I’m a pro and I also have to paint on occasion. I have had some of the same problems with paint and tape after a drywall patch. This is super helpful information! And for those people making the negative comments, if you didn’t get anything out of this video, keep quiet and move on.
@@bumblbesss this is why I make a distinction between a Pro and an Expert. Anyone who gets paid to do something is technically a professional, but we tend to see that classification as being an expert. An Expert has an exhaustive amount of information and experience in their field of expertise. All professionals should strive to be experts in their field.
I'm just a regular homeowner that has to paint now and then. I'm also older and have bad eyes so cutting-in is a challenge I've never been able to master. And I don't do it often enough to "practice until I can" like my wife bugs me to do. I also have orange peel texture on everything and it is everything you said. I hate it! I find taping along the ceiling gives me much better results and I can clean up spots where paint bleeds through with a little more tape and a small artist brush. It takes time but my results are good. What I do... 1. Use good tape. I like blue Frog Tape. I don't like the blue 3M "Sharp Line" version as it is thinner and doesn't stick well if you have to leave it up for a day before painting. 2. Make sure where you tape is clean! Clean your walls and baseboards. (No soap!) 3. Use your fingernail to press the tape down. Don't pull the tape tight while applying. You need to make sure the tape has stretch left to fill in the little valleys. 4. Finding the actual corner is a challenge. Your cut line might wander slightly but you can fix it later once you see the whole wall done so it look straight. 5. Once the tape is up put a dab of clear paintable non-silicon caulk on your finger and run it along the corner. Just a tiny amount. The caulk fills in gaps in the tape edge. Don't use to much! 6. Cut in with a brush then use a 3-4" roller as close to the corner as possible 1.5-2" tape lets you get right up to the edge without putting paint on the ceiling. 7. Pull the tape as soon as practical before the caulk has a chance to dry. If you don't caulk pull the tape while the paint is still wet. 8. A small artist brush of 3/8-1/2" works great to touch up bleed through spots. Tape the spot and paint the bleed spot and pull the tape. 9. Keep a damp rag handy to clean up oopsies. Keep in mind I'm doing my own painting so I'm not under time pressure. And I get a little anal and take a little pride about it not looking like a total noob did it. But my wife thinks I'm a bit to meticulous because she just wants it done.😀
Another solution is to not paint over the tape on the first coat. Stay shy 1/8-1/4". If you feel the need because of colour, dry brush it towards the tape. Second coat, go over the tape. Pull the tape when you still have a wet edge.
3 things I learned from an OLD pro painter who used tape more than I thought he would (and I mean old, as in he's been doing it for years, and he was old in years and his hands were not quite as steady as they used to be.). 1. Use the corner of a putty knife to press the tape down on a FLAT surface. Helps with tape adhesion to the surface and prevent bleed under. 2. Remove the tape soon after painting (if the paint on the tape doesn't transfer to your hand when removing, you've waited too long). 3. Don't be super fussy cutting in at the ceiling with the wall color. Paint the walls and hit the ceiling a bit all the way around, let dry for a day or so, then tape the WALL with one continuous piece of tape. Then go back with the ceiling paint to 'cut in' and cover the wall paint overlap. Remove the tape and you will have the straightest cut line from wall to ceiling you'll ever see. Doesn't matter of the wall color is really dark or not, the eye won't tell because of the corner and it's generally dark anyway (or go 'heavy' on the ceiling paint). This avoids the issue of getting tape to stick to a textured ceiling, because the walls are flat. He was 'odd' also in the fact that he painted the ceiling LAST and did his "cut in" backwards (roll the field first, then cut in the corners with a brush. He said, "I don't waste paint with the brush, use the roller to get close to the edge, then just enough brush to fill in".) just for this technique. I asked about paint splatter from the ceiling to the walls, and he just said "Just be careful and take your time. And keep a damp rag handy to wipe off specks. No big deal." I've tried this, and amazingly it works extremely well. P.S. He REALLY liked "Frog" brand tape. He's tried all the brands previously and found that it was worth the extra $$ for "Frog" tape as it doesn't bleed under as much as other brands.
Thanks to your videos I’ve learnt how to drywall and paint really well, for an amateur. I built my first wall with a rounded corner and a vaulted door and I love it! It took me four months, but I’m sure it would have taken double that time if I had to figure out (or not) all your tips on my own. So thank you, I really appreciate your videos and your nice approach to teaching amateurs and DIYers like me 😊
For cutting in around the ceiling I use an 8" drywall mud blade and wipe the ceiling side of the blade with a damp cloth each time I move it along. Using a 12" is faster but on uneven plaster walls you may get bleed through. The results are better than the wavy line of a free-hand cut in, and doesn't take any longer than if you had to tape the whole ceiling and removal of that tape. I must add that you don't force paint into the corner as you do this, paint horizontally and gently swipe against the blade. If you get bleed through, use the blade technique the opposite way to touch up the ceiling with a not so heavily soaked brush.
If you absolutely have to leave the tape on for multiple coats, (primer, and finish). Brush a coat of your trim paint on the tape first thing after install. Trim color will bleed on trim and seal the tape edges. Use razor as shown to remove tape when done. Myself ive found the best way is to remove the tape as soon as you brush over it. While it is still wet, not giving it time to bleed or fuse. Free hand the following coats, you have a nice line to follow by that point. ALWAYS use a razor when removing tape with dried paint. Flat finish paint rarely fuses. It's normally eggshells, and gloss finishes that fuse. Or you could just spray everything, paint will not bleed or fuse tape if applied with a paint sprayer.
Exactly. Make sure the paint near the tape meets your requirements for perfection, then peel it off as soon as you are done before the paint can dry. If the middle of the wall isn’t perfect you can fix that without having to retape.
Thank you for those really great tips. for someone who doesn't paint often but has painted often enough I found there are three issues I've learned from and experienced enough to avoid over the years. 1) Quality of tape and paint (as mentioned). Better to spend more for both to reduce time (which cost money) and the possibility of having to redo or touchup your work. 2) Pressing the tape firmly as you need a solid contact so you don't get tape bleed. 3) NOT leaving the tape too long, but long enough for the paint to dry. I find that when you leave the tape on where the paint bonds you'll have a greater chance of it not coming off with a clean line. Stay safe and healthy!
That reminds me of the time when we teenagers. My friend painted the bathroom for his mother, semi-gloss latex over semi-gloss alkyd, no prep. After his mother took a shower for the first time, she noticed a little peeling around the light switch. When she pulled it she got about 90% of the paint off the bathroom in one big rubbery piece. 40 years later and i still tease him about that.
Ben, you are absolutely correct when you said that cutting-in door moldings and baseboards takes the most practice. I own a professional painting business and use the least amount of tape necessary on my jobs. It just takes years of practice and steady nerves to learn how to cut-in and it becomes second nature after a while.
I only have one thing to add here. Tape good. Overcutting, tape bleed, wrong tape, all those things bad. I use tape all of the time. The real trick is......"Use the tape as a 'Guide' not a 'Crutch'." Tape it to save you, but cut it into the tape as if it isn't taped. Minimal bleed, minimal buildup, minimal pull up.
Been a painter for a long time and I barely use tape for anything, but you have to protect existing baseboards so here's what I do. I cut in baseboards and everything you can reach from your knees first (no tape), then I go around and cut in the ceilings and corners and window trims down to where I could reach while on my knees. This gives the baseboard cut in enough time to dry to the touch, I run tape along my cut in directly taped to my fresh cut in on the wall, covering the baseboard enough to catch the splatter. This completely eliminates the problem with tape not sticking to your baseboard's top lip due to dust and whatnot as well as. Then I quickly roll the wall, pull the tape immediately after rolling and voila. Never pull paint off your wall again. I have to say there are some paints that are more prone to this as well tho so keep that in mind, your paint might be trash if it seems to pull up no matter what, either that or it's not adhering due to something underneath the paint.
One trick my Dad learned from his FIL was to use a 6 inch metal putty knife, and line it up with the ceiling or trim, then use a 3 inch paint brush to cut in. Took a bit more time up front, but mistakes were fixable along the way, and no problems with tape pulling paint off. My Dad would do the entire ceiling and trim areas first, then go in with a roller for the walls. He'd go about 6 inches to a foot down from the ceiling for cut in, to ensure no mistakes
⚠️ 1. Use high quality tape. 2. Clean surface before applying tape. 3. Apply tape properly by pressing on it firmly. This helps to avoid paint getting under the tape. 4. Remove tape before the paint is dry. This prevents pulling the new paint off near the edge of the tape. Also prevents paint bleeding through tape.
You should try any low tack tape and a very thin bead of caulk over the tape along cutting in line and paint while caulk is still wet pull tape off while paint is still wet works awesome. I do this when customers don’t want skirtings painted and it’s never failed me you’ll get super straight lines, no paint will seep underneath and because it’s low tack no paint peeling unless the paint hasn’t adhered properly
The way I learned to cut in paint was on inside corners because it doesn't matter if the paint goes on the other side. It's also a good way to warm up when you haven't painted in a while. I always keep a clean damp rag in my pocket to quickly wipe off any paint I get where I don't want it. I'm too cheap to use tape and have had too many bad experiences with it pulling off the paint. I'm hoping your next video is how to fix the paint after.
The few high end painters my family has hired in the past did not use tape either. They painted a whole kitchen around cupboards and everything in like 6 hours. Maybe ten years ago. Still looks amazing to this day. Was so impressed the quickness they had. Hardly a word spoken between the two of them. Just solid
@@uberempty We hired a painter and he didn't use tape. He also said if you see a painter with paint on their clothes they don't know what they are doing. He was clean after painting our whole inside.
I've only had that happen either when I waited too long to remove the tape or the paint under the tape hadn't dried or cured long enough because I was rushing. Great video!
Nice to see good detail when explaining things. Even the “simple” projects can go a thousand times smoother with proper technique and knowledge. I do a ton of painting/taping for my job. Clean surface is always a must. Damp rags. When applying my tape I always press down along trim boatds with a putty knife or the backside of my utility blade. Always relate the time I pull my tape to about the same as when you would knockdown some wall texture. Dry’ish. But obviously not too dry! And I always score it, just in case. Prevention is always a good idea imo!!
What I find helpful is if you're painting over drywall mud, make sure to remove all the dust and thin down your paint a lot as the first coat, more water will help the paint to soak into the mud, thus creating a stronger bond.
