Melissa in Australia Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Please help me with this domestic dispute. When you are preparing for painting, do you use masking tape to block out the area you are not painting -- like the edge of the cornice, the skirting boards and the window frame. OR do you just paint with great skill and done need to do any of that rubbish. Me, knowing I don't have great skill, masks the whole area with masking tape - someone else in this household obviously has great skill that I do not possess. that person is not the one doing the painting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tape everything. The taping takes longer than the painting, but I don't like drips on my outlet covers and I don't have the skill to paint without getting paint everywhere. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tape. However, I have a friend who does not need to tape. She has The Great Skill. It’s cool to watch her paint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I do both. I tape both sides of baseboards but I can cut in okay around windows. I remove outlet covers before I paint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tape. I also remove the outlet and switch covers, put down drop cloths, and use player to patch dents. I mentally schedule a day for all the prep, the next day for painting and the next day for clean up. I still end up with marks on the ceiling... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 We do either/both, depending on where we're painting and the surfaces involved. But we use painter's tape, not masking tape. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tape. Dh does not. You can tell who did what. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tape. I have above average skill, but I want it to look like I have great skill. ? I am the family painter. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I never tape. I despise painting tape. ? Here's why: even if you tape very carefully, you can make a small mistake in taping and the paint will seep underneath and you'll never know it until it's too late. If you're painting and make a small mistake, you can quickly wipe it away. However, I have done massive amounts of painting; probably at least 30 houses. I paint very carefully and use a really good brush. Mine looks professional, if I do say so myself. ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I would tape for myself, but DH actually CAN cut in without using tape. He's proved his skill multiple times. His dad is the same way. But if there is a person who THINKS they have the skill but doesn't possess it, that would be very frustrating... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 18 minutes ago, mom@shiloh said: I never tape. I despise painting tape. ? Here's why: even if you tape very carefully, you can make a small mistake in taping and the paint will seep underneath and you'll never know it until it's too late. If you're painting and make a small mistake, you can quickly wipe it away. However, I have done massive amounts of painting; probably at least 30 houses. I paint very carefully and use a really good brush. Mine looks professional, if I do say so myself. ? Yes, a good brush is essential! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I no longer tape. I am the family painter and have painted way more than my fair share. When I was a young painter, I taped everything with painters' tape. It was a PITA, but I thought it necessary. There were still imperfections. Nothing is worse than pulling tape away and part of your paint! Ugh. It's so much harder to touch that up and even if you buy the good tape and are very careful it will sometimes happen. Tape won't save your ceiling either. I think I do a better job without tape. I use a good brush, a steady hand, and a wet wipe for accidents and it looks better or just as good as with the tape in half the time. HOWEVER- if you don't have the experience, definitely tape. If my kids are going to help with any of the cutting in or woodwork, I'll tape for them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Dh and I have different approaches- he likes to tape, I like to use a cut in brush. In the end both of us do excellent work so we have agreed that whoever is doing the painting gets to choose the method. If we do it together one does trim and the other walls so our methods don’t collide. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I use Great Skill and remove outlet/light covers. I may use tape in situations where it's awkward angles (like a corner that has a cabinet butting up against a wall). 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Yes- please, please, please remove outlet covers. The previous owners of our house did not and I've had a terrible time trying to pry them off the walls as they were sealed in. And then I have to replace them all because they spattered paint all over and I can't get it off. It wasn't too noticeable when the spatter was the same color as the walls but now it sticks out. And check your floor for splatter. Every time I mop, I get more splatters off that the previous owners left on the hard wood. It's tiny dots here and there, but it would have come up easily if they'd just mopped the floor a day or so after painting. Now I ruin my fingernails every time. The only thing I was too lazy to do was removing the door frame to cut into a tight corner. I don't have the skills for that and DH wouldn't do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachGal Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I would tape using frog tape like Patty Joanna does it especially if the trim contrasts with walls. We just installed new baseboards and door trim this year. We bought it primed, then painted the fronts, cut it and nailed it in, patched the nail holes, caulked between the trim and wall, primed the area that meets the wall, then finally painted all trim again. In some areas I taped and others not. It’s an involved process but I like sealing everything together. Looks great and SO happy it’s finally done. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I usually paint without tape. I take greater care this way and there are usually less problems than if I used tape. As PPs have said, it's a lot easier to wipe away a mistake when you see it immediately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 We tape. But we don't use masking tape. We use Frog tape - it helps seal those areas you don't want paint but still comes off smoothly. We've tried off-brand Frog tape, but we go back to Frog tape. It is more money but we've found it works better for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIN MOUSA Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I personally choose to mostly not tape. I do remove light switch and outlet plate covers, and then put tape over the outlets - I've swiped an outlet with the roller before, and it was a beast to clean, plus I had to flip the power so I wasn't scared of wiping it. However, I think whoever is DOING the work of painting should be free to choose HOW to do the work. