How to Professionally Mask Vehicle Apertures for Painting

It’s almost completely impossible to avoid working in and around vehicle apertures when your day-to-day is filled with full and partial refinishing jobs. But at the same time, apertures are notoriously difficult to mask off properly, which can leave you with a lacklustre paintwork finish affected by overspray and other common paint issues.

In this guide, we cover the best practices for masking apertures guaranteed to help prevent overspray, reduce rework, and achieve a perfect, clean finish for your customers every single time.

What are vehicle apertures?

A vehicle aperture refers to any opening or space in the car’s body where parts fit together. For example, the door jambs are an aperture because this is the opening between the car door and the car’s body. Similarly, with bonnets and boots – the gaps when these are opened are also classed as apertures. 

Why masking apertures can be tricky

Irregular shapes and limited accessibility in apertures can make these areas difficult to mask off accurately with general masking tapes. Even with a thinner masking tape, application can be fiddly, and the finished result can potentially be compromised as a result of using a tape that’s ultimately unfit for the intended purpose.

This is where specialist masking tapes really come into their own. A tape with unique properties designed for use in apertures is the best way to achieve a high quality, clean paint finish with no overspray.

Best tapes for masking apertures

At JTAPE, our foam tapes offer the flexibility, design and features to mask off a range of vehicle apertures with precision. Both options below are perfect for the job, so it’s down to personal preference which one you choose to use.

 T-TAPE Foam Masking Tape and Advanced Foam Masking Tape

T-TAPE Foam Masking Tape features a flat T-shape design with a graduated edge, which leaves a feathered paintwork finish. Specifically designed for masking the inner surface of vehicle access points, including B & C posts, bonnets, boots and removable liner, T-Tape offers excellent efficiency and time saving for refinishing jobs around these tricky areas. Meanwhile, JTAPE Advanced Foam Masking Tape is designed to mask all apertures of the vehicle and prevent overspray, saving valuable time and leaving you with a high quality finish. With its offset, foam-based adhesive applied to fixed parts or moving parts, masking tricky contours and edges in apertures like bonnets, boots, and door jambs becomes simple, quick and easy.

Applying  T-TAPE Foam Masking Tape to mask apertures

Whether you’re applying T-TAPE in door jambs, bonnet gaps or B and C posts, following the steps below will leave you with flawless tape application and result in a high quality finish.

1. Tear off the required length and peel the release liner away, exposing the adhesive edge. Be sure to avoid touching the adhesive because this could reduce its effectiveness.
2. Carefully position the tape along the edge of the aperture, taking time to ensure the tape is applied in the desired position.
3. Once you’re happy, apply pressure to secure T-TAPE in place.
4. Close the aperture and spray the required area. The tape will protect the interior from overspray and leave a seamlessly blended finish.
5. To remove the tape, stretch it at a 45° angle to ensure clean removal with no leftover adhesive residue.

Applying Advanced Foam Masking Tape to mask apertures

Our Advanced Foam Masking Tape can be applied to various apertures, including moving and fixed parts. Below, we’ve outlined the simple step-by-step process to ensure your application is spot on.

For moving parts:

1. Apply Advanced Foam Masking Tape to the moving part without stretching it, being sure to leave the non-adhesive section extended.
2. Apply pressure to secure the tape in place.
3. Close the bonnet, boot or door and adjust the tape into the gap to the required depth.
4. After preparing the vehicle to be painted, adjust the tape back so the clear coat covers the base coat, and then apply the clear coat.
5. After the baking process, simply stretch the tape away from the vehicle to remove it from the aperture.

For fixed parts:

1. Apply the tape to the back of the fixed part, leaving the non-adhesive section extended.
2. Apply pressure to secure the tape in place.
3. Close the bonnet, boot or door and adjust the non-adhesive section of the tape into the gap to the required depth.
4. After preparing the vehicle to be painted, adjust it back so the clear coat covers the base coat and then apply clearcoat.
5. After baking, stretch the tape away from the vehicle to remove it from the moving part of the aperture.

Armed with the right masking tapes, you can achieve the best results for customers no matter which parts of the vehicle you’re working on.  

 T-TAPE is JTAPE’s newest innovative solution for this, sitting alongside our comprehensive range of foam tapes, helping you to achieve the perfect finish when masking vehicle apertures for painting.