I run a paint company and we tape baseboards strictly to prevent any overspray or problems on the baseboards, alot of guys Ive hired on have issues like this and theres so many tricks to avoid having that issue. The best honestly is for the very first coat, apply a super thin coat, like super thin. This does two things. 1) it pushes the tape down little more without stretching it and 2) it acts like caulking, it'll prevent the next coats from bleeding underneath. The thicker the first coat is, the more the problem is. Alternatively you can do other things like have the paint brush pushed 90 degrees to the wall or more aiming up, basically have the brush pointed away from the taped corner and use pressure on the brush to get it closer to the tape, dont worry you'll find ways to get faster with it. Tape isnt a miracle shield like people think it is, the more expensive tape pays for itself but just understanding that its basically a roll of paper with water resistant and glue.
I always cut in by hand. It's so easy. I only use tape on surfaces that aren't easily coated with simple strokes, or an area that too small to get my brush into without getting paint everywhere.
Good info. Video. You got it right all around. One more tip I would add for new painters is to carefully remove the tape before the paint dries. Thanks Ben, good job
To get a nice clean line with tape take some clear paintable latex interior caulk and run a tiny bead along the edge of the tape. Run your finger along the edge and remove the caulk. Then paint your edge and remove the tape before the caulk and the paint dry. Saw this in another video. I have problems with products like Bejamin Moore peeling off even after 8-10 days. We even primed before we painted. 8 to 10 days should be enough time for the paint to cure. I think sanding is a must especially areas where you are going to tape.
I don't use a lot of tape, but on the rare occasion that I do, this works well: pull the tape as soon as you're done painting the run. Don't let the paint dry on the tape before you pull it. Also- don't rely on the tape so much. Use it as a guide to get close, but don't slop all over it.
I used to think I had to pull the tape while it was still wet. But, after speaking with some more experienced painters than I, they told me that tape technology has gotten so much better these past few years. And, that yellow frog tape can be left on the baseboards overnight and pulled the next day. I tested it out and they were right! Has to be the right tape tho. Purple scotch works good too. Having to pull the tape while it's wet never made sense to me because if you're doing two coats, you have to tape the baseboards twice. Which obviously is a massive waste of tape and $$$.
@@justinranderson just saying what works for me. Like I said, I don't use tape much. Been painting 40 years, pretty much the only thing I use tape for is painting stripes on walls. Don't really need it for anything else except maybe keeping paint off adjacent casings in tight corners.
I have used a very thin layer of caulk over the tape. Apply caulk to the side paint will be applied. Gently pull tape after that segment is painted. Clean straight lines.
I do general renoes so don't paint all day everyday, so I'm with you, I use tape quite a bit. 1st rule- Never let it dry and then try to remove it. It takes 2-4 weeks for the bond to fully develop between latex paint and the surface. Until then it'll just peel right off as you see here. Definitely recommend to use frog tape. On cutting in second coat, remove tape once it fully soaks in, but before starts to dry. If you have to tape fresh paint, can try delicate surface blue Frog Tape. Test it first. I doesn't stick very hard and still has the sealed edge tech.
I don't paint regularly and It took a lot of practice but I found learning to cut in to be an invaluable skill. Whenever I mask anything I peel it off WET or leave it an ⅛" back from where my line needs to be to prevent any major boo-boos but do anything I can to prevent painting onto the tape. Had way too many do overs because of tape and just don't trust it anymore.
Same. I still tape things, like appliances or cabinets, etc. As to not get paint on it, but after having problem after problem with painting next to tape, I quit using it on walls, trim, and ceilings, etc. If I mess up, I'll just wipe it off, or come back later with the opposite color and touch up.
As you said at the end. There is an order of operation that you explained perfectly. I do walls last and only tape the base to prevent sprinkles or splatter from pro mar 200 mostly. Great video! This coming from an actual pro painter.
Have had the never use tape discussion before. My argument is always that typically I don’t use it but sometimes its easier or necessary to use it. It’s a tool just like the rest, sometimes you take it out of the box and sometimes you don’t.
I have been subscribed to your skateboard channel for years and I cannot believe at the tender age of 27. I have now stumbled across your painting video. I had absolutely no knowledge you ran a channel talking about this side of things. Man I’m getting old
On the ceiling, take a 5in1 tool, and make a little groove to follow on the ceiling. Works good if the ceiling has texture as you knock the texture down
I'm crying as I just did this at the baseboard on an otherwise almost perfect room. I hired someone to do drywall and prime, and they wanted to paint it but was unsatisfied by the quality of their work. I reskim coated, primed and painted two times. Tape is my only failure and was huge, I remembered incorrectly that you should wait for paint to dry before removing tape The only silver lining is that its the utility room, so not important. I wish you were local to Seattle and I would have just paid you to do it. What i did wrong 1. Left what the contractor had on the baseboard from priming. This was regular masking tape and was on mud that was weak as well and the paint wicked under 2. Left the same tape on between first and second coat. My remediation: 1. Remove all the mud from the top of the baseboard so the wall is a right angle to the baseboard top. 2. remove pulled paint and lightly sand edges Doing a minimal spot fill in really low places and brush off after sanding. 3. prime around line with an edger this time, and feather edge to finished paint with a nice bead. (if the edge sucks, revert to frog tape) 4. Second spot fill and reprime the spots. (if needed) 5. If edge looks bad, apply paintable caulk. 6. two layers of paint on the edge. Not really worried about flashing unless really bad. if its bad then its another layer, at least the paint layer will be very strong when it cures.
Tape can be a problem and you have some very good suggestions here. Where I really like to use tape is when I am doing a two-tone room, one wall with a different shade. I use tape to make the line between the two tones [usually the corners] very sharp, straight and crisp. It makes the job much easier and I love the result.
I've been painting for almost 15 years now and the best way I've found to cut base is to not have the base on and I know that's more work but when you want a good finish then you do the work. the only other way to do this is just take the tape off before the paint is dry. As for corners just take the tape off before it's dry even if you're doing multiple coats just new tape and remove it when that coat is done. The best advice I ever got with tape is that you never rely on it rely on your ability to cut-in and the tape is there for backup in case you slip or get too much in your brush.
Something I learned on UA-cam is to remove the tape when the paint is still wet. That prevents the paint from pulling up. If you’ve waited too long already you can quickly add a bit of paint over top and wait a few minutes for the solvent to soften the paint underneath. The downsides are that this is more messy and you run the risk of getting wet paint from the tape onto other stuff if you aren’t careful. I assume this is controversial, because I’d previously heard you should only remove tape after the pint has dried. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, Ben. Also, what do you think about those handheld paint guides? My house has a lot of popcorn ceilings so I can’t use tape, and my cut-ins weren’t as good as I would have liked. Seems like a paint guide would result in a good final product.
Lil bit of wet paint is easy to clean off trim with a 5 in one and damp rag compares to dry bleed or peeled paint. You're ceilings are pop corned but not the walls? Are you only painting ceiling? If not next time over cut your ceiling and cut in your walls. Remember chances are only you will notice the lil bit you couldn't hot cause of the corn, plus it will cast shadows and cause the illusion of paint lol. My best advice tho is get rid of the popcorn lol
@@swirledworld340 I have never seen a popcorn wall in my life…who does that? I actually only painted the walls, not the ceiling, but I might paint the ceiling in the future. Probably will just remove the popcorn next time I have the chance.
@@sleeknub in the Caribbean 🤣😮💨 there is a place called cowpet in the u.s.v.i the outside literally looks like they slung cow pies on the wall and they popcorned everything, not sure if it was a language breakdown or what...
Something most people don’t realize is that painting tape, even the high end brands, state that you need to remove the tape while it’s still wet and then apply new tape for each subsequent coat of paint. It makes using tape super tedious. So using tape or learning to cut in, just know it’s gonna take sometime.
happened to me in the summer when moisture levels were really high in my home. After running a de-humidifier I noticed the paint pulled much less and although the problem was not absent, it was better with dryer air. Just a tip!
1. Frog tape. 2. Press firmly 3. Remove before the paint dries. Make sure the surface you tape on has been completely cured. If not it will come off with the paint. This is overlooked often when taping on caulk.
Great video. My take: Always peel off the tape before the paint hardens. Even for amateurs avoid tape on ceilings, practice the cutting in there. For the first coat don't use expensive primers, paint the walls with a mist coat of matt emsion paint diluted with water (sorry no idea for gloss paints). On the skirting I put quick dry primer/undercoat on first, overlapping onto the wall then once it's dry tape with UK yellow low tack Frog tape then paint the walls down onto it. Remove the tape as soon as finished painting then paint the skirting (you can low tack the wall if you like but don't rush, let it harden properly). Think that tape is called "delicate" in Canada. I've never had any significant peel with that method. The knife is a good way to get the peel started perhaps for the first inch or so.
Tips: Do your ceiling with Glidden 7700 from Dulux, but do not use a primer on repairs; just roll the ceiling paint over the spots and give your full coat once completely dry. (No matter how many coats of 7700, you will see primer paint if you use it.) Overlap top of walls by a quarter inch when you make a narrow ceiling cut before rolling. This will give you a cutting margin along top of walls. Now put on a fan. While ceiling is drying, paint your trim, baseboards, and doors, but start with applying a strip of paint along all edges that contact the wall, then fill in the woodwork. You needn't be worried about paint on the sides of the frames and tops of the baseboards getting on the wall. The 7700 should be dry on your wall margin, so cut it in along all walls. Corner and baseboard cuts with wall colour, one wall at a time, and roll. Top of baseboards should be dry enough to wipe excess wall paint. Use a thin angular 2" brush, and an optional larger brush to backfill, lest the cut be not heavy enough. Respect drying time and apply second colour coat. To save time I now use SICO Door & Trim Pearl instead of semigloss. The latter has finer pigments which are slightly translucent, requiring a second, and often a third, coat. Door & Trim will cover perfectly with one coat. Rollers should be 10mm, and don't cheap out. Sometimes I use 6mm on doors but that's when I was using semigloss. The low pile increases shine. It would work with the SICO product.
A topic I'd like you to cover: "when paint manufacturers 'change the formula'!" Example: I have used only Benjamin Moore paint inside and outside. I needed a quart to do some minor touch-up, and bought the product I always use. The color didn't match ... WAY OFF! I was told "they changed the formula." The paint store couldn't have cared less and told me the only remedy was to repaint the whole room. They refused to even try mixing-up a matching color. Home Depot came to the rescue, matched the paint perfectly and I'm super thankful. NOT please with Benjamin Moore or the "fancy" paint store! WHY change a formula when you have a product that's working and clients are trusting that the colors won't arbitrarily change?
Last time I painted, I painted the ceiling and trim. Then cut in the ceiling and used tape on the trim. Painted with a one coat paint. Came out pretty nice. Cut in the ceiling with a brush but used a small roller around the taped up trim and cut in again with the mini roller as close to the ceiling as I could. Then rolled the walls with a normal sized one. Peeled the tape off as soon as I could.
