Do I Remove Blue Painters Tape Between Coats

Posted by 9 years ago

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Leaving painters tape between coats?

Hi guys,

I just finished priming my walls and i wanted to do a coat of paint within the next 24 hours. Should i remove the tape now and retape it again?

I also want to do two coats of paint in this room (bathroom). Should i also remove the tape between coats or is it okay to reuse the same tape? The reason why i'm asking because, it is a pain to tape and retape again multiple times.

Thanks guys!

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level 1

I find it easier to just cut in with the brush. After a while, you get good enough you don't even need tape.

It all depends on location. If your tape job is good enough that there won't be a raised edge when it's taken off, you can leave it on. Just make sure to run a sharp blade along the taped edge or you'll peel the paint off the wall.

level 2

I second cutting in sans tape. Get one or two of these and you'll never have to tape again. I found them locally at Ace Hardware. For some reason the rubber handle lets your wrist stay incredibly steady.

level 2

If I remove the tape when there is one coat of paint and primer on it, will it peel off the paint too?

I'm horrible with a brush, I tried to cut in but it's just a general mess for me

level 1

I have little experience but I HATE cutting in. I gave up on it. I'm never going to get frequent enough practice to be good at it, and I'm too much of a perfectionist to live with the shitty edge. I tape meticulously (straight line, press it down very well for a consistent seal) and then when I peel the tape off, I pull it sideways, away from the paint edge. This seems to prevent pulling paint off.

level 1

I've found that taping, then doing thick brushwork on the edges helps for using the roller, because you can still get the roller close as possible without making a mess and not seeing any brushstrokes. I would peel them off each coat, as peeling them from dry paint makes rough edges.

level 1

It should be ok to leave it on if you are going to do a second coat tomorrow, you'll just need to be careful peeling the tape. It would be good to pull the tape off as soon as you are done your second coat, as the second coat will soften up the first coat a bit and help tape removal. It is also good practice to peel the tape at a sharp angle, as if you were removing a decal backing. You want to minimize having the tape pull the paint away from the wall as you peel, try to almost slice the paint by almost doubling the tape on itself as you peel. If you do end up peeling some paint off, just score your tape line with a utility knife before going any further, it's a pain in the ass, but at least you won't have to repaint.

level 1

I think it depends on if you are using oil based or latex paint. The tape seems to pull the paint back from the edge if dried.

level 1

Just repainted a living room... we left the tape on between coats and it was fine. We made sure to take it off right after the final coat though when it was still wet. We cut in to in order to make the paint job look more professional, but used tape everywhere anyway.

level 1

Use Frog Tape when you can. That stuff is awesome and you can leave it between coats without using a blade to get it off. Either way, if you're using good quality tape and good quality paint, you should be fine for a number of coats over a few days without re-taping.

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Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/1np3s3/leaving_painters_tape_between_coats/

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