That one trick with painter's tape saved my basement renovation

Last month I was trying to paint straight lines on my basement trim in Columbus, Ohio and kept getting bleed under. An older guy at the hardware store told me to stick the tape down and then run a hairdryer over it for about 10 seconds before painting. I tried it on a 4 foot section and the line came out perfect, no feathering at all. He said it melts the adhesive just enough to seal the edge. Anyone else have a weird tape trick that actually works better than the fancy stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenixb3410d ago

Did you let it sit for a minute after heating before painting? I tried the hairdryer trick on some window trim and it worked just as well for me. The key is getting the tape warm enough that it really presses down into the surface. I also found that peeling the tape off while the paint is still a little tacky helps stop it from pulling up the fresh paint line.

milaw1410d ago

It's funny how that whole "warm it up and let it set" thing applies to so much more than just tape, @phoenixb34. Same logic with sealing envelopes or getting stickers to stay on a curved surface, you have to give the adhesive time to actually bond. Once you notice that pattern, you start seeing it everywhere.

the_shane3d ago

Wait is this whole process really that deep for some painter's tape? I mean I get the idea but I've literally just slapped it on cold and ripped it off while the paint was still wet and it came out fine. Feels like overthinking $5 tape to me.