I'm just a DIY homeowner, but my success with tape has been iffy. Even stepping up to the expensive Frog tape, which works amazingly on flat surfaces that can handle the extra strain (and not like you said, freshly painted or mudded surfaces), the results can sometimes be no better than the cheaper blue stuff. TLDR; I agree with learning to cut in. When you step back and look at it, it's the cheaper, easier approach that yields a better result.
The best and only way to eliminate these issues is pretty simple. Tape is used in areas where you can’t really get your brush in or in an area where you can’t get proper strokes. If your using tape in open areas you really shouldn’t be painting.
Sometimes you'll be painting the baseboard/wall angle that has a lot of accumulation from old work and that 90 degree won't be present anymore. Two main options: Cut the joint between them just deep enough to sever the paint, carefully remove the baseboards, and either clean the edge up and reinstall or install new ones, or get a high quality scraper that can get you a good 90 degree and scrape the severed paint off the baseboard with it still on the wall. The latter will give you scuffs, but it's a lot less work and you can do easy touch-up after. Installing new baseboards is my favorite as they're pretty cheap, but if you're on a really tight budget and/or have a lot of linear feet to cover you can make do with what you've got.
My rule of thumb while using tape is to take it off before the paint dries. In case you have two coats to put be sure to put enough paint for the first cutting. Then you take out the tape. For the second coat you don’t have to do as precise. Or the other solution is to find a low tack tape. The frog tape is expensive, a good alternative I find is the «Edge Pro+» tape made by a company called Cantech (different witdhs). At 11:25 about painting the trims. I think it does the best job instead of doing baseboards first and cutting walls after. By cutting baseboards last you have crisper lines. I strongly recommend the «Richard 80842 Angular Paint Brush with SoftGrip Handle» that comes in different widths. As a painter these brushes are saving my life on every job (when doing baseboards.)
On Paint Life TV channel, they showed a trick for popcorn walls/ceilings - they apply a small bead of transparent caulking in the corner and glue the tape to the bead. So there is no paint under the tape and extremely sharp edge.
The last job we did where we painted too I had the hardest time explaining to my "lead guy" that they need to paint the ceiling first and cut in the wall. They were doing it backwards and having an awful time. Seems like the procedure would be obvious but today's youth knows more than the old experienced guys! 😳
This actually happens to me a lot more than I wish. I even use tape when I have to caulk trim. My trick so far is like you said make sure there isn't too much build up on the tape and i remove the tape before the paint fully dries. Not sure if that's a good idea but i think it works pretty good.
Paint Life TV has a great technique. He caulks his tape, paints over the caulk, then pulls off the tape while all is still wet. Crisp clean lines. He does use Frog Tape. I’ve tried it. It works just like he showed.
Once you finish painting you MUST remove the tape immediately. If you don’t remove the tape while the paint is still wet the tape becomes part of the wall. There is no seam between the wall and the tape and the paint on the wall just rips off. Happens every single time. When I put down tape I start in one corner and make sure to always overlap the tape in the same direction. As soon as I’m done painting I grab the corner and start pulling. Because it’s all perfectly layered it all comes off in one strip. Just pull and walk around the room. If it’s done right you don’t have to get up on a ladder and try to peel it off. Same with window frames. Just pull all the way around and it’s off. Chuck it in the trash. Now some paint will get under the tape. Not a problem. If it’s still tacky use a flat screwdriver and push it off the wall. If you’re lucky that’s all that’s needed. But if some paint color remains get a toothpick or make a tiny brush out of a hand full of brush hairs and dab some paint of the correct color over the stain. It’s gone.
I have issues with taping and drywall painting lol. So here's the thing. I'll give you general background 'why' i think I'm having issues and I'm pretty positive people are going to say "WHAT NEVER DO THAT YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!", yet, it works perfect for me. I installed the drywall in 2020, coated it all via your videos (thank you for that), etc etc, then I used Kilz Primer on it...as suggested by my mother lol. The "Kilz 2 All Purpose". Then I picked up all the needed paint...a whole $500+ USD worth of Benjamin Moore Regal Select in the multitude of colors I requested, matte because I'm a monster and hate shine unless it's directly intended as an accent. So you may be thinking "I bought paint that had a primer in it". At least, that's my current thought. So anyway. I did the primer, did the paint, accent wall color with blue tape, let dry -- andddddd the tape peels off a great portion of the corner for the much lighter color (not white). Very noticeable, and very...rubbery. Had to sand it smooth, repaint and tried 'without tape' and just a brush as 'suggested by a friend'. LOL that didn't work well. I ended up grabbing the following different kinds of tape to test with: Blue tape, Green Tape, Purple Tape. Purple Tape has a handy little label that says "Safe to use on freshly painted walls". So naturally, my thought was "Perfect!" Anyway I tried blue and green, same thing popped up. It actually happened regardless of painting on the wall or not, the paint would just 'rip right off'. Little did I know actual 'dry time' isn't a day or a week. It's like a month. I can't wait a month to just paint a wall lol...other things rely on that within the home renovation, even though I live here alone and no real visitors; It's the idea of "stalling my time for useless reasons". So I came up with solutions...as I always end up doing lol. So I figured the purple tape actually does not rip off paint from a freshly painted wall. It does as directed, however, it's also not good at being "painting tape". It's thin, and additionally it doesn't leave a crisp edge. It can bleed 'underneath' the tape and cause issues with one color spotting onto the other. My solution: Triple tape. But not just any way; I used the purple tape first, about 1/32nd from the edge. Green tape directly above that to add thickness. Then I used the blue tape at the exact edge, making sure it's nice and straight down the wall. Tried 2 different methods: Leaving the paint dry over night, and ripping it off immediately after painting. Surprise. This is where everyone, and I mean everyone, will flip at me. I peeled it off immediately after painting, and it was the most crisp edge I could ask for...verses the dry period, which I had to try numerous times and it never worked. I got tired of "sanding the wall for it to be smooth" because I can't just 'paint overtop of the ridge' that's created from the paint ripping. Anyway, the first dry peel, I didn't cut the tape corner and it was peeling right off. The 2nd time, I cut the edge and the paint didn't rip off.................but it left a VERY LARGE lift off looking edge. It looked ugly. I think the reason the lift off occurred is due to too much paint build up, as you explained. My issue is that when I originally tried the first tip I got from a coworker in our facilities department was to put a thin layer of paint by the tape, not a thick layer, And use a fresh roller to spread and thin it out so it just tints the wall, but doesn't build up (They do all general maintenance, repairs, etc for the company I work for. I work in the IT sector of this company). So naturally, I tried this. I'm sure it'll work if "I was doing white". I'm doing dark grays. I'm not doing very contrasting grays. And I'm doing very blue-tinted grays. All of which are matte finish with a microfiber roller, which has minimal texture. You easily notice the 'light spot' by the corner. So that tip unfortunately didn't work for me. The only thing that worked for me, unfortunately, was this multi-tape method and peeling when wet. I have yet to find a better way, but I'm pretty sure it's due to having the Kilz2 primer on the wall first before paint, since now I'm positive the paint primer acts more as a 'reference for the wall to just rest on' since I have the thicker benjamin moore paint. The only good news is that '1 coat' completely covers lol. So at least I'm saving a good $65 per gallon for however many in excess gallons I would have needed if I needed to originally "Coat twice".
So summed up. My fastest, cleanest way to 'do this', if im taping the freshly painted wall (dried for about 6 hours) so I can finish the other wall that same day: - Purple tape on the wall first, about 1/32" away from the edge. - Go overtop of that exactly with Green tape - Go at the edge with blue tape, firmly pressing it on the edge Then coat the edge and wall (same with ceiling and other wall by the way; I interconnect all the tape with each layer so make a quick peel off). Then, I do the most criticized thing in the world. I peel the tape when it's wet because I do not see any issue with it (for starters) and second, if I do NOT peel when wet, it leaves a heavy ridge/bump which is only mitigated by 'lighter coats', which ultimately means 'light edges'. There isn't really a 'fine' line between the two in my experiencing painting my entire house quite a number of times in the last 2 years lol. But I did find that there is no edge and it dries 'flat' if I just simply 'peel the tape' when it's wet...provided I protect the freshly painted paint from ripping off the walls, and use the 'better' tape to create the designated 'line' so there is no bleeding. I know for a fact I'll get some person screaming "No don't do that that's bad", but in my house, these are the cleanest lines I've seen...and I work at a multi-million dollar Casino, where "attention to detail" is just as important as "How do we take your money with you being happy we just took your money".
I painted my living room and have lots of moldings and trim to paint around, including a chair molding about 28 inches above the baseboard. I have found that using tape is asking for trouble, especially when its hot inside the room you are painting. I like to use masking paper by 3M. it comes in different widths, and it has a tacky strip on the edge that you use to attach it. I had no problems with bleed, or lifting the paint when pulling the masking paper off the trim. I have also seen a trick painters use with masking tape. Before applying to a surface, they will tamp the sticky side of the tape to their pants or shirt to relieve some of the stickiness of the tape. This way its less prone to pull off fresh paint upon removal.
Hahaha- I use painters tape for all sorts of things- except painting😂. I was that guy you were talking about saying "learn to cut in!", Right as you said that🤣🤣. But seriously, cutting in can be aggravating, but much less so than when the tape peels your paint and triples time. We've all heard cutting in is an art. And just like art, it's never perfect. Patience and acceptance will get us far in painting, and life!
I’m always having trouble when doing full room remodeling and re doing the drywall and re-plastering. I spray the whole room with primer and then wait till it dries and then spray the ceiling paint. Then the next day I tape off the ceiling and spray the wall paint. I never have trouble with the paint bleeding through, but I always have trouble with the ceiling paint pulling off with the tape. I don’t pull out on the tape, I pull back on it to minimize on the pealing. On the job I’m on now that I sprayed almost a month ago. Waiting for carpet to be installed, I finally was able to put the base and casing on and taped the walls so I could caulk the gaps on the trim up against the wall and the home owner repainted the trim to cover the putty on the nail holes and areas that they didn’t get the best when they painted the trim before I installed. Well when they started taking the tape off it was taking the paint off the walls too in areas. Now I’m not sure if it’s taking both the primer and paint or just the paint, I haven’t really looked into that. My finish coat and texture I use the Diamond veneer finish, I don’t know if that makes a difference or not. What are your thoughts.
I've had good luck with Sico paint. Not so much with Cloverdale but I know people who swear by it. I think they are both good. I always do a light sand between coats to help increase the paint bonding. Thanks for the good advice!