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tried Frog tape when we painted our bedroom a couple of months ago. I don't really know what my expectations were, but as far as I could tell it worked exactly as well as the regular blue painter's tape by Scotch or Duck. I can't say we've ever encountered any issues with those, though, so I really don't know how Frog tape could have been better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 As a former military member and wife of a military guy, we've moved a bit and painted a lot. I can cut without tape. Easily. If you cannot, then tape on! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 The person who does the majority of painting in this household tapes. That person is not me. The painter is an excellent painter and I will defer to their judgment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I tape and so does DH. It is a lot of work, but I have found every time I think I can get by without it I mess up. However, right now I am painting our carport and I am not bothering. I am using thin cardboard to use as a guide in certain places, but since I don't care as much about the little imperfections, I am not bothering to tape. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Do people really not remove outlet and switch covers? That’s nuts. It takes like 20 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 55 minutes ago, Annie G said: Do people really not remove outlet and switch covers? That’s nuts. It takes like 20 seconds. We do. And then we tape the screws to the back of each cover so we don't lose them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I do tape baseboards, but only to catch drips not because I can't cut in cleanly. I use a special angled brush with a short rubber handle for cutting, and I've done enough painting that I can draw a straight line with that brush just as well as I could with a pencil. I always remove outlet and switch covers. If I were painting a large area and wanted help from the kids (or anyone else who was not very experienced) I would insist they tape. But frankly it's quicker and easier for me to skip the taping and just do the painting myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I'd rather NOT tape and have to clean up my mistakes, than tape and pull it off only to reveal bleed-behind. Or worse, wait too long to remove it and have it peel off paint you want to keep. That's rage-inducing. ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 thanks. DD and I taped. The person who is not painting has given us both a dressing down. ? We are yet to paint. We had to have time to calm down ( recover) so we would start painting in the right frame of mind. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 The person not painting has no right to criticize. Hope your painting goes smoothly, and since you did excellent prep, I’m sure it will. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIN MOUSA Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Having once been the person who told others (read: DH) how to do things, I've realized that if I want something done a specific way, I need to do it myself. And if someone else is doing the work, then I need to back off and let them do the work, however they want. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 We have a rule in our house between adults, "you can ask me to do something or you can tell me how to do something, but you can't do both". Works great 98% of the time. ? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 27 minutes ago, JIN MOUSA said: Having once been the person who told others (read: DH) how to do things, I've realized that if I want something done a specific way, I need to do it myself. And if someone else is doing the work, then I need to back off and let them do the work, however they want. I learned this lesson myself soon after I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. If I couldn't do the dishes or clean or whatever and dh had to do it, then he got to do it his way. I had to tell myself over and over: There is more than one right way. There is more than one right way. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 15 hours ago, Annie G said: Do people really not remove outlet and switch covers? That’s nuts. It takes like 20 seconds. Some people like their outlet and switch plates to match the wall color. There are several ways this can be done, the least expensive way is to paint over the exisiting plates. The thing is, the plates are supposed to be removed from the wall, primed, painted, and reinstalled when dry. This allows for easy removal in the future. Apparently previous owners of our house liked this look but took the lazy route to achieving it. They not only painted the plates, they also painted the outlets, switches, baseboards and everything else attached to the walls. We not only had to replace the plates, but also most of the switches and outlets. In answer to the original question, I taped the floor but did not tape anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 42 minutes ago, Sherry in OH said: Some people like their outlet and switch plates to match the wall color. There are several ways this can be done, the least expensive way is to paint over the exisiting plates. The thing is, the plates are supposed to be removed from the wall, primed, painted, and reinstalled when dry. This allows for easy removal in the future. Apparently previous owners of our house liked this look but took the lazy route to achieving it. They not only painted the plates, they also painted the outlets, switches, baseboards and everything else attached to the walls. We not only had to replace the plates, but also most of the switches and outlets. In answer to the original question, I taped the floor but did not tape anything else. Don’t think I’ve ever seen them painted. Or wait....maybe that’s the point. When painted wall color you don’t notice them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Some people are just terrible painters and try and fail to paint around the outlet covers and then don't wipe up their messes. In every room of the house. Some people also fail to paint or tape their baseboards when painting the wall and subsequently leave paint dots all over them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 painting done. the room looks clean and fresh. I know that nobody can make you happy - but somebody can make you feel very unhappy. (I don't know what I did wrong but whatever it is it is something that has made someone furious) ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Glad the painting is done and looks nice. Hope whoever is irritated gets over it quickly and you can move forward. What a way to put a damper on your project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 I cannot get a crisp, straight line without taping. Anyone with that skill would be invited to do the edges OR zip it. I’ve no patience for those who give unsolicited advice but are too lazy to back it up with actual effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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