3 Essential Masking Tapes & Masking Products for your Painting & Decorating Trade Kit

Any tradesperson is only as good as the tools and kit they carry. A plumber wouldn’t be much use without a top-quality wrench. A roofer wouldn’t be very good without a sturdy ladder, and a painter and decorator wouldn’t be able to leave a professional finish without the use of high-quality masking products.

In this blog, we will highlight a selection of essential masking products you should have in your professional painting and decorating kit.

 

What would the painting and decorating trade be without masking tape?

As a professional painter and decorator, picture a world without masking tape or film.

It’s probably not a great thing to imagine, but it would likely involve lots of wasted time desperately avoiding adjacent surfaces and painstakingly trying to achieve perfectly straight edges by hand. Or worse still, you rush the job, resulting in a subpar finish for the customer. Either way, your customers are unlikely to be satisfied with the job.

The use of masking solutions can help to not only maintain but enhance your reputation and credibility with existing customers. This can also lead to attracting potential new customers locally thanks to recommendations through traditional word-of-mouth and, more recently, online via social media.

 

Essential tapes for P&D

JTAPE have a range of tapes that can cater to almost any need, no matter how niche your use case is. There are, however, a few tapes that we’d recommend every painter and decorator to invest in. Let’s take a look at these can’t-do-without products.

1.      An all-rounder painter’s tape

An all-rounder painter’s tape is the tape you grab to do almost any job. It’s reliable, usually the least expensive, and can do most jobs with no questions asked.

A tape like JTAPE 120°C Blue Masking Tape provides instant grab, alongside a thicker crepe tape to mask off essential areas quickly and effectively. It will also leave no residue if removed correctly, making it a must-have tape for any painter and decorator.

JTAPE blue masking tape

2.      Low tack tape

Low tack tape is a tape that’s easier to remove than a high tack alternative. It’s essential for painters and decorators because it’s designed for temporary applications, meaning it won’t cause damage to existing paintwork when applying a second coat or touching up work before finishing. Plus, it’s less likely to disturb the plaster on walls and ceilings during tape removal.

JTAPE 80°C Premium Masking Tape is ideal for this task, thanks to its residue-free removal, flexibility, and low-tack.

3.      Fine line or precision tape

When a job requires precision, as painting jobs frequently do, you’ll need a precision tape to get the job done properly and efficiently. It’s thinner and easier to manoeuvre, making it ideal for use in small, tight areas.

JTAPE 120ºC Lime Precision Masking Tape is available in sizes ranging from 1mm width right up to 48mm width and is suitable for both solvent-based and water-based paint systems. The translucent tape enables visibility through to the surface below and provides residue-free drying, even with sensitive substrates.

Other useful masking products for trade painting & decorating

As well as these essential tapes, there are other items that we’d recommend painters and decorators to invest in. Here are just a few of them:

  • Protection and masking films or papers: High-quality protection and masking films or papers are absolutely essential for any professional painter and decorator. They’re crucial for protecting larger surfaces, like windows or doors, from paint.
  • Film cutter: A dedicated film cutter can save ample time, particularly if you’re protecting large windows, radiators, or furniture. The JTAPE Premium Masking Film Cutter is trusted by painters and decorators worldwide, helping them to achieve increased efficiency by reducing preparation time and always ensuring a clean cut to prevent unnecessary wastage.

 

Things to consider when choosing P&D tapes, films & other masking products for trade professionals

As a painting and decorating professional, you must select the correct products to achieve the best results for your customers. Here are a few things to consider when investing in products.

Quality

You’ve probably heard the phrase buy cheap, buy twice. It’s absolutely true. Purchasing a product that’s lower quality just because it’s cheap can lead to jobs needing to be redone or  problems occurring later on, which can ultimately harm your chances of repeat business or attracting new customers through recommendations.

Tack

Tack refers to the ease with which a masking solution can stick to a substrate. Low tack tapes or films are ideal for tasks where it’s important not to damage the paint underneath. High tack does have its place for jobs that require it, so you should be aware of which works best for specific jobs.

Widths

Particularly for tapes, it’s important to note that these are available in a wide variety of widths to match different uses. Before purchasing a tape, do a bit of research to make sure that the tape you’re buying is suited to your needs. A wider tape will protect more of the surface it’s applied to, but a thinner tape could work better for masking off more intricate areas or when creating patterns.

 Amounts required

Buying in bulk is often cheaper than buying individual products, but that might not be a useful investment for products that are rarely used or if there is a limited shelf life. Consider how much you’re likely to use a tape, film, or paper and when you expect to have consumed it by before going ahead with the purchase.

Ease of residue-free removal

JTAPE tapes and films are designed to be easy to remove and leave no residue, saving you valuable time having to apply touch ups to the paint job afterwards.

Specialised features

Even though there are all-purpose tapes and films that will do a good job at almost anything, some jobs require specialised masking solutions with specialised features. Jobs like producing fine lines require specialist tape to achieve a high quality, professional finish, for example.

Cost

As a trade professional, you need to make sure that you can make a profit from your skills and labour. Investing in expensive masking products might be necessary, but you will need to adjust costs accordingly.

 

Whether it’s walls, skirting boards, ceilings or windows that you’re masking, by using the correct products, you can ensure a professional finish every time. To start your research, take a look at all of JTAPE’s products and determine which products will complement your skills and deliver the best service for clients.

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