A: seal the plaster (mud not drywall) before painting. I like the watery sealers which are like diluted wood glue B: try and remove the tape before the paint get's hard....just touch dry. C: score the edge with a dull knife. D: use the tape specific for delicate surfaces.
My 2 cents, especially if you are doing your own house and not a job where time matters, just take your time and cut in everything instead of taping, it’s relatively quick and if you do good job cutting in you can roll close enough you probably won’t need multiple coats of cutting in just rolling which goes quick. And if you do need to use tape somewhere my “ancient Chinese secret” is put the tape against your shirt first which will clean lint off and it will still be sticky enough to block paint but won’t be too sticky to pull paint off from my experience
Sand or wash the walls with TSP for better paint adhesion. Pull the tape while it is wet. To help prevent bleed under the tape lay down a thin layer of clear caulk and wipe it off, then paint. In this case you have to pull the tape before the caulk starts to set, 30 minutes.
I have had this problem in the past. I always thought it was the paint (latex) polymerizing on the tape and the wall (well, duh). My solution was to remove the tape as quickly as possible before the paint set up. Literally, as soon as the wall was done, pull the tape. It seemed to help and it's my standard practice.
Another great video. I always use Sherwin Williams paint & primer. I make sure I get a can of primer only. I tape from the top/down of the project. I still haven't graduated from 1.5 in. Tape. To prevent tearing I add mineral spirit to the first coat of paint in the roller pan.
Great video ! Thanks Ben. I usually paint ceiling and overlap onto wall, then paint trim and baseboard and overlap onto wall, then paint walls cutting to ceiling and cutting to trim and baseboards. I find it easier to cut wall to trim compared to cut trim to wall.
I've tried cutting in all moldings when I paint, I've also tried taping along all moldings when I paint. I have learned that cutting in not only saves time in the long run, but it also eliminates a lot of the problems you get with taping. I taped along all my new moldings when I painted my hallway, it has been a year now and I am still picking away at pieces of tape that are stuck to the moldings.
Painter here. I too always use tape on baseboards. Cutting in at the top is great, because gravity works in your favor. But, cutting upside down against gravity down at the baseboards doesn't make sense to me. I use the yellow frog or purple scotch for baseboards for the lighter adhesion to prevent baseboard paint from peeling when i pull the tape off.
I personally like the sico paint and primer in 1 paints, they cover good over existing paints, not so much for new drywall though. Also dont mix products, i have found that mixing brands almost never works well. Great video! Helpful tips!
If you want to use tape, the most important thing to avoid this issue is to remove the tape while the paint is wet. Another huge problem is the ceiling may not have been painted well enough not to pull the paint off when you remove the tape from the ceiling. Low adhesion tape can help a lot with that As you said: cutting in is the best way. But as you likewise said: few people apart from experienced pros can
Thanks, Ben. I've had that exact same problem and wondered why. I thought it was too much drywall dust, even though I used damp cloths to wipe it several times. Good to know it was likely a mismatch between paint and primer, as that is much easier to fix. One thing, though - I think your wall needs a little more remedial work. At 3:42 you can see what looks like a big paint run on the wall above your hand. And just above where the green tape separates from the trim, there's what looks like a valley in the wall with sharp sides. Sorry to mention it, but it's there.
@@demophys4883 You were, but you were pointing out things that were completely unrelated to the topic of the video. It's not like everyone else couldn't see the same stuff.
I like using tape. I find it relaxing to take my time to tape off areas. I’ve also never had any issue with peeling tape up while the paint isn’t fully dry. Just be careful how you grab the tape or you’re going to get paint all over everything
Frog tape. Has never failed me, especially if after I apply, I wipe over it with a damp microfibre cloth. This technique seems to really seal the connection.
I always take the tape off when the paint is still wet, never gave me a problem. And always use the sharp line tapes, they are more expensive but they leave a very nice cutline.
The type of paint can definitely effect how the tape pulls. I have found the lower grade latex paint is softer and more stringy, it can make the problem worse. Higher quality products are harder. I would also recommend pulling the tape off while the paint is still semi wet or very soft. If you pull at just the right time, the edges will come out more crisp. As a painting contractor for 17 years, I disagree with cutting your edges in by hand. Although I COULD cut those lines by hand with a brush, I DONT. I find it much faster to tape the cuts and spray onto the tape. Especially when there are big color contrasts on the two surfaces. Lots of times it will take two brushed coats for coverage. Spraying is MUCH FASTER to second coat. When your back rolling, be sure not to touch the tape to prevent tape bleeding.
I think you're a good dude. Especially since you posted the new house video and I learned about your little house and all the kids. On the tape. Im a home owner that's gutted and remodeled the whole. house. My contractor/instructor told me I was a loser for using tape so I have learned to have a steady hand. Not saying I'm better, just saying. And I use a paint store paint because I wasn't shown the home depot and lowes paint.
You never leave tape , especially if paint is quite sticky, 1st coat go without tape and get paint as close as you can than on 2nd coat you go with tape , do 2 meters of corner and remove paint right away, paint won t have time to leak under tape and you will have nice straight line, and this goes especially if you work with black, antracite or any other paint that is high in terms of contrast, don use latex color , use semi gloss or non gloss collor which is better...practice and experince is all
Hi, Ben :) You are creating a super useful content. You basically taught me how to work with drywall! Could you please make a video regarding how much you charge for your work. Thank you :)
I always paint walls before trim and ideally don't tape anything while painting the walls. Only need to carefully cut in at the ceiling or where different coloured walls meet. Just brush out / feather out any wall paint that gets on the trim so it is smooth - no need to worry about cutting in a sharp line. Then tape up the walls with 60day delicate masking tape, paint your trims. Gloss or semi-gloss trim paint is a lot more brittle than wall paint so it won't 'skin off' like the wall paint is doing in this video. With a good quality tape like 3M Scotch 2080 you can let the trim paint fully dry and it'll still create a crisp line. I prefer peeling the tape when fully dry so I don't have to risk it falling back onto my freshly paint trim and ruining the gloss finish. Little shards of dried trim paint which hasn't adhered to the waxy masking tape can go everywhere while peeling so be mindful of that. If the tape pulls away any wall paint (using a delicate tape, it'll only pull paint where there was exceptionally poor paint adhesion), it's much easier to do an unnoticeable touchup on a wall than a gloss trim.
I too am a professional painter, over 20 years in the trade. I found ceilings harder to learn how to cut it, and make the line tight and clean, than trim work. Mainly because with Trim work I can use a damp rag and a putty knife to clean up that cut line if I over cut. Not so easy to do that on ceilings.
If you have too many layers of paint and/or sloppy caulk jobs around trim, I think you are just better off removing the trim. It isn't to hard to fix the trim afterwards on painted trim (just patch), but difficult (if not impossible) to fix on stained trim. What is really nice about removing the trim is that it cuts way down on the amount of cutting/taping you have to do when rolling the walls, and makes it so much easier to paint those small slivers of wall from doors that are close to another wall!
White popcorn ceiling, dark blue accent wall. Cut in the wall as well as I could, erring on missing a bit of the wall. Went back over the spots on the top of the wall with an artist’s brush. Used same to fix a few spots where the dark accent wall met an adjacent white wall.
I usually try to pull the tape off before the paint dries. But the issue you raise, i.e., too much paint in that joint, can be avoided by the user him/herself. Don’t just dump a bunch of paint on that edge and assume the tape will save you. You’re creating a huge problem for yourself, as VC’s video shows. When I paint along a tape, I ‘pretend’ I’m cutting in in order to minimize any paint overlap onto the tape. Another issue I’d love to see you address is the effect that gets created when you cut in along an edge using a brush, and then come back with a roller to do the main wall surface. That cut-in paint has a much different density and look than the rollered coat. I’ve tried some crazy ideas to overcome this, to no avail. Help!
. . . Also have a look at "Painting and Decorating" channel. That said it's real nice to see you having a go as an amateur as we don't all have the steady hands of a professional decorator. Thanks again.
the best way i find is to use a water based clear paint and seal the edges of the masking tape with that. Let the clear dry to a touch dry state, then put your first coat on, making sure you minimize the amount of paint you get on the masking tape. Once 1st coat is touch dry, you can go hard out and do the second coat. Take the masking tape of straight away and you will have a perfect line. The main mistake i see in this video is that the paint was left to dry. If the masking tape was taken off straight away, i would definitely say there would have been no paint peeling off, such as in this video. i have recently done a black ceiling and got absolute perfect lines by doing it this way.
So how do we fix the spots where the paint lifted so we don't see the torn edge under the new paint?
Ideally you need to patch it a little to blend the edge, spot prime the repair and then paint the whole wall. It's a headache.
that is the
🔥❓
burning question
@@vancouvercarpenter thats infuriating, over a piece of tape
@@vancouvercarpenter flat paint should blend in. And at that elevation should not be visible. Great channel BTW
@@vancouvercarpenter If you use paint form the same can I don't believe you'll need to repaint the whole wall.
I’m a pro and I also have to paint on occasion. I have had some of the same problems with paint and tape after a drywall patch. This is super helpful information! And for those people making the negative comments, if you didn’t get anything out of this video, keep quiet and move on.
Simmer down, bossy
Lol if you are having these issues then you are not a pro
So… All “Pros” need to be expert painters? Clearly you don’t know the difference between a professional and an expert.
@@matthewsmith5894 I am not a Pro, I know they have the same Issues as beginners, due to overconfidence I have seen Pros mess up fairly Bad
@@bumblbesss this is why I make a distinction between a Pro and an Expert. Anyone who gets paid to do something is technically a professional, but we tend to see that classification as being an expert. An Expert has an exhaustive amount of information and experience in their field of expertise. All professionals should strive to be experts in their field.
Taping tip , when using high end frog tapes wipe a damp sponge over tape before painting. Moisture activates the seal the tape provides
I'm just a regular homeowner that has to paint now and then. I'm also older and have bad eyes so cutting-in is a challenge I've never been able to master. And I don't do it often enough to "practice until I can" like my wife bugs me to do. I also have orange peel texture on everything and it is everything you said. I hate it! I find taping along the ceiling gives me much better results and I can clean up spots where paint bleeds through with a little more tape and a small artist brush. It takes time but my results are good. What I do...
1. Use good tape. I like blue Frog Tape. I don't like the blue 3M "Sharp Line" version as it is thinner and doesn't stick well if you have to leave it up for a day before painting.
2. Make sure where you tape is clean! Clean your walls and baseboards. (No soap!)
3. Use your fingernail to press the tape down. Don't pull the tape tight while applying. You need to make sure the tape has stretch left to fill in the little valleys.
