The cost of painter`s tape...

[Bunky]

I was polishing the glass with Ceriglass (can be messy) but ended up going though a decent amount of tape. It is not cheap. It was one of the hidden largest expenses (beyond time and machines) when polishing if you do it right.

I am not a taping expert like Todd H - the bella taper -- is.


Exposure: f9@1/60 sec, ISO 3200

[Ronkh]

I tape about as well as I do windows................. uuuhhhhhh

[ShaneB]

I hate buying tape. You get what you pay for though. Cheap masking tape is such a pain to use!

[Tpr1634]

I just orders 3m automotive tape "green" I`ve just used the the blue painters tape. It`s just an added expense and a pain it the ass to do. I will have to see if the green is really better then the blue.

[Old Pirate]

One more little expense that will send more if one didn`t use it.

[JHL88]

I don`t use tape anymore, and I have no regrets!

[Bunky]

It took me almost as much time to tape as to polish it. However, it saved cleaning the trim...been there, done that.

[Migue]

I just orders 3m automotive tape "green" I`ve just used the the blue painters tape. It`s just an added expense and a pain it the ass to do. I will have to see if the green is really better then the blue.

I use the cheap blue painter`s tape for non-brittle surfaces like paint surfaces/glass, then use the Green 3M for trim . Tried using nothing but Blue but it was just coming off too easily when applied to trim and it was driving me nuts.

[Tpr1634]

It took me almost as much time to tape as to polish it. However, it saved cleaning the trim...been there, done that.

That`s my issue its very time consuming.

[JSFM35X]

I used the kamikaze tape this weekend. The plus is it is sticky enough but not too sticky. There was no transfer of adhesive even in areas where I hit the tape with the buffer. It came off easily and cleanly.

The negative was I used a roll and a half on the jeep. This stuff is not cheap. I will use it on my cars. If I was a pro I most likely would not. It just too costly. Comes to close to 7 bucks a car. Plus freight.

[Nth Degree]

I hate taping too. It is one of those aspects that add to the price of a proper detail that people often don`t understand. I like the 3M Vinyl Tape in 1/8" and 1/4" for curves and emblems. Not cheap, though. I use regular blue painters tape for most taping. Only problem is if I decide to wash the vehicle to remove compound dust before final polish it doesn`t do well once wet. The vinyl tape continues to hold strong but easy to remove when ready. Need to find a cost effective alternative in wider options that hold up just as well to water.

A little tip: Always run a piece of tape across the base of the window to prevent compound/polishing dust from settling into the weather stripping/window guide or you might find yourself fighting streaky windows every time they get rolled down. It makes cleanup much easier.

[JSFM35X]

Great tip.

I hate taping too. It is one of those aspects that add to the price of a proper detail that people often don`t understand. I like the 3M Vinyl Tape in 1/8" and 1/4" for curves and emblems. Not cheap, though. I use regular blue painters tape for most taping. Only problem is if I decide to wash the vehicle to remove compound dust before final polish it doesn`t do well once wet. The vinyl tape continues to hold strong but easy to remove when ready. Need to find a cost effective alternative in wider options that hold up just as well to water.

A little tip: Always run a piece of tape across the base of the window to prevent compound/polishing dust from settling into the weather stripping/window guide or you might find yourself fighting streaky windows every time they get rolled down. It makes cleanup much easier.

[Stokdgs]

Having Painted before, I really know and understand the importance of perfect, quality, tape and process..

Any automotive paint shop will sell great tape that most Painters use..

The green 1/4" and 1/8" Painters tape sizes are my favorite for all those little thin areas (like between and beside the C pillars), and they flex and bend nicely around curves and corners, if you want to learn how to do this..

The Meguiars tan tape is really pretty good and is way cheaper than any of the blue tapes.. I use it all the time..

If you want to save on tape and cover more areas there is always the 3M hand tape machine that holds a roll of paper of various widths to get the edge taped and then past it..

I would worry about anyone that never tapes anything.. There are just too many things like rubber and plastic that can get damaged beyond repair if you accidentally touch it with a Rotary, etc...

Here`s an idea - quit dusting everything - there is no need to run your compound to totally dry and dust..
If you want to really watch your work, you should be able to detect when its starting to dry and spritz something on it to keep going longer..
If you have learned by practice, how much product to put on your pad each time you use it, there will eventually be very little left to dust or even clean up...
The Pad will hold it for you, as it was always designed to do...
You will need more than a couple of pads if you really want to pursue this..

There is merit to running a piece of tape between door jambs to help keep stuff out of there if necessary - we did this in the paint shop but did it in a way to not leave a "line" where the paint landed and built up - even if it was just a little.. Its called Back Taping, and I have talked about this many times before..

Any Blue painters tape will always be way more expensive than the light tan painters tape, so you have to decide if you want that additional expense, vs the tan tape that works pretty darn good in thousands of body shops every day..

Good luck !
Dan F