How to stop tape pulling and peeling paint when decorating. How to use tape for the DIY decorator.

We've all been there! We're worried about our cutting in skills, so order a roll of Frogtape, to get, what we hope are razor sharp lines. We finish all the painting, which feels like it's taken an eternity, to see the tape pulling off all the paint underneath! NIGHTMARE!!! It's the most common DIY dilemma we see and we're here to help!

There are two main error where you will be thinking of using tape. Either in the corner, where the ceiling and walls meet, or on the skirting boards and door frames. We'll start on the skirting boards and door frames as this is a simpler solution.

Using tape for painting skirting boards

Firstly a lot of professional decorators now use tape for skirting boards. With the invention of quick drying water-based paints, it means there are more options when it comes to decorating a room rather than painting the ceiling first, then the walls and finally the woodwork. If you are looking to use paint to mask off your skirting boards (and door frames), then follow the process we're about to discuss.

1, Use a primer before your wood paint. This is where most DIY decorators get into trouble. Water-based paint WILL NOT stick properly (adhere) to older style oil based paint. If you use water-based paint and then put tape on it, it WILL pull the paint off. Use a primer first and you will ensure a great finish which lasts. Use a primer like Johnstones Trade Joncryl Primer. This is a easy to use primer which always give great results.

2, Don't worry about being too neat and tidy. Seeing as you will be painting the wall AFTER the skirting board you don't need to worry about getting a neat line between the wall and skirting board. We actually recommend painting 5-10mm up the wall to make sure there is plenty of paint in the corner. This applies to the primer and top coats.

3, Use a good wood paint. We recommend a trade paint. Something like Johnstones Aqua Guard in a Satin Finish. Most people use a satin finish nowadays, so this is the one to go for.

4, The best process would be to paint your ceiling and woodwork on a Saturday for instance. Then you can tape your skirting boards and paint your walls on a Sunday. The wood paint only usually takes around 90mins to dry so you can easily get a primer coat, along with 2 top coats on in one day. It doesn't take as long as you'd think.

5, Paint the walls as you would normally. Then we recommend you to leave the tape over night. If you try and remove the tape after a couple of hours, you can peel the tape off the wall as it hasn't had time for fully cure. Leave a minimum of 5 hours but, over night is best if you can.

6, Slowly remove the tape and you will be left with nice clean lines and no peeling paint!

Now we have the skirting board problem solved, now lets turn our attention to the ceiling and walls. There is one main problem when you come to tape on ceiling and walls and that is you will never know the quality of the paint work which you are looking to paint on. What we mean by that is if you tape on a ceiling or wall you will ALWAYS get some kind of peeling paint. It's inevitable. Sometimes it might only be a few centimetres. Other times it will be the whole wall. In our opinion it's just not worth the risk and it's better to take a little extra time while painting. Here are some tips to help you get the best finish to paint the walls and get good lines when cutting in.

1, When you paint the ceiling paint 2-3cm down the walls. This will help you get a better edge when trying to cut in the walls.

2, Use a good quality trade paint. Go to a Dulux or Johnstones Decorating Centre and use a Matt Emulsion. It will be slightly more expensive but, alot of people don't know that a trade paint is better quality than what you can buy from a DIY store. This means it's easier to apply and you get better results. All for £5-10 more for the room. You'll usually need 5 litres for a medium sized room.

3, Get a stool so your head is almost touching the ceiling. If you can't see you can't paint. Use a stool and make sure you're eye line is good to se exactly what the brush is doing!

4, Use a good quality brush. Something like an Arroworthy Classic Brush. You'll be amazed the difference a good brush can make. It's all about making your life easier and getting better results.

5, Take your time. Start applying the paint with your brush around 1cm from the top of the wall. Put a line of paint and then move closer to the ceiling. Do as good as you can on your first coat. Then improve the last few bits on your second coat. You'll be amazed how it comes together if you take your time and don't put too much paint on your brush.

You now have all the tools to make your next decorating project a good one. Plan what you're going to do ahead of time and take into account the points we've mentioned above. Remember it's only paint and you can always go over any mistakes. The one thing we would say to remember is ensure you use the primer first for skirting boards. Use this along with a little sanding and you'll be amazed by the results!!! Happy Decorating!