4. Finding the actual corner is a challenge. Your cut line might wander slightly but you can fix it later once you see the whole wall done so it look straight.
5. Once the tape is up put a dab of clear paintable non-silicon caulk on your finger and run it along the corner. Just a tiny amount. The caulk fills in gaps in the tape edge. Don't use to much!
6. Cut in with a brush then use a 3-4" roller as close to the corner as possible 1.5-2" tape lets you get right up to the edge without putting paint on the ceiling.
7. Pull the tape as soon as practical before the caulk has a chance to dry. If you don't caulk pull the tape while the paint is still wet.
8. A small artist brush of 3/8-1/2" works great to touch up bleed through spots. Tape the spot and paint the bleed spot and pull the tape.
9. Keep a damp rag handy to clean up oopsies.
Keep in mind I'm doing my own painting so I'm not under time pressure. And I get a little anal and take a little pride about it not looking like a total noob did it. But my wife thinks I'm a bit to meticulous because she just wants it done.😀
Another solution is to not paint over the tape on the first coat. Stay shy 1/8-1/4". If you feel the need because of colour, dry brush it towards the tape. Second coat, go over the tape. Pull the tape when you still have a wet edge.
3 things I learned from an OLD pro painter who used tape more than I thought he would (and I mean old, as in he's been doing it for years, and he was old in years and his hands were not quite as steady as they used to be.).
1. Use the corner of a putty knife to press the tape down on a FLAT surface. Helps with tape adhesion to the surface and prevent bleed under.
2. Remove the tape soon after painting (if the paint on the tape doesn't transfer to your hand when removing, you've waited too long).
3. Don't be super fussy cutting in at the ceiling with the wall color. Paint the walls and hit the ceiling a bit all the way around, let dry for a day or so, then tape the WALL with one continuous piece of tape. Then go back with the ceiling paint to 'cut in' and cover the wall paint overlap. Remove the tape and you will have the straightest cut line from wall to ceiling you'll ever see. Doesn't matter of the wall color is really dark or not, the eye won't tell because of the corner and it's generally dark anyway (or go 'heavy' on the ceiling paint). This avoids the issue of getting tape to stick to a textured ceiling, because the walls are flat.
He was 'odd' also in the fact that he painted the ceiling LAST and did his "cut in" backwards (roll the field first, then cut in the corners with a brush. He said, "I don't waste paint with the brush, use the roller to get close to the edge, then just enough brush to fill in".) just for this technique. I asked about paint splatter from the ceiling to the walls, and he just said "Just be careful and take your time. And keep a damp rag handy to wipe off specks. No big deal."
I've tried this, and amazingly it works extremely well.
P.S.
He REALLY liked "Frog" brand tape. He's tried all the brands previously and found that it was worth the extra $$ for "Frog" tape as it doesn't bleed under as much as other brands.
Thanks to your videos I’ve learnt how to drywall and paint really well, for an amateur. I built my first wall with a rounded corner and a vaulted door and I love it! It took me four months, but I’m sure it would have taken double that time if I had to figure out (or not) all your tips on my own. So thank you, I really appreciate your videos and your nice approach to teaching amateurs and DIYers like me 😊
Did you mud it yourself??
@@NuttedInYoMom I did :)
For cutting in around the ceiling I use an 8" drywall mud blade and wipe the ceiling side of the blade with a damp cloth each time I move it along. Using a 12" is faster but on uneven plaster walls you may get bleed through. The results are better than the wavy line of a free-hand cut in, and doesn't take any longer than if you had to tape the whole ceiling and removal of that tape. I must add that you don't force paint into the corner as you do this, paint horizontally and gently swipe against the blade. If you get bleed through, use the blade technique the opposite way to touch up the ceiling with a not so heavily soaked brush.
If you absolutely have to leave the tape on for multiple coats, (primer, and finish). Brush a coat of your trim paint on the tape first thing after install. Trim color will bleed on trim and seal the tape edges. Use razor as shown to remove tape when done. Myself ive found the best way is to remove the tape as soon as you brush over it. While it is still wet, not giving it time to bleed or fuse. Free hand the following coats, you have a nice line to follow by that point. ALWAYS use a razor when removing tape with dried paint. Flat finish paint rarely fuses. It's normally eggshells, and gloss finishes that fuse. Or you could just spray everything, paint will not bleed or fuse tape if applied with a paint sprayer.
Exactly. Make sure the paint near the tape meets your requirements for perfection, then peel it off as soon as you are done before the paint can dry. If the middle of the wall isn’t perfect you can fix that without having to retape.
Thanks!! This is the tip I was trying to remember!!
Thank you for those really great tips. for someone who doesn't paint often but has painted often enough I found there are three issues I've learned from and experienced enough to avoid over the years. 1) Quality of tape and paint (as mentioned). Better to spend more for both to reduce time (which cost money) and the possibility of having to redo or touchup your work. 2) Pressing the tape firmly as you need a solid contact so you don't get tape bleed. 3) NOT leaving the tape too long, but long enough for the paint to dry. I find that when you leave the tape on where the paint bonds you'll have a greater chance of it not coming off with a clean line. Stay safe and healthy!
That reminds me of the time when we teenagers. My friend painted the bathroom for his mother, semi-gloss latex over semi-gloss alkyd, no prep. After his mother took a shower for the first time, she noticed a little peeling around the light switch. When she pulled it she got about 90% of the paint off the bathroom in one big rubbery piece. 40 years later and i still tease him about that.
Ben, you are absolutely correct when you said that cutting-in door moldings and baseboards takes the most practice. I own a professional painting business and use the least amount of tape necessary on my jobs. It just takes years of practice and steady nerves to learn how to cut-in and it becomes second nature after a while.
I only have one thing to add here. Tape good. Overcutting, tape bleed, wrong tape, all those things bad. I use tape all of the time. The real trick is......"Use the tape as a 'Guide' not a 'Crutch'." Tape it to save you, but cut it into the tape as if it isn't taped. Minimal bleed, minimal buildup, minimal pull up.
Been a painter for a long time and I barely use tape for anything, but you have to protect existing baseboards so here's what I do. I cut in baseboards and everything you can reach from your knees first (no tape), then I go around and cut in the ceilings and corners and window trims down to where I could reach while on my knees. This gives the baseboard cut in enough time to dry to the touch, I run tape along my cut in directly taped to my fresh cut in on the wall, covering the baseboard enough to catch the splatter. This completely eliminates the problem with tape not sticking to your baseboard's top lip due to dust and whatnot as well as. Then I quickly roll the wall, pull the tape immediately after rolling and voila. Never pull paint off your wall again. I have to say there are some paints that are more prone to this as well tho so keep that in mind, your paint might be trash if it seems to pull up no matter what, either that or it's not adhering due to something underneath the paint.
One trick my Dad learned from his FIL was to use a 6 inch metal putty knife, and line it up with the ceiling or trim, then use a 3 inch paint brush to cut in. Took a bit more time up front, but mistakes were fixable along the way, and no problems with tape pulling paint off. My Dad would do the entire ceiling and trim areas first, then go in with a roller for the walls. He'd go about 6 inches to a foot down from the ceiling for cut in, to ensure no mistakes
⚠️ 1. Use high quality tape.
2. Clean surface before applying tape.
3. Apply tape properly by pressing on it firmly. This helps to avoid paint getting under the tape.
4. Remove tape before the paint is dry. This prevents pulling the new paint off near the edge of the tape. Also prevents paint bleeding through tape.
Well said. And make sure 9 layers of dirt aren't present on your baseboards that prevents the tape from adhering properly.
Number 3 I have heard before as well. Surprised it wasn't mentioned in the video.
Exactly. You follow these three steps, you'll get great results.
Number 3 is the most important thing.
You should try any low tack tape and a very thin bead of caulk over the tape along cutting in line and paint while caulk is still wet pull tape off while paint is still wet works awesome. I do this when customers don’t want skirtings painted and it’s never failed me you’ll get super straight lines, no paint will seep underneath and because it’s low tack no paint peeling unless the paint hasn’t adhered properly
The way I learned to cut in paint was on inside corners because it doesn't matter if the paint goes on the other side. It's also a good way to warm up when you haven't painted in a while. I always keep a clean damp rag in my pocket to quickly wipe off any paint I get where I don't want it. I'm too cheap to use tape and have had too many bad experiences with it pulling off the paint. I'm hoping your next video is how to fix the paint after.
The few high end painters my family has hired in the past did not use tape either. They painted a whole kitchen around cupboards and everything in like 6 hours. Maybe ten years ago. Still looks amazing to this day. Was so impressed the quickness they had. Hardly a word spoken between the two of them. Just solid
Same here. We hired a crew that maybe taped the door knobs. A steady hand and wet rag seems to go faster in the long run.
@@uberempty We hired a painter and he didn't use tape. He also said if you see a painter with paint on their clothes they don't know what they are doing. He was clean after painting our whole inside.
I've only had that happen either when I waited too long to remove the tape or the paint under the tape hadn't dried or cured long enough because I was rushing. Great video!
Nice to see good detail when explaining things. Even the “simple” projects can go a thousand times smoother with proper technique and knowledge.
I do a ton of painting/taping for my job. Clean surface is always a must. Damp rags. When applying my tape I always press down along trim boatds with a putty knife or the backside of my utility blade.
Always relate the time I pull my tape to about the same as when you would knockdown some wall texture. Dry’ish. But obviously not too dry! And I always score it, just in case. Prevention is always a good idea imo!!
What I find helpful is if you're painting over drywall mud, make sure to remove all the dust and thin down your paint a lot as the first coat, more water will help the paint to soak into the mud, thus creating a stronger bond.
The Mr. Rogers of DIY instruction. And he rides a shred stick well into his 40s. Dude's my hero.
If you remove the tape while the paint is still wet it won't peel.
Yeah. The only time I use tape now is if I'll be able to immediately remove it. But that's not always practical.
That’s what I do, especially if it’s on new paint job. But I try to wait 24 hrs before I put tape on. But I’m just doing repairs at home.
That's the best way.
I run a paint company and we tape baseboards strictly to prevent any overspray or problems on the baseboards, alot of guys Ive hired on have issues like this and theres so many tricks to avoid having that issue. The best honestly is for the very first coat, apply a super thin coat, like super thin. This does two things. 1) it pushes the tape down little more without stretching it and 2) it acts like caulking, it'll prevent the next coats from bleeding underneath. The thicker the first coat is, the more the problem is.
