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Interior Painting Tips

"One of the most important things you can do to make the job easier and the results neater is to carefully tape off the area to be painted."

To Tape or Not to Tape


Website: http://www.aracontent.com/

(ARA) - Nothing transforms the look of a room more quickly and less expensively than a new coat of paint. A fresh color can give your room a whole new personality. Perhaps that's why painting is the number one do-it-yourself home improvement project.

There are simple steps you can take to ensure that your paint job looks crisp and professional and will be long-lasting. One of the most important things you can do to make the job easier and the results neater is to carefully tape off the area to be painted. By taping off windows, doors and trim, you'll have straight, even lines and no color bleeding into areas where you don't want it.

Although you may be tempted to skip this step and just get right to the painting, you'll know it was worth it when you see the results. If you think you can achieve a finished look without taping, think again. Even special edging brushes won't give you the ruler-straight lines you're after. And don't even think about doing it freehand -- not many hands are that steady.

However, there is a new tool that can help take the tedium out of taping. The Pro Masker 2000 is a self-aligning tape applicator that provides precision masking up to 10 times faster than doing it by hand. "Taping by hand is a slow and tedious process," say Russ Dunker, vice president of sales and marketing for Geo Mask, the Minnesota company behind this time saver.

If you've taped before, you're probably nodding your head, remembering the "rip and stick" technique you used last time: Tear off a piece of tape, do your best to lay it down in a straight line, smooth out any squiggles and form a tight seal with your fingers, go back and fix spots you missed or crooked edges.

Dunker points out that when taping by hand, it is difficult to get a truly straight line or a good seal to prevent paint from seeping under the tape. "The Pro Masker 2000 has a finishing brush that tucks the tape into seams and corners to ensure a secure seal, even when there are imperfections in the surface you're taping," he says.

Simply place the masker against the surface to be painted, hold the tape in place and begin moving the Pro Masker along the surface -- it's that fast and simple. Carrie Roszell of New Prague, Minn. is glad she discovered this time saver. "I have used it in several houses and my neighbor Tonya paints a room in her house every month. We wouldn't paint nearly as often if we had to spend hours of taping by hand. The Pro Masker 2000 masks off a room in minutes," she says.

Experts recommend using blue or green masking tape, formulated specifically for painting. These specialty painting tapes are available at hardware and paint stores, and they release easily and won't take any paint off with it when you remove it, eliminating surface damage that can be a problem with general purpose masking tape. You won't find yourself scraping gummy residue off of windows or patching areas where paint pealed off with the tape. The Pro 2000 Masker can be used with any standard size masking tape. Using the right tools and taking the time to deal with the details will give you a professional-looking paint that you'll be proud of for years to come.

You can find the Pro Masker 2000 at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse stores, Menards Inc., and other paint stores nationwide. To look for a retail outlet near you, visit www.geomask.com and use the convenient store locator. You can also contact the company at (800) 965-3580.


Note: This article was submitted by a second party and the contents are subject to our disclaimer.

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