How To Tape A Room For Painting

When deciding to paint the walls in your home, whether you’re painting over an old colour or stripping wallpaper and painting instead, there are a few essential products that you need. One thing in particular that should always be on your shopping list when painting at home is masking tape and we can’t stress enough how important it is to use this tape correctly. Not only will this tape help to ensure that the finished look is professional, but it can actually make the whole job much easier too, so taping the room is a step that you don’t want to skip.

 

If you never usually apply tape when painting a room but you’re interested in trying it this time, keep reading today. To help any homeowners ensure that they tape their room up correctly, our team here at Decor Express have put together a step by step guide. Simply follow this guide and see for yourself how much of a difference some masking tape can make.

 

Purchase the right kind of tape

 

Before you do anything, it is important to ensure that you’re purchasing the correct tape for the job. Whilst it may be tempting to simply purchase a cheap roll of standard masking tape, we can assure you that getting a good quality painting adhesive tape is always worthwhile.

    

 

Something like Kleenedge tape, Frog tape or Tesa masking tape is always a good option and you can rely on both of these brands to offer you a range of different types of tape to choose from. Always remember to choose the right tape for the surface you're covering as well.

 

Prepare all of the surfaces

 

The first step when using tape is to prepare the surfaces that you’re going to be taping over. Simply take a damp cloth and remove any dust and/or dirt from the areas that you plan on applying your masking tape too.

 

Doing this is more important than you may think, it will help to ensure that the tape sticks properly and that you get the professional results you’re hoping for. It is essential that you allow the freshly cleaned surfaces to air dry completely before applying the tape too.

 

Apply the tape to all required areas

 

Now the surfaces are ready, it is time to tape flush to the areas you’d like to protect. Take your Kleenedge tape or Tesa masking tape and cut it into a footlong strip, this shorter length will make it easier to apply and stop it from being so fiddly to do.

 

When painting a wall you will typically want to tape where the wall meets the ceiling, along the floor trim and also around any windows, doors, plug sockets and light switches. Take your time when doing so and ensure that there are no gaps between the small strips of tape you’ve used.

 

Seal the tape to the surface

 

Once you have covered all of the edges of the wall and any other surfaces with the tape, it is important to go back over the tape and press it down to ensure it is properly sealed. This is essential to stop the paint from getting underneath the tape.

 

All you need to do is run your finger along the tape pressing it down onto the surface, you could also use a putty knife to do this. Be careful not to tear the tape and if you do, ensure that you’re replacing these pieces before you start painting.

 

Taping your room before you paint

 

Hopefully, the guide above will help you to ensure that you’re taping the room correctly before you start painting. It is important to note that when you use tape, contrary to popular belief, you should actually remove the tape whilst the paint is still wet. You will find that if the paint is dry, it will flake/peel, so extra precautions need to be taken, such as scoring the edge where the tape and paint meet before pulling. Whenever you remove the tape, ensure you’re doing so at a 45-degree angle too in slow steady movements.

 

When purchasing high quality tape to use in your home be sure to visit the Decor Express website. We stock a vast range of masking tapes from some of the most well-known and trusted brands such as Tesa, ProDec, Kleenedge and Frogtape. You can guarantee that no matter what type of precision masking tape you require, we will have the perfect roll for the job. If you ever need any assistance when purchasing this essential item before painting your room, don’t hesitate to contact us, our expert team will happily help.