Alternatively you can do other things like have the paint brush pushed 90 degrees to the wall or more aiming up, basically have the brush pointed away from the taped corner and use pressure on the brush to get it closer to the tape, dont worry you'll find ways to get faster with it. Tape isnt a miracle shield like people think it is, the more expensive tape pays for itself but just understanding that its basically a roll of paper with water resistant and glue.
I always cut in by hand. It's so easy. I only use tape on surfaces that aren't easily coated with simple strokes, or an area that too small to get my brush into without getting paint everywhere.
Good info. Video. You got it right all around. One more tip I would add for new painters is to carefully remove the tape before the paint dries. Thanks Ben, good job
To get a nice clean line with tape take some clear paintable latex interior caulk and run a tiny bead along the edge of the tape. Run your finger along the edge and remove the caulk. Then paint your edge and remove the tape before the caulk and the paint dry. Saw this in another video.
I have problems with products like Bejamin Moore peeling off even after 8-10 days. We even primed before we painted. 8 to 10 days should be enough time for the paint to cure. I think sanding is a must especially areas where you are going to tape.
This technique works really well.
I don't use a lot of tape, but on the rare occasion that I do, this works well: pull the tape as soon as you're done painting the run. Don't let the paint dry on the tape before you pull it. Also- don't rely on the tape so much. Use it as a guide to get close, but don't slop all over it.
I used to think I had to pull the tape while it was still wet. But, after speaking with some more experienced painters than I, they told me that tape technology has gotten so much better these past few years. And, that yellow frog tape can be left on the baseboards overnight and pulled the next day. I tested it out and they were right! Has to be the right tape tho. Purple scotch works good too. Having to pull the tape while it's wet never made sense to me because if you're doing two coats, you have to tape the baseboards twice. Which obviously is a massive waste of tape and $$$.
@@justinranderson just saying what works for me. Like I said, I don't use tape much. Been painting 40 years, pretty much the only thing I use tape for is painting stripes on walls. Don't really need it for anything else except maybe keeping paint off adjacent casings in tight corners.
I have used a very thin layer of caulk over the tape. Apply caulk to the side paint will be applied. Gently pull tape after that segment is painted. Clean straight lines.
I do general renoes so don't paint all day everyday, so I'm with you, I use tape quite a bit. 1st rule- Never let it dry and then try to remove it. It takes 2-4 weeks for the bond to fully develop between latex paint and the surface. Until then it'll just peel right off as you see here.
Definitely recommend to use frog tape. On cutting in second coat, remove tape once it fully soaks in, but before starts to dry.
If you have to tape fresh paint, can try delicate surface blue Frog Tape. Test it first. I doesn't stick very hard and still has the sealed edge tech.
omg, I saw the title and immediately said "this if for me!" thank you so much!
I don't paint regularly and It took a lot of practice but I found learning to cut in to be an invaluable skill. Whenever I mask anything I peel it off WET or leave it an ⅛" back from where my line needs to be to prevent any major boo-boos but do anything I can to prevent painting onto the tape. Had way too many do overs because of tape and just don't trust it anymore.
Same. I still tape things, like appliances or cabinets, etc. As to not get paint on it, but after having problem after problem with painting next to tape, I quit using it on walls, trim, and ceilings, etc. If I mess up, I'll just wipe it off, or come back later with the opposite color and touch up.
As you said at the end. There is an order of operation that you explained perfectly. I do walls last and only tape the base to prevent sprinkles or splatter from pro mar 200 mostly. Great video! This coming from an actual pro painter.
Yeah promar splatters like crazy. I didn't like it. Switched to opulance.
This is great! It's like you're anticipating the steps of my house repair/repaint project.
Have had the never use tape discussion before. My argument is always that typically I don’t use it but sometimes its easier or necessary to use it. It’s a tool just like the rest, sometimes you take it out of the box and sometimes you don’t.
I have been subscribed to your skateboard channel for years and I cannot believe at the tender age of 27. I have now stumbled across your painting video. I had absolutely no knowledge you ran a channel talking about this side of things. Man I’m getting old
Peel off the tape before the paint drys.
Thank you
Too late now 😮
On the ceiling, take a 5in1 tool, and make a little groove to follow on the ceiling. Works good if the ceiling has texture as you knock the texture down
I'm crying as I just did this at the baseboard on an otherwise almost perfect room. I hired someone to do drywall and prime, and they wanted to paint it but was unsatisfied by the quality of their work. I reskim coated, primed and painted two times. Tape is my only failure and was huge, I remembered incorrectly that you should wait for paint to dry before removing tape
The only silver lining is that its the utility room, so not important. I wish you were local to Seattle and I would have just paid you to do it.
What i did wrong
1. Left what the contractor had on the baseboard from priming. This was regular masking tape and was on mud that was weak as well and the paint wicked under
2. Left the same tape on between first and second coat.
My remediation:
1. Remove all the mud from the top of the baseboard so the wall is a right angle to the baseboard top.
2. remove pulled paint and lightly sand edges Doing a minimal spot fill in really low places and brush off after sanding.
3. prime around line with an edger this time, and feather edge to finished paint with a nice bead. (if the edge sucks, revert to frog tape)
4. Second spot fill and reprime the spots. (if needed)
5. If edge looks bad, apply paintable caulk.
6. two layers of paint on the edge. Not really worried about flashing unless really bad. if its bad then its another layer, at least the paint layer will be very strong when it cures.
Tape can be a problem and you have some very good suggestions here. Where I really like to use tape is when I am doing a two-tone room, one wall with a different shade. I use tape to make the line between the two tones [usually the corners] very sharp, straight and crisp. It makes the job much easier and I love the result.
I've been painting for almost 15 years now and the best way I've found to cut base is to not have the base on and I know that's more work but when you want a good finish then you do the work. the only other way to do this is just take the tape off before the paint is dry. As for corners just take the tape off before it's dry even if you're doing multiple coats just new tape and remove it when that coat is done. The best advice I ever got with tape is that you never rely on it rely on your ability to cut-in and the tape is there for backup in case you slip or get too much in your brush.
Something I learned on UA-cam is to remove the tape when the paint is still wet. That prevents the paint from pulling up. If you’ve waited too long already you can quickly add a bit of paint over top and wait a few minutes for the solvent to soften the paint underneath. The downsides are that this is more messy and you run the risk of getting wet paint from the tape onto other stuff if you aren’t careful.
I assume this is controversial, because I’d previously heard you should only remove tape after the pint has dried. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, Ben.
Also, what do you think about those handheld paint guides? My house has a lot of popcorn ceilings so I can’t use tape, and my cut-ins weren’t as good as I would have liked. Seems like a paint guide would result in a good final product.
100% agree. Remove tape right after your done painting the room while paint still wet.
Lil bit of wet paint is easy to clean off trim with a 5 in one and damp rag compares to dry bleed or peeled paint.
You're ceilings are pop corned but not the walls? Are you only painting ceiling? If not next time over cut your ceiling and cut in your walls. Remember chances are only you will notice the lil bit you couldn't hot cause of the corn, plus it will cast shadows and cause the illusion of paint lol.
My best advice tho is get rid of the popcorn lol
@@swirledworld340 I have never seen a popcorn wall in my life…who does that?
I actually only painted the walls, not the ceiling, but I might paint the ceiling in the future. Probably will just remove the popcorn next time I have the chance.
@@sleeknub in the Caribbean 🤣😮💨 there is a place called cowpet in the u.s.v.i the outside literally looks like they slung cow pies on the wall and they popcorned everything, not sure if it was a language breakdown or what...
Something most people don’t realize is that painting tape, even the high end brands, state that you need to remove the tape while it’s still wet and then apply new tape for each subsequent coat of paint. It makes using tape super tedious. So using tape or learning to cut in, just know it’s gonna take sometime.
happened to me in the summer when moisture levels were really high in my home. After running a de-humidifier I noticed the paint pulled much less and although the problem was not absent, it was better with dryer air. Just a tip!
1. Frog tape. 2. Press firmly 3. Remove before the paint dries. Make sure the surface you tape on has been completely cured. If not it will come off with the paint. This is overlooked often when taping on caulk.
Great video. My take: Always peel off the tape before the paint hardens. Even for amateurs avoid tape on ceilings, practice the cutting in there. For the first coat don't use expensive primers, paint the walls with a mist coat of matt emsion paint diluted with water (sorry no idea for gloss paints). On the skirting I put quick dry primer/undercoat on first, overlapping onto the wall then once it's dry tape with UK yellow low tack Frog tape then paint the walls down onto it. Remove the tape as soon as finished painting then paint the skirting (you can low tack the wall if you like but don't rush, let it harden properly). Think that tape is called "delicate" in Canada. I've never had any significant peel with that method. The knife is a good way to get the peel started perhaps for the first inch or so.
Tips: Do your ceiling with Glidden 7700 from Dulux, but do not use a primer on repairs; just roll the ceiling paint over the spots and give your full coat once completely dry. (No matter how many coats of 7700, you will see primer paint if you use it.) Overlap top of walls by a quarter inch when you make a narrow ceiling cut before rolling. This will give you a cutting margin along top of walls. Now put on a fan. While ceiling is drying, paint your trim, baseboards, and doors, but start with applying a strip of paint along all edges that contact the wall, then fill in the woodwork. You needn't be worried about paint on the sides of the frames and tops of the baseboards getting on the wall.
The 7700 should be dry on your wall margin, so cut it in along all walls. Corner and baseboard cuts with wall colour, one wall at a time, and roll. Top of baseboards should be dry enough to wipe excess wall paint. Use a thin angular 2" brush, and an optional larger brush to backfill, lest the cut be not heavy enough. Respect drying time and apply second colour coat. To save time I now use SICO Door & Trim Pearl instead of semigloss. The latter has finer pigments which are slightly translucent, requiring a second, and often a third, coat. Door & Trim will cover perfectly with one coat. Rollers should be 10mm, and don't cheap out. Sometimes I use 6mm on doors but that's when I was using semigloss. The low pile increases shine. It would work with the SICO product.
It's easier and cleaner to just cut it in with no tape. Keep a damp cloth at hand to wipe off, if you get any on the skirting.
A topic I'd like you to cover: "when paint manufacturers 'change the formula'!"
Example: I have used only Benjamin Moore paint inside and outside. I needed a quart to do some minor touch-up, and bought the product I always use. The color didn't match ... WAY OFF! I was told "they changed the formula." The paint store couldn't have cared less and told me the only remedy was to repaint the whole room. They refused to even try mixing-up a matching color.
Home Depot came to the rescue, matched the paint perfectly and I'm super thankful. NOT please with Benjamin Moore or the "fancy" paint store! WHY change a formula when you have a product that's working and clients are trusting that the colors won't arbitrarily change?
