Painter’s tape can make your next painting project simple and looking great.
With painter’s tape, you won’t have to worry about lines being blurred and two colors of paint mixing with each other.
Painter’s tape makes it very fast for a person to do trim and cut in areas that have two colors next to each other.
As easy as painter’s tape may seem to be to use, there are some best practices to follow to make sure the process does not go wrong.
If your painter’s tape is stuck, there are a few things you can do to help remove it.
How to Remove Painter’s Tape That Is Stuck
When your painter’s tape is stuck, there are two ways in which you can remove it.
The first way involves heating up the tape while the second involves cutting the tape.
Let’s look at both of these ways and find out which may work best for your situation.
1. Cutting Tape Away
One of the best ways to get painter’s tape to pull up is to cut a line on the tape.
You will have to make sure that the line you cut does not also cut the new paint, and instead, it just scores the paint right at the edge.
There are actually two reasons for cutting tape away like this.
The first is that you will be able to pull the tape up without pulling up the paint, and the second is that the tape will be much easier to pull up.
If you are having a hard time getting the tape to come up in a certain area, this scoring will undoubtedly help to release it.
If the tape seems really stuck, try to approach it from both angles.
For instance, it is likely stuck in one area that will have two sides.
Work on pulling from one side and not the other.
If that doesn’t work, you can switch things up and pull up from the other side.
The bottom line is that you will need to approach this from both angles so that you can find the area where the tape will release most easily.
If you are finding that the cutting is not helping you to get the tape up at all, you may need to try an alternative method.
2. Heat Up Tape
Painter’s tape can be heated to allow for it to release from a surface.
Once the adhesive gets warm, it will not have quite as good of a bond with the wall or surface that it is on.
When you start pulling up on the tape, you should be able to get it to pull up.
Heating up tape is an excellent solution for removing either painter’s tape or masking tape from a surface.
Although you can use a heat gun on this type of tape, you may want to be careful of your freshly applied paint.
Instead, we recommend using something like a hair dryer.
Although you won’t get as much heat, you should still have enough warmth to help the glue on the tape to start to loosen up.
The problem with painter’s tape that is stuck is that it can pull up the paint you have just put on your walls.
It’s important to consider how you are using the painter’s tape so that you have fewer issues when it comes to tape sticking.
How to Avoid Painter’s Tape Sticking to the Walls
Now that you have some solutions for removing painter’s tape from the walls, let’s look at how to make sure it doesn’t stick in the first place.
1. Wall Must Be Clean and Dry
The wall of the room where you will be putting your painter’s tape must be clean and dry.
Don’t put tape on a dirty or dusty wall.
You will likely have a hard time getting the tape to stick, and then, when you want to pull it off, the lines could be quite uneven.
Your walls should always be clean and dry before applying painter’s tape.
If you have started painting already and then decide you want to use painter’s tape, make sure that the paint you have on the wall is dry.
Sticking painter’s tape on slightly wet paint will make a mess later on and be very difficult to remove.
2. Use Painter’s Tape to Help, But Don’t Paint Over It
Painter’s tape is there to be a border or a barrier as you are painting.
When using painter’s tape, there is no reason to paint over it entirely.
The tape helps to make sure that two colors do not blend in together, but it is still essential to be diligent when you are painting.
Painter’s tape is not an excuse to be sloppy.
You will want to use it for its intended purpose.
Otherwise, you will have a large mess to clean up after the fact.
When you paint over the tape, the tape will get quite a bit heavier.
This makes it harder to pull the tape up when it is time to do so.
As long as you use painter’s tape according to its specifications, it is quite rare for it to stick and give you a hard time pulling it up.
3. Wait for Paint to Be Dry
Another problem that people run into with painter’s tape is being a bit too anxious to take it off.
It is a great feeling to finish a painting project, pull the tape up and see how your completed project looks.
The wet paint has not quite cured to the wall, and therefore, it is going to peel off when you peel the tape off.
In addition, there could be areas of the wall where the paint is still a bit runny.
This could end up resulting in the paint dripping down the wall and into the trim or corner you were trying to protect with the painter’s tape.
4. Pull at a 45-Degree Angle
Another way to keep the painter’s tape from getting stuck is to make sure that you pull it up at the proper angle.
Painter’s tape should be pulled up at a 45-degree angle.
When you don’t pull the tape at an angle, it could very easily get stuck.
In addition, when you pull the tape at a 45-degree angle, it tends to pull out from under the paint quite a bit more easily.
This is not difficult to do; simply keep the angle between you and the wall so that you will have no issues getting the tape to pull up.
Is Using Painter’s Tape Worth It?
Painter’s tape is a great tool that most painters will not attempt to work without.
The tape helps to make a job look more professional when it is finished.
There is a large difference between the way a room looks when the tape is used and when it is not used.
When you can’t see clear lines between colors, the room’s overall look will change completely.
Houses that have a lot of trim work and molding will go through quite a bit of painter’s tape.
What to Do When Tape Doesn’t Stick?
Some people have trouble with tape that is stuck, and others struggle with tape that won’t stick.
If your tape is not sticking to the wall, it likely has to do with dirt, dust, or moisture.
When you prep a surface for the paint, you should also prep it for tape.
Tape requires the same general process that is needed for paint.
You will need to wash and dry the walls if you want the paint to stick.
We recommend using a damp sponge to clean the walls, then a hair dryer to dry the area.
When it has been washed and dried, you should have no trouble getting the painter’s tape to stick to the wall.
If you don’t have a hair dryer, you can also set up a fan in the room to get the walls dry.
Conclusion
Painter’s tape rarely gets stuck if the application is done correctly.
If, however, you find that the paint is getting stuck, you can heat it or try and cut away at it so that it will release from the wall.
Painter’s tape is known for being gentle and not doing damage to walls.
You should not have to worry about it being stuck and causing long term damage to the wall.
Leave a Reply