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How to remove blue tape

14 years ago

My BIL just bought a house. The living room has blue painters tape still stuck in place around the ceiling line. We pulled on a loose end, and it's taking the paint underneath off! :(

I was thinking of soaking it with a sponge of warm water and then taking it off. Anyone have experience with this problem?

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Comments (4)

graywings123
14 years ago
How are you pulling the tape off? Get up on a ladder with your face close to the tape and slowly pull it back against itself. If that doesn't work, you could gently run a razor blade along the top of the tape at the ceiling line.

I'm not so sure about the sponge and water idea. I would rather touch up the areas of missing paint I pulled off with the tape.
trancegemini_wa
14 years ago
sheesh, I wonder how long the tape has been up there :0

it sounds like the glue has dried out so you could try heating it with a hairdryer as you gently pull the tape away (heating the glue as you go). It may just soften the glue up enough to get the tape off.
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What you have now is the equivalent of retaping a crack in your tape. You have removed the tape. Now score the wall about 1 1/2" away from the tape on each side making a shallow cut just deep enough to go through the mud left on the wall. The cuts will run parallel to the tape spot. Scrape away the mud leaving a recession that is a total of 3" wider than the tape. This will leave you a level 5" wide area for the new tape and mud. Place new mud in the recession (plenty of it) and place paper tape on that has been quickly passed through a bucket of water. Use a 4" or 4 1/2" taping knife to press down on the tape and squeeze out the excess mud. Hold the tape at the top with one hand and press out the excess mud with the other. The tape will be firmly adhered and will lie below the surface. (You will make a mess on the floor but it can be cleaned up quickly.) For step by step details and pictures, check out the site listed below. Here is a link that might be useful: How To Repair Drywall Joints
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And just for fun....there is "yellow" painter's tape called "delicate surfaces". That's the 'nicest' tape on the market. And the OTHER thing you want to keep in mind....don't leave the tape in place for more than a few days. And if you move the tape and find it is peeling the paint - STOP! Find a hair dryer and use HEAT to soften the glue on the tape. The softening will allow the tape to pull away from the paint instead of taking the paint off with the tape.
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kathy77
Original Author
14 years ago
I'll try the hairdryer idea. Touching up looks like it will be inadequate,, it's pulling off more than one layer of paint. He got a great deal on the house, biggest job will be paining. The master bedroom is pink, with YELLOW trim!! Hello, EASTER ??? The other bedroom is medium lavendar, covering all trim, dooers, hinges... The hallway is deep raspberry GLOSS paint :O The living room is forest green. The family room is chocolate brown. But he's happy, first house for him :)
paintguy22
14 years ago
You could try heating up the tape, but if is pulling off the paint underneath it, then that really could mean that the paint underneath it is not adhered well. This is really one of the reasons why we don't tape walls....you never know how well that paint is stuck because you never know what it was painted with initially. Heating up the tape could minimize the damage, but it is likely that you are going to have to patch the damage and repaint....or you could try touching up if they left you some extra paint.

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