Last time I painted, I painted the ceiling and trim. Then cut in the ceiling and used tape on the trim. Painted with a one coat paint. Came out pretty nice.
Cut in the ceiling with a brush but used a small roller around the taped up trim and cut in again with the mini roller as close to the ceiling as I could. Then rolled the walls with a normal sized one. Peeled the tape off as soon as I could.
I'm just a DIY homeowner, but my success with tape has been iffy. Even stepping up to the expensive Frog tape, which works amazingly on flat surfaces that can handle the extra strain (and not like you said, freshly painted or mudded surfaces), the results can sometimes be no better than the cheaper blue stuff. TLDR; I agree with learning to cut in. When you step back and look at it, it's the cheaper, easier approach that yields a better result.
Love the explanations. It makes the process so much clearer.
The best and only way to eliminate these issues is pretty simple. Tape is used in areas where you can’t really get your brush in or in an area where you can’t get proper strokes. If your using tape in open areas you really shouldn’t be painting.
Sometimes you'll be painting the baseboard/wall angle that has a lot of accumulation from old work and that 90 degree won't be present anymore. Two main options: Cut the joint between them just deep enough to sever the paint, carefully remove the baseboards, and either clean the edge up and reinstall or install new ones, or get a high quality scraper that can get you a good 90 degree and scrape the severed paint off the baseboard with it still on the wall. The latter will give you scuffs, but it's a lot less work and you can do easy touch-up after. Installing new baseboards is my favorite as they're pretty cheap, but if you're on a really tight budget and/or have a lot of linear feet to cover you can make do with what you've got.
My rule of thumb while using tape is to take it off before the paint dries. In case you have two coats to put be sure to put enough paint for the first cutting. Then you take
out the tape. For the second coat you don’t have to do as precise. Or the other solution is to find a low tack tape. The frog tape is expensive, a good alternative I find is
the «Edge Pro+» tape made by a company called Cantech (different witdhs). At 11:25 about painting the trims. I think it does the best job instead of doing baseboards first
and cutting walls after. By cutting baseboards last you have crisper lines. I strongly recommend the «Richard 80842 Angular Paint Brush with SoftGrip Handle» that comes in
different widths. As a painter these brushes are saving my life on every job (when doing baseboards.)
On Paint Life TV channel, they showed a trick for popcorn walls/ceilings - they apply a small bead of transparent caulking in the corner and glue the tape to the bead. So there is no paint under the tape and extremely sharp edge.
The last job we did where we painted too I had the hardest time explaining to my "lead guy" that they need to paint the ceiling first and cut in the wall. They were doing it backwards and having an awful time. Seems like the procedure would be obvious but today's youth knows more than the old experienced guys! 😳
This actually happens to me a lot more than I wish. I even use tape when I have to caulk trim. My trick so far is like you said make sure there isn't too much build up on the tape and i remove the tape before the paint fully dries. Not sure if that's a good idea but i think it works pretty good.
I find keeping the tape on the roll really helps. 😉
Paint Life TV has a great technique. He caulks his tape, paints over the caulk, then pulls off the tape while all is still wet. Crisp clean lines. He does use Frog Tape. I’ve tried it. It works just like he showed.
Once you finish painting you MUST remove the tape immediately. If you don’t remove the tape while the paint is still wet the tape becomes part of the wall. There is no seam between the wall and the tape and the paint on the wall just rips off. Happens every single time. When I put down tape I start in one corner and make sure to always overlap the tape in the same direction. As soon as I’m done painting I grab the corner and start pulling. Because it’s all perfectly layered it all comes off in one strip. Just pull and walk around the room. If it’s done right you don’t have to get up on a ladder and try to peel it off. Same with window frames. Just pull all the way around and it’s off. Chuck it in the trash. Now some paint will get under the tape. Not a problem. If it’s still tacky use a flat screwdriver and push it off the wall. If you’re lucky that’s all that’s needed. But if some paint color remains get a toothpick or make a tiny brush out of a hand full of brush hairs and dab some paint of the correct color over the stain. It’s gone.
I have issues with taping and drywall painting lol.
So here's the thing.
I'll give you general background 'why' i think I'm having issues and I'm pretty positive people are going to say "WHAT NEVER DO THAT YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!", yet, it works perfect for me.
I installed the drywall in 2020, coated it all via your videos (thank you for that), etc etc, then I used Kilz Primer on it...as suggested by my mother lol. The "Kilz 2 All Purpose".
Then I picked up all the needed paint...a whole $500+ USD worth of Benjamin Moore Regal Select in the multitude of colors I requested, matte because I'm a monster and hate shine unless it's directly intended as an accent.
So you may be thinking "I bought paint that had a primer in it". At least, that's my current thought.
So anyway. I did the primer, did the paint, accent wall color with blue tape, let dry -- andddddd the tape peels off a great portion of the corner for the much lighter color (not white). Very noticeable, and very...rubbery. Had to sand it smooth, repaint and tried 'without tape' and just a brush as 'suggested by a friend'. LOL that didn't work well.
I ended up grabbing the following different kinds of tape to test with:
Blue tape, Green Tape, Purple Tape.
Purple Tape has a handy little label that says "Safe to use on freshly painted walls". So naturally, my thought was "Perfect!"
Anyway I tried blue and green, same thing popped up. It actually happened regardless of painting on the wall or not, the paint would just 'rip right off'. Little did I know actual 'dry time' isn't a day or a week. It's like a month. I can't wait a month to just paint a wall lol...other things rely on that within the home renovation, even though I live here alone and no real visitors; It's the idea of "stalling my time for useless reasons".
So I came up with solutions...as I always end up doing lol.
So I figured the purple tape actually does not rip off paint from a freshly painted wall. It does as directed, however, it's also not good at being "painting tape". It's thin, and additionally it doesn't leave a crisp edge. It can bleed 'underneath' the tape and cause issues with one color spotting onto the other.
My solution:
Triple tape. But not just any way; I used the purple tape first, about 1/32nd from the edge. Green tape directly above that to add thickness. Then I used the blue tape at the exact edge, making sure it's nice and straight down the wall.
Tried 2 different methods: Leaving the paint dry over night, and ripping it off immediately after painting.
Surprise. This is where everyone, and I mean everyone, will flip at me. I peeled it off immediately after painting, and it was the most crisp edge I could ask for...verses the dry period, which I had to try numerous times and it never worked. I got tired of "sanding the wall for it to be smooth" because I can't just 'paint overtop of the ridge' that's created from the paint ripping.
Anyway, the first dry peel, I didn't cut the tape corner and it was peeling right off. The 2nd time, I cut the edge and the paint didn't rip off.................but it left a VERY LARGE lift off looking edge. It looked ugly.
I think the reason the lift off occurred is due to too much paint build up, as you explained. My issue is that when I originally tried the first tip I got from a coworker in our facilities department was to put a thin layer of paint by the tape, not a thick layer, And use a fresh roller to spread and thin it out so it just tints the wall, but doesn't build up (They do all general maintenance, repairs, etc for the company I work for. I work in the IT sector of this company).
So naturally, I tried this. I'm sure it'll work if "I was doing white". I'm doing dark grays. I'm not doing very contrasting grays. And I'm doing very blue-tinted grays. All of which are matte finish with a microfiber roller, which has minimal texture. You easily notice the 'light spot' by the corner. So that tip unfortunately didn't work for me.
The only thing that worked for me, unfortunately, was this multi-tape method and peeling when wet. I have yet to find a better way, but I'm pretty sure it's due to having the Kilz2 primer on the wall first before paint, since now I'm positive the paint primer acts more as a 'reference for the wall to just rest on' since I have the thicker benjamin moore paint.
The only good news is that '1 coat' completely covers lol. So at least I'm saving a good $65 per gallon for however many in excess gallons I would have needed if I needed to originally "Coat twice".
So summed up.
My fastest, cleanest way to 'do this', if im taping the freshly painted wall (dried for about 6 hours) so I can finish the other wall that same day:
- Purple tape on the wall first, about 1/32" away from the edge.
- Go overtop of that exactly with Green tape
- Go at the edge with blue tape, firmly pressing it on the edge
Then coat the edge and wall (same with ceiling and other wall by the way; I interconnect all the tape with each layer so make a quick peel off).
Then, I do the most criticized thing in the world.
I peel the tape when it's wet because I do not see any issue with it (for starters) and second, if I do NOT peel when wet, it leaves a heavy ridge/bump which is only mitigated by 'lighter coats', which ultimately means 'light edges'. There isn't really a 'fine' line between the two in my experiencing painting my entire house quite a number of times in the last 2 years lol.
But I did find that there is no edge and it dries 'flat' if I just simply 'peel the tape' when it's wet...provided I protect the freshly painted paint from ripping off the walls, and use the 'better' tape to create the designated 'line' so there is no bleeding.
I know for a fact I'll get some person screaming "No don't do that that's bad", but in my house, these are the cleanest lines I've seen...and I work at a multi-million dollar Casino, where "attention to detail" is just as important as "How do we take your money with you being happy we just took your money".
I painted my living room and have lots of moldings and trim to paint around, including a chair molding about 28 inches above the baseboard. I have found that using tape is asking for trouble, especially when its hot inside the room you are painting. I like to use masking paper by 3M. it comes in different widths, and it has a tacky strip on the edge that you use to attach it.
I had no problems with bleed, or lifting the paint when pulling the masking paper off the trim. I have also seen a trick painters use with masking tape. Before applying to a surface, they will
tamp the sticky side of the tape to their pants or shirt to relieve some of the stickiness of the tape. This way its less prone to pull off fresh paint upon removal.
Video was so helpful to me! Thank you 😊 Also what’s the proper order to painting a room? Ceiling first? Or wall and trim first ?
Hahaha- I use painters tape for all sorts of things- except painting😂. I was that guy you were talking about saying "learn to cut in!", Right as you said that🤣🤣. But seriously, cutting in can be aggravating, but much less so than when the tape peels your paint and triples time. We've all heard cutting in is an art. And just like art, it's never perfect. Patience and acceptance will get us far in painting, and life!
When I do use tape, the other thing I do is pull the tape right away, as long there's no running going on...
