Tips on Removing Painter's Tape

When painting in your home, painter's tape can be a valuable tool to have in your arsenal. Use painter's tape whenever you want a crisp edge to your paint and to prevent paint from seeping out of bounds. As crucial as it is to set up painter's tape, it is equally as crucial to properly remove it. Removing the tape incorrectly can ruin the work you put in to making sure your painting came out perfect.

Help Yourself

When you apply the painter's tape to the surface, leave yourself a little extra. For example, if you apply painter's tape to a wall, place tape along the length you want and then unroll a small extra segment of tape. Flip this segment up, away from the wall, and then use it to grab on to when you go to remove the tape. This saves you from pawing at the wall, trying to find an edge.

Speed

As with the rest of the painting process, painter's tape requires precision. If you remove the tape too fast, you risk it breaking. If your tape breaks, you have to start the entire removal process again, finding an edge, peeling slowly, and in general taking much longer than you intended. If you go too slow, however, you risk leaving behind residue of the adhesive, which ruins you paint job.

Technique

Lift the beginning of your tape up to a 90-degree angle. Slowly peel the tape with one hand, using your other hand to guide. If you don't guide the tape, you run the risk of damaging your paint work. Paint should be dry to the touch before you remove the tape, otherwise you will smudge the edges of your paint.

References

• 3M Painter's Tape