# Using Painters Tape for Caulking to get a Perfect Straight Line



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I'll be honest, I've never had much luck with the blue tape/caulking method. I'm sure it's me, but, I either wait to long to pull it off or I pull it off too soon and both results are bad. There must be a magical moment when you pull it off and it comes off fine. For now, after 42 years, I'll just keep using my finger......which, can be a nightmare too especially when your finger hits something sharp in the caulk or along the wall and you get sliced.


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## Mike Milam (Mar 3, 2017)

I use painters tape when I'm using silicone caulk around bathtubs or edge of tile. I remove it as soon as I have the caulk wiped smooth. Just try not to leave a heavy build up over the tape.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Generally fingers also........

I've seen some HO's try tapeing.....and the difficulty/problem is ending up with a smooth line tapered out to smooth verse a ridge in the caulk.

(In maybe a couple of strange issues where it is difficult to get an even initial caulk line ...maybe some tape...then pull off excess immediately...and finger it out smooth.)

Did that make sense..??


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## powersrp (Apr 12, 2020)

Most are correct in just leave the tape out of the project. It does work good when using grout chaulk or cement patch chaulk. Use same finger technique when using silicone also, but use laquer thinner on finger. I once had a new log home, I chinked that whole house, it took me two summers, blue tape was my best friend, I would run the whole length then peel tape, by then it would set a bit and you could fix any goobers with a damp foam 1” brush. I Also installed many many marble showers, tubs, vanities, and many many many counter tops. Wish i had a quarter for every tube of chaulk i have squeezed. 


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## Kemper100 (Sep 16, 2017)

Yea I don't think I'll be using that technique again. I waited too long and the caulk start to get a skin on it and when I pulled that tape off I got rippling effect. It work ok where I pulled the tape off a few minutes after finishing but for the time it took to apply the tape the finished product doesn't really look any better than pulling the line with my finger.

I'll need to go back over 90% of the room again tomorrow.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

First time I used the tape method, it was the nicest bead I ever put down. Trick is not to put too much caulk. And do only one long swipe with your finger. I pull the tape off right away. 

If you have a ridge where the tape edge was -- you put too much caulk.


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## powersrp (Apr 12, 2020)

yepp, and lay the tape out so you can pull it off so it doesnt pull off the next run of tape and chaulk , kind of like painting


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## JLawrence08648 (Mar 1, 2019)

Either way, the key is a small hole, a very small hole, in the caulk nozzle, you'll get a very nice bead.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

The tip should be cut to a size that is appropriate for the gap being caulked.
I don't think I've ever used tape when caulking although I can see where it would be beneficial to those with minimal caulking skills.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

I only get to caulk every few years so I have very little practice/experience. So, I use tape every time. I apply caulk per section, smooth it immediately with my finger then peel of the tape right after so the caulk edge looks nice and flat.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

Its a great method when done properly. You have to wipe the crap out of the side of the tape for starters. The caulks ONLY job in this situation is to seal the tape from paint bleeding through.. And you have to pull immediately after painting. So, I usually will run the tape, paint my first coat very close to the edge, but dont caulk it until the second coat, then pull the tape right away. For those who say they never use tape has never had to transition colors on a bullnose edge, like this picture shown. This method also works great for caulking cabinets to the wall with a perfect line, or inside of windows.


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## Kemper100 (Sep 16, 2017)

woodco said:


> Its a great method when done properly. You have to wipe the crap out of the side of the tape for starters. The caulks ONLY job in this situation is to seal the tape from paint bleeding through.. And you have to pull immediately after painting. So, I usually will run the tape, paint my first coat very close to the edge, but dont caulk it until the second coat, then pull the tape right away. For those who say they never use tape has never had to transition colors on a bullnose edge, like this picture shown. This method also works great for caulking cabinets to the wall with a perfect line, or inside of windows.


I actually use this technique on the "inside of the window in the kitchen" right after my first try on on the base and door casing that I let set too long. It really did a nice job, that said I doubt I use it for anything beside something like that but for trim against a wall I'll just use the typical finger swipe as I don't think it's worth the time to tape it all off IMO and YMMV.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

Kemper100 said:


> I actually use this technique on the "inside of the window in the kitchen" right after my first try on on the base and door casing that I let set too long. It really did a nice job, that said I doubt I use it for anything beside something like that but for trim against a wall I'll just use the typical finger swipe as I don't think it's worth the time to tape it all off IMO and YMMV.


Ok, Im confused. Are you caulking to fill cracks, or are you just trying to make a perfect tape line for paint? Cuz its two seperate processes, (usually)

If you are painting a wall and a jamb, you would calk the jamb to the wall, paint one or the other, then, if so desired, run tape and caulk for your perfect line. If you need to keep caulk and paint off the other surface, like a cabinet, or window, or whatever, you could use the tape method to kill two birds with one stone. Tape, caulk, paint, pull, while its wet. Theres still a technique involved though. it has to be taped a certain way. If the tape is too close to the corner, it will mess up the caulking when being pulled. about a 1/16" out is usually good. You still need to wipe as much as you can off the tape edge too.

Also, what video did you watch? Some of them have unnecessary steps. For example, if you are going to caulk over your tape, theres no reason to use expensive frogtape, or even blue tape, unless the surface itself is delicate. Regular old masking tape will work. if you're using frogtape, and the wall isnt textured, you can dampen the edge with a wet rag, and that seals the tape from bleed through, so you dont need to caulk it. It doesnt always work as well though.... Using frogtape and caulk is a waste of money.


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## Kemper100 (Sep 16, 2017)

woodco said:


> Also, what video did you watch?


This is the video I watched


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Sometimes tape just gets in the way, and sometimes it ranges from "nice to have" to "necessary". One key is to not put the caulk over the tape, in other words it should be there to protect the line, but there should not be any build up. If there is, taking the tape off will be a mess. You use your finger or rag or whatever to smooth the joint, and at that point the edge of the caulk thickness should be virtually zero. Pull up the tape immediately after caulking. If you get a nasty looking edge, then you put the caulk on too thickly over the tape.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

It's a long video and I didn't watch it all, but I'd say while the guy does it for a living, it's not what I'd call very professionally done. There are *definitely* times where some of those "fancy caulking tools" (and he laughs). It's just that his situation is not one of them where they're useful. It's also not necessary to use any tape in his situation and it's just going to cause more mess than it's worth. Tape isn't necessary for trim, especially when you're going to paint.


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## Kemper100 (Sep 16, 2017)

woodco said:


> You have to wipe the crap out of the side of the tape for starters.


When exactly does this happen....before calking to make sure the tape has no gaps under it or after caulking?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

It's more of an issue with paint than caulk. Caulk is too thick to run under the tape much. Still, if you're going to be pushing hard on it, obviously you want to make sure the tape is down well