I’m always having trouble when doing full room remodeling and re doing the drywall and re-plastering. I spray the whole room with primer and then wait till it dries and then spray the ceiling paint. Then the next day I tape off the ceiling and spray the wall paint. I never have trouble with the paint bleeding through, but I always have trouble with the ceiling paint pulling off with the tape. I don’t pull out on the tape, I pull back on it to minimize on the pealing. On the job I’m on now that I sprayed almost a month ago. Waiting for carpet to be installed, I finally was able to put the base and casing on and taped the walls so I could caulk the gaps on the trim up against the wall and the home owner repainted the trim to cover the putty on the nail holes and areas that they didn’t get the best when they painted the trim before I installed. Well when they started taking the tape off it was taking the paint off the walls too in areas. Now I’m not sure if it’s taking both the primer and paint or just the paint, I haven’t really looked into that. My finish coat and texture I use the Diamond veneer finish, I don’t know if that makes a difference or not. What are your thoughts.
I've had good luck with Sico paint. Not so much with Cloverdale but I know people who swear by it. I think they are both good. I always do a light sand between coats to help increase the paint bonding. Thanks for the good advice!
If you are taping over freshly dried mud, use the scotch blue tape with the orange lettering. That tape will not tear the paint or primer off
A: seal the plaster (mud not drywall) before painting. I like the watery sealers which are like diluted wood glue B: try and remove the tape before the paint get's hard....just touch dry. C: score the edge with a dull knife. D: use the tape specific for delicate surfaces.
My 2 cents, especially if you are doing your own house and not a job where time matters, just take your time and cut in everything instead of taping, it’s relatively quick and if you do good job cutting in you can roll close enough you probably won’t need multiple coats of cutting in just rolling which goes quick. And if you do need to use tape somewhere my “ancient Chinese secret” is put the tape against your shirt first which will clean lint off and it will still be sticky enough to block paint but won’t be too sticky to pull paint off from my experience
I’m rallying for the pull up bar mount video but this should hold me over for a bit:). Thanks Ben!!!
Sand or wash the walls with TSP for better paint adhesion. Pull the tape while it is wet. To help prevent bleed under the tape lay down a thin layer of clear caulk and wipe it off, then paint. In this case you have to pull the tape before the caulk starts to set, 30 minutes.
I have had this problem in the past. I always thought it was the paint (latex) polymerizing on the tape and the wall (well, duh). My solution was to remove the tape as quickly as possible before the paint set up. Literally, as soon as the wall was done, pull the tape. It seemed to help and it's my standard practice.
Another great video. I always use Sherwin Williams paint & primer. I make sure I get a can of primer only. I tape from the top/down of the project. I still haven't graduated from 1.5 in. Tape.
To prevent tearing I add mineral spirit to the first coat of paint in the roller pan.
Great video ! Thanks Ben.
I usually paint ceiling and overlap onto wall, then paint trim and baseboard and overlap onto wall, then paint walls cutting to ceiling and cutting to trim and baseboards.
I find it easier to cut wall to trim compared to cut trim to wall.
How do you avoid spray from the roller onto to base board?
@@SmileyBlue69 I use Benjamin Moore "smart" paint ... lol.
But seriously, I'm not sure, I don't have that problem.
Thank you for all your videos! Sometimes I use a hairdryer to remove the painters tape. It helps.
I've tried cutting in all moldings when I paint, I've also tried taping along all moldings when I paint. I have learned that cutting in not only saves time in the long run, but it also eliminates a lot of the problems you get with taping. I taped along all my new moldings when I painted my hallway, it has been a year now and I am still picking away at pieces of tape that are stuck to the moldings.
Painter here. I too always use tape on baseboards. Cutting in at the top is great, because gravity works in your favor. But, cutting upside down against gravity down at the baseboards doesn't make sense to me. I use the yellow frog or purple scotch for baseboards for the lighter adhesion to prevent baseboard paint from peeling when i pull the tape off.
I personally like the sico paint and primer in 1 paints, they cover good over existing paints, not so much for new drywall though. Also dont mix products, i have found that mixing brands almost never works well. Great video! Helpful tips!
I use the cheap tape and a bead of sealant if spraying. I do it your way if brushing good vid like always. Dunedwards paints
If you want to use tape, the most important thing to avoid this issue is to remove the tape while the paint is wet. Another huge problem is the ceiling may not have been painted well enough not to pull the paint off when you remove the tape from the ceiling. Low adhesion tape can help a lot with that
As you said: cutting in is the best way. But as you likewise said: few people apart from experienced pros can
The couple of times i painted I learned within minutes to cut in. Time saver that is.
Thanks, Ben. I've had that exact same problem and wondered why. I thought it was too much drywall dust, even though I used damp cloths to wipe it several times. Good to know it was likely a mismatch between paint and primer, as that is much easier to fix. One thing, though - I think your wall needs a little more remedial work. At 3:42 you can see what looks like a big paint run on the wall above your hand. And just above where the green tape separates from the trim, there's what looks like a valley in the wall with sharp sides. Sorry to mention it, but it's there.
You realize he was called in to fix someone else's botched job, right?
@@thekinginyellow1744 You do realize I was just pointing out there were still issues to solve, right?
@@demophys4883 You were, but you were pointing out things that were completely unrelated to the topic of the video. It's not like everyone else couldn't see the same stuff.
@@thekinginyellow1744 Dude, you're not the video cop, nor is it your job to be offended on someone else's behalf.
@@demophys4883 I am the video cop. It is my job. When I see some douchebag acting out his nature I am compelled to let him know.
I like using tape. I find it relaxing to take my time to tape off areas. I’ve also never had any issue with peeling tape up while the paint isn’t fully dry. Just be careful how you grab the tape or you’re going to get paint all over everything
Frog tape. Has never failed me, especially if after I apply, I wipe over it with a damp microfibre cloth. This technique seems to really seal the connection.
Great tip!
I always take the tape off when the paint is still wet, never gave me a problem. And always use the sharp line tapes, they are more expensive but they leave a very nice cutline.
The type of paint can definitely effect how the tape pulls. I have found the lower grade latex paint is softer and more stringy, it can make the problem worse. Higher quality products are harder. I would also recommend pulling the tape off while the paint is still semi wet or very soft. If you pull at just the right time, the edges will come out more crisp. As a painting contractor for 17 years, I disagree with cutting your edges in by hand. Although I COULD cut those lines by hand with a brush, I DONT. I find it much faster to tape the cuts and spray onto the tape. Especially when there are big color contrasts on the two surfaces. Lots of times it will take two brushed coats for coverage. Spraying is MUCH FASTER to second coat. When your back rolling, be sure not to touch the tape to prevent tape bleeding.
I think you're a good dude. Especially since you posted the new house video and I learned about your little house and all the kids.
On the tape. Im a home owner that's gutted and remodeled the whole. house. My contractor/instructor told me I was a loser for using tape so I have learned to have a steady hand. Not saying I'm better, just saying. And I use a paint store paint because I wasn't shown the home depot and lowes paint.
You never leave tape , especially if paint is quite sticky, 1st coat go without tape and get paint as close as you can than on 2nd coat you go with tape , do 2 meters of corner and remove paint right away, paint won t have time to leak under tape and you will have nice straight line, and this goes especially if you work with black, antracite or any other paint that is high in terms of contrast, don use latex color , use semi gloss or non gloss collor which is better...practice and experince is all
Hi, Ben :)
You are creating a super useful content. You basically taught me how to work with drywall!
Could you please make a video regarding how much you charge for your work.
Thank you :)
I always paint walls before trim and ideally don't tape anything while painting the walls. Only need to carefully cut in at the ceiling or where different coloured walls meet. Just brush out / feather out any wall paint that gets on the trim so it is smooth - no need to worry about cutting in a sharp line. Then tape up the walls with 60day delicate masking tape, paint your trims. Gloss or semi-gloss trim paint is a lot more brittle than wall paint so it won't 'skin off' like the wall paint is doing in this video. With a good quality tape like 3M Scotch 2080 you can let the trim paint fully dry and it'll still create a crisp line. I prefer peeling the tape when fully dry so I don't have to risk it falling back onto my freshly paint trim and ruining the gloss finish. Little shards of dried trim paint which hasn't adhered to the waxy masking tape can go everywhere while peeling so be mindful of that. If the tape pulls away any wall paint (using a delicate tape, it'll only pull paint where there was exceptionally poor paint adhesion), it's much easier to do an unnoticeable touchup on a wall than a gloss trim.
I too am a professional painter, over 20 years in the trade. I found ceilings harder to learn how to cut it, and make the line tight and clean, than trim work. Mainly because with Trim work I can use a damp rag and a putty knife to clean up that cut line if I over cut. Not so easy to do that on ceilings.
I'm not a pro. Can I still leave mean comments?
Seriously though, I am learning a lot from this channel and the comments both polite and mean.
If you have too many layers of paint and/or sloppy caulk jobs around trim, I think you are just better off removing the trim. It isn't to hard to fix the trim afterwards on painted trim (just patch), but difficult (if not impossible) to fix on stained trim. What is really nice about removing the trim is that it cuts way down on the amount of cutting/taping you have to do when rolling the walls, and makes it so much easier to paint those small slivers of wall from doors that are close to another wall!
Thank YOU for all your video! Literally life saviors!
I have a question for you: how to fix paint that peels off of textured wall?
No negative comments, just lots of empathy. Curious what your solution is to fixing this room.
White popcorn ceiling, dark blue accent wall. Cut in the wall as well as I could, erring on missing a bit of the wall. Went back over the spots on the top of the wall with an artist’s brush. Used same to fix a few spots where the dark accent wall met an adjacent white wall.
I usually try to pull the tape off before the paint dries. But the issue you raise, i.e., too much paint in that joint, can be avoided by the user him/herself. Don’t just dump a bunch of paint on that edge and assume the tape will save you. You’re creating a huge problem for yourself, as VC’s video shows. When I paint along a tape, I ‘pretend’ I’m cutting in in order to minimize any paint overlap onto the tape.
Another issue I’d love to see you address is the effect that gets created when you cut in along an edge using a brush, and then come back with a roller to do the main wall surface. That cut-in paint has a much different density and look than the rollered coat. I’ve tried some crazy ideas to overcome this, to no avail. Help!
. . . Also have a look at "Painting and Decorating" channel. That said it's real nice to see you having a go as an amateur as we don't all have the steady hands of a professional decorator. Thanks again.
the best way i find is to use a water based clear paint and seal the edges of the masking tape with that. Let the clear dry to a touch dry state, then put your first coat on, making sure you minimize the amount of paint you get on the masking tape. Once 1st coat is touch dry, you can go hard out and do the second coat. Take the masking tape of straight away and you will have a perfect line. The main mistake i see in this video is that the paint was left to dry. If the masking tape was taken off straight away, i would definitely say there would have been no paint peeling off, such as in this video. i have recently done a black ceiling and got absolute perfect lines by doing it this way.
You can caulk the tape if you’re not using flat paint and peel the tape off before it dries. Thin layer of caulk and wipe off excess before painting