it should come as no surprise that it’s one of the best tools for masking off a vehicle before priming. Not only can it protect adjacent panels from overspray, but it can also ensure you have no harsh edges and help with creating a seamlessly blended finish thanks to its flexibility and conformability.

Here, we’ll give you the low-down on how it can efficiently mask off different parts of a vehicle before applying primer, whether you’re working on a full respray or taking on a smaller automotive repair job.

Why does a car need priming before painting?

As any automotive paintwork professional will know, the final appearance can be transformed with the correct preparation. While this includes many things, such as cleaning and sanding the surface, one of the most crucial aspects is priming. A primer acts as a bonding agent on the vehicle’s surface, allowing the base coat and clear coat to stick well.

If you fail to properly prepare the vehicle’s surface, you might face issues with the paint not bonding properly. This can cause paintwork problems such as rusting, peeling and premature fading.

Why masking a car correctly for priming is important

Masking off a vehicle for painting might be second nature for you, but do you always apply masking tape before priming? If you’re guilty of masking after the primer is cured or using unsuitable masking products, these mistakes could be leaving you with a lacklustre finish that won’t last as well as it should. Why? Without masking, you risk overspray affecting adjacent panels or seeping into gaps, which can leave a lumpy, uneven appearance that requires further work to smooth out. When you use unsuitable masking tapes, these can also leave a hard-painted edge rather than blending the paintwork. When you’re blending old paintwork into new, this can be especially difficult to rectify.

Using the appropriate masking tools for priming helps to ensure your finish is high quality and that the edges are seamlessly blended. Whatever area of the car you’re planning to apply primer to, whether it’s the A, B and C pillars or the car bonnet, taking the extra step to properly mask it off is worth the effort.

JTAPE foam tapes designed for priming

We’ve selected two of our best foam tapes for the job below so you can see how they work.

Prime & Paint Foam Masking Tape

JTAPE Prime & Paint Foam Masking Tape is our one-stop masking solution perfect for taking you through all the stages of a paintwork application, from priming and colour application to the clear coat finish. Combining two of our innovative products, Primeshield and Advanced Foam Masking Tape, this foam-backed tape offers excellent paint absorbency and good heat and UV resistance. With this tape, you don’t need to worry about hard edges when priming. Plus, since it can be used for the three-stage painting process, you can leave it in place and reduce waste while still benefitting from a clean removal.

Primeshield

Our Primeshield foam tape is ideal for masking gaps and preventing primer overspray from seeping into the vehicle you’re working on. The user can benefit from quick and easy application that leaves you with a soft, feathered finish ready for further paintwork application. All you need to do is simply apply the figure-of-eight shaped foam strip to the gap via the smaller sized section and adjust it back.

How to mask a car for priming

Using your foam tapes to mask a car for priming is quick and easy. Below, we’ll guide you through the steps to follow that will allow you to achieve the highest quality application.

Step 1: Clean & prepare the surface

Begin the process by properly cleaning the surface using a professional-grade shampoo and a clean sponge. You can then rinse this and use a degreaser to remove any stubborn grease or dirt. At this stage, you might also need to assess whether any additional preparation is needed. If there are any dents or scratches, for instance, these should be repaired or filled to create a smooth surface to work from. Once you’re happy, you can sand the surface to make sure it’s ready for the primer application. A lightly roughened surface is best since the primer can stick to the grooves, and this also ensures any old paint or primer is removed.

Step 2: Apply masking tape

You should now be ready to apply the masking tape. The application for your tape will depend on which tape variation you use, but to help, we’ll give you a quick guide to applying both of our recommended products.

We recommend using our Prime & Paint Foam Masking Tape on moving parts such as doors, so for this tape, you can start by fixing it to the inside edge of the moving part, being sure that the adhesive section is hidden. Then, close the door and use the crease in the foam to secure the tape in place ready for primer application.

For our Primeshield automotive tape, we suggest using this in other gaps such as around the car pillars. To apply this, attach it to the gap using the smaller side first and adjust it back so it sits in the central groove. The larger section of the tape should remain extended. Next, secure the tape at the top and bottom with an additional piece of general-purpose masking tape.

Step 3: Apply masking film

Once your foam masking tapes have been applied, you might also need to apply masking film to further protect the adjacent panels. Choosing the correct masking film for your application can depend on a few factors, such as the temperature resistance needed and where the primer application is on the vehicle, which is why we’ve created a helpful guide to use.

Step 4: Apply primer

The final step is to prime the vehicle, taking care to apply each layer evenly and allow the coats to dry fully before proceeding. If you use our Primeshield foam masking tape, this should be removed while the primer is still soft before beginning the new colour application. But if you’ve gone with our Prime & Paint Foam Masking Tape, you can simply leave this in place.

The versatility of foam tapes is unmatched. Not only can they be used to assist with masking off a car when priming but they can also be used as mounting tapes and blending tapes. To discover our full JTAPE product range, head to our website.