Have just finished first coat, have not removed tape yet.
Here’s the question: If I leave the tape in place and apply a second coat after the first one has completed dried ( On a day like today, that’s quite a few hours ) and then try to remove the tape after the SECOND coat, will I wind up ripping up new paint in the process? Until the paint is fairly dry, I won’t know for sure if I need the second coat but I suspect I will want it for evenness of color.
Or will the tape still release along a clean line?
Don’t want to tape a second time unless I must.
If I have to remove the tape after the first coat, I kind of need to do it in the next hour or two.
Unless the surface is very well-primed, I always have trouble with masking tape and latex paint!
I’ve learned to remove the tape while it is still damp, lest it tear the paint as it’s removed.
So, at this point, you might as well put the second coat on. I would just have a razor on hand in case it starts to tear.
I’ve done that many times where I’ve painted 2 coats over the same tape and it’s worked out well. When pulling of the tape, try to figure out the best angle for it to leave a sharp edge. I generally pull it in the direction of the remaining tape and it seems to come off okay.
Yep…I’ve quit taping altogether and just learned how to cut in with a high- quality brush. Not as hard as you’d think and takes the same amount of time as taping…possibly less.
And no nasty surprises when you remove the tape and rip off the paint or discover spots where the paint seeped under.
I think where a lot of folks mess up with tape is that they think it’s a substitute for careful work. If you tape and then just slop paint on expecting to get a nice clean line, you’re going to be disappointed.
Not saying that’s what you did; just for the benefit of other readers.
No offense taken- my painting skills are mediocre. I use a brush along the edges when I need to, otherwise a roller. So yes, a lot of the tape has paint over onto it but not all of the tape.
This isn’t what you’re asking, but on the general subject: I’ve had great luck using Frog Tape and “sealing” the edges using the color of whatever it is you’re masking over.
Meaning, if I have a freshly-painted white wall and I want to paint a grey stripe on it, for example, I would lay out the tape as usual and then take some WHITE paint and lightly cover the edge of the tape where the color change will be on the finished wall. After that dries, then take the grey paint and fill in the stripe as normal, unmask as normal, etc.
The idea behind this is that you always get some level of paint creeping under the edge of the masking tape and causing ugly capillary action blemishes and other imperfections. Sealing the edge of the tape with the same color as the base paint means that any paint that seeps under the tape doesn’t matter at all, because it won’t be visible – it’s the same color as what it’s seeping onto. And that one coat seals the edge, so none of the grey paint will seep under the tape when you’re actually painting the stripe.
I’ve painted a checkerboard pattern on an entire wall with this technique and had near-perfect results…highly recommended if you have any issues with imperfect lines.
Multiple coats should be no problem. I don’t think I’ve ever had paint peel back from painted wall unless the surface prep was horrible - e.g., no cleaning of a greasy surface or no primer over a gloss/oil-based. I do accent-color walls all the time with no problems.
Real 3M blue tape can tolerate being on the wall for days without adhering to the surface. Never use anything else, not even if you’re absolutely sure it will be only for an hour. If the job’s not worth another $1-2 a roll of tape, it’s probably not worth doing. It’s certainly not worth the hassle and frustration of using cheap tan tape.
Paint wall A well, lapping the color around the corner. Tape that wall when completely dry. Run one thin but wet coat of that color down the tape seam, and let dry. Then paint with wall B’s color. That completely seals the tape joint, and any feathering or run-under is the same color and thus invisible. I only cut in ceiling lines because of the difficulty of taping ceiling corners - this “paint under” technique has given me razor-sharp accent lines even under difficult conditions. (And accent colors often require two or three coats…)
Yep, me too. I only tape stuff that’s really hard to cut in around, and then only as insurance. It just never comes up leaving clean lines- it either gets paint under the edge, or the paint tears off unevenly as you take the tape up.
