How long do you have to wait to peel off painters tape after you paint?
Question:I know that the paint is still supposed to be kind of wet and at a 45 degree angle...I'm just wondering, 1,2,3 hrs.?
Answers:
Depends on the paint but unless you have an awful lot of paint on it, I would do it as soon as you finish the general area so if some paint has leeched through onto the wall it will still be wet and easily removed. 1/2 hour at most for latex...perhaps an hour or so for oil based.
1 HR SHOULD BE FINE
Immediately, or you will peel the wall paint with it if it dries.
Good painters don't use tape often, a good steady cutting stroke is what to aspire to.
i don't know how you paint, but i paint the trim first, then the walls. i know that's not the way the pro's do it, but i find that it is easier to paint a line, cut an edge, on a wall as opposed to on the trim. also, when i paint the trim, i make sure that i get trim paint on the wall about a 1/4" so the seam is covered, and that makes it easier to cut the wall in. and if i am having a bad day trying to cut a line, i use a straight edge against the trim and paint right up to it. another trick is to carry a putty knife and a wet rag in your back pocket, wrap the rag around the knife and you can clean up a straight line with it. this saves time, as i only have to tape the intricate trim pieces. good luck, hope this helps.
Give the 10 to Fordman. I happen to agree. I make all my trim cuts first, let them cure enough to use BLUE painters mask tape, then paint the walls.
Also with any paint the tape should be removed asap. Obviously latex might set before you get from one wall to the next, and the tape should never be pulled from one edge back to the beginning. The proper way is as you believe, work the tape away from the work gently pulling toward you.
Latex will be the challenge in less time due to the fact that it sets quickly and will pull away with the tape. I often find that if I've applied it to heavily, I can score that joint/meeting place with even a butter knife to aid in the release.
Steven Wolf
No offense to one answer, but GOOD PAINTERS use GOOD tape, and a lot of it. The general notion in my reality is to make the customer happy and refer me. If tape helps create STRAIGHT, then it's well worth customer satisfaction
When the paint is dry to the touch. If you wait too long, the tape will be hard to peel off, and leave glue behind.
Try this the next time you paint. It will save you time and money.
If you buy a good brush, wet the bristles with water, and then form the tip of the bristles into a thin line by gently wiping the brush back and forth on a flat surface, you can dip the tip of the brush into the paint and get a VERY SMALL amount of paint on the tip of the brush,
Hold the brush at a 45 degree angle to the surface you are going to paint, and then flair the tips of the bristles against the edge of the surface you want to PROTECT, you will find you can easily paint a very straight line along the edge of your wood work or glass windows in about the same amount of time it takes to apply painters tape, and cut the project time in half, and save on the cost of the tape.
caveat: wet the bristles with water if you are using latex paint, wet the bristles with paint thinner if you are using oil based paints.
ASAP--trial and error and a big mess in my kitchen determined not to use tape at all but if you feel you absolutely must then take it off as soon as you finish each "line"
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