Drying time between coats is listed on the directions for using the paint, and of course varies with temperature and humidity. I am not a pro painter, but over the years, have had a variety of results using painter's tape. I've found its ability to peel up and leave a crisp edge is related to the quality of the paint, but with BM, you won't have a problem. The method I use does not include pressing the tape down with a putty knife or sealing it with other paint. What I do is put it down, and press it with my finger, but when I paint, I paint as if there's no tape there at all. That takes longer, but what you get is not a lot of paint on the tape, and you get nice, crisp edges when you peel it off. When you really slop the paint on, peeling the tape off is likely to leave ragged edges. As to when to remove the tape, I don't do it sooner than 24 hours after I lay down the last coat. The tape usually comes with guidelines as to the maximum amount of time it can be left applied before its removal will do stuff like pull up the drywall paper.

I usually use the yellow tape on poly, varnish and lacquer. The yellow tape is much cheaper than the blue and has a much higher tack. If you are pulling the finish off with the blue, then there is certainly something up with the finish. Cure time would only be an issue if the poly was water based and even then a month is plenty of time for a full cure. I spray varnish and poly on trim and tape it off the next day and have never had an issue with pulling off the finish ever. I would call your cabinet builder and ask him why this is happening.

If the paint on which you put the tape has not cured for at least several days or was applied on a surface that was not prepared properly (i.e., lightly sanded and possibly primed), the the tape will pull away the paint. All you can do in this case is go back and touch up the surface on which the paint pulled off with an artist brush. Here is what works for me to get a straight line on trim/wall joints: Apply the painter's tape, then either apply a very thin bead of clear painter's caulk at the joint, wipe off the excess with a damp cloth - you want a very thin layer, let it dry, paint, let dry for 30 mins. or so, then pull off the tape. On ceiling/wall joints, apply the 2" tape to the ceiling, indenting into the ceiling about 1/8". Wall/ceiling drywall joints are always uneven, so it's impossible to get a straight line by finding the exact 90 degree angle point. Indenting into the ceiling about 1/8" solves that problem. When you paint, the wall color paint will fill that 1/8" space, but you'll never notice it. All you'll see is a straight line. After you've applied the tape, paint a thin layer of the ceiling paint along the edge of the tape and let dry. Paint a 2-3" strip of the the wall paint along the tape edge, being sure not to "glop" a lot of paint at the tape edge. You don't need to remove the tape right away. You might want to leave it on until you roll the whole wall because invariably, if you're like me, the roller overshoots and I get a splotch of paint on the ceiling which I quickly have to wipe off. With the tape still there, you have that margin of safety. Once the walls are painted, pull the tape off and you should have a real nice straight line. Another hint for using the Frog tape: Apply it, then moisten the joint edge with a damp cloth. That activates the "glue", creating the bond ahead of time. I found that the Frog tape works well along the side edges of doors/windows/cabinets, but not as well along baseboards. I still like the caulk idea the best along baseboards.

Well, I think if he damaged your floors, you need to tell him that he has learned a good lesson about "high adhesion" tape and you'll be sending him an estimate for the cost to get them repaired. Did you buy it from a local flooring store? My local store would help me get it fixed. I'm guessing they'd order more of the same product and hope it's a match. Keep him informed as to what you're doing, and withhold the appropriate amount of payment for the painting job. And he will need to pay you for the rest of the cost to fix the floors. I'm curious what he taped down like that? And all over the room like that??? I have painted my whole interior a couple of times, and some rooms more than that. I use drop cloths, and sometimes those rolls of paper you find in HD....and only blue painters tape. I would never use anything called "high adhesive" tape. I have never seen that, though I'm only a diy-er...but even I know better. I have never taped down anything onto flooring, and I can't think of a reason why that's a good idea.