How to Mask a Room

Understand that regular masking tape and "painter's tape" aren't the same thing. Painter's tape is usually blue or green in color and has less adhesive on the back, so it's easier to remove. Painter's tape is available at hardware, home and paint stores and costs just a little more than regular masking tape. It's also available in a range of widths from ½ inch up to about 1 ½ inches or even 2 inches.

After you've prepared the room and the area to be painted (including laying down drop clothes), it's time to mask your room.

Apply your painter's tape in relatively short lengths (about 12 inches to 24 inches long). Overlap the sections by a couple of inches and make sure the tape doesn't cover any areas you want to paint.

Press the tape down firmly. Ensure there aren't any open seams, folds or bubbles where paint can sneak under and ruin your finished room's appearance.

After masking the room, paint it. You should be able to paint safely over the edge of the tape without worrying about any paint getting underneath.

Allow the paint to dry. If your room needs two coats, do the second coat before removing the tape (as long as you aren't doing the second coat a week or so later).

Once the paint has dried, use your utility knife (making sure you have a sharp blade) and run it along any seams or joints. You want to literally cut through the paint that's overlapping the tape, so when you remove the tape, little bits of paint won't peel off the wall.

Starting at a seam, peel off the painter's tape. Remove it in a slow continuous motion pulling at a 90-degree angle. The tape should come off easily, leaving a sharp clean paint line.