What is Painter’s Tape?

Painter’s tape, or decorator’s tape is a form of adhesive tape intended for use either by professional decorators, or as part of any domestic painting work where you want to achieve a good finish or protect some areas from overpainting.  Painter’s masking tapes allows you to achieve sharp lines around the painted area and prevent smears or errant strokes of paint from getting onto surfaces such as window frames or light switches.  JTAPE offer a range of different masking tapes for decorating in multiple sizes for use on many different materials to help you achieve the best possible results.

We offer decorating masking tape in several different colours so that you can create a contrast with the area that is being worked on.  This helps to ensure that you can paint close to the edges and clearly see the areas where most control is needed.  Painter’s tapes typically have a lower adhesive level than regular tapes meaning that they can be more easily removed when work is complete to protect the finish of the surfaces that have been masked off.  The adhesive extends to the clean edge of the tape, to avoid any bleeding underneath the material.

Using Painter’s Tape

An important point to consider when using painter’s tape is to try the tape in a test area before you start work to ensure that it adheres properly and does not damage the underlying surface.  To check that the tape is right for the surface that you are working on, cut off a small piece and stick it in an area similar to that which you want to protect.  If the tape does not adhere properly then the adhesive layer is too weak for the material that you are painting on, and if it is difficult to remove, or starts to pull away the surface that you are protecting, then the adhesive is too strong and could potentially damage the area that you are trying to protect.

Bear in mind that if you are painting over an existing layer of paint that has been damaged – for example through damp, then the tape may not behave as it normally would and may be more likely to damage the surface or not stick correctly.

Once you have prepared the surface that you are working on properly by cleaning it from dust and other contaminants and have confirmed that you have the correct type of tape for the work, stick the painter’s tape around the margins that you want to protect.  Use sections of tape that are long enough to cover the area without needing to be stretched or strained, as this can prevent the tape from sticking evenly.  Once the tape is in place, smooth it gently to the contours around the surface that you are working on to remove any creases or bubbles that might let paint get through to the area you want to protect.

Removing Decorating Tape after Use

A mistake that a lot of painters make is to leave the tape in place for too long after working.  Ideally, you should remove the masking tape from around the work area as soon as possible after you stop painting.  Leaving the tape for too long can result in greater adhesion to the underlying layer of paint and cause damage when it is removed.

You should peel the tape away slowly and as carefully as possible in order to avoid pulling off any paint underneath it.

Find out more

JTAPE offer a wide range of masking tapes suitable for domestic and commercial decorating that help you to guarantee an excellent finish with every job.  View our full range of masking tapes, in our store, or contact us to find out more about our products and how they can help you.