Blue Painter's Tape

Most of us have faced the daunting task of painting rooms in our homes, with the actual job almost always taking longer than we thought it would.

But that's all part of the project; whatever's worth doing is worth doing right.

With that thought in mind, there are several tools you'll need to successfully complete a painting project. This includes brushes, rollers, a putty knife or two, and, of course, the actual paint. 

But another thing you definitely want to include on your supply list, if you want to better your chances of having a nice looking room once complete, is the all-important painter's tape.

Painter's tape is always an important first step in this kind of home improvement project, as it helps to protect the edges and molding while you're painting the rest of the walls. Some people use masking tape for this process, but we'll explain in a moment why painter's tape is a much better option.

Sticking tape on walls can be a pretty tedious task, but it's absolutely necessary if you want to have a nice looking finished product. Who wants to complete an hours-long painting project just to realize that several areas will need to be redone, simply because you didn't take the necessary steps at the beginning of the day?

Nobody does, which is reason enough to remember that painter's tape is always the right tape for these types of home improvement projects.

If it involves painting, a good quality painter's tape is pretty much always the best choice.

You can differentiate the painter's take from masking tape and other similar products fairly easily. The painting tape you desire is almost always blue or green in color, while masking tape is usually tan.

Scotchblue original painter’s tape is one of the more popular types of tape on the market, but other brands can work equally as well.

Masking tape is generally less expensive. But do you want to save a few bucks and have to struggle with the final product or would you rather spend a tiny bit more and have a much better chance of getting the job done right the first time?

The main disadvantage of masking tape is that it usually leaves a sticky residue behind if it's not removed fairly quickly. And since painting jobs almost always take longer than you expect them to, you can be sure the tape will be in place for a good amount of time.

Painter's tape, on the other hand, is designed for painting jobs and can be left in place for a much longer period of time. It's also going to give you a clean removal when the job is done.

Before you start your paint job, you'll want to make sure that you've cleaned the wall surface. If you're doing so with warm water and/or soap, it's a good idea to let the area dry overnight before beginning any paint jobs.

While the walls are drying, this would be a good time to go out and buy some painter's tape, if you haven't already done so. Paint tape actually comes in several different widths and it's a good idea to have at least two or three different sizes available.

Walls, door frames, floorboards, wood trim, and other areas all come in different sizes, so buying a few different widths of painter's tape will keep you from having to cut and tear to get the size right.

Areas you'll want to cover include electrical outlets, windows and door frames, baseboards, and the edge of the ceilings. Make sure all areas are covered well and that no paint can get underneath the painter’s tape.

When you're done painting for the day, clean removal of your painter's tape is not as cut and dry as you may think. You don't want to remove your tape before the paint dries or the areas you've protected may end up getting a bit messy. But you also don't want to wait too long or dried paint could get on the tape and also affect the final paint results.

What you want to do is wait for about an hour after finishing the job and then remove the tape slowly and methodically to avoid any paint lines. It should come off fairly easily but make sure it comes off cleanly and the actual paint jobs are not put in jeopardy.

In most cases, tape removal tips are also available on the package your tape came in. Unless you're a professional painter, check out these tips to ensure the quality of your work.

If all goes well and you've taken good care, you should now have a room or rooms you can be proud to say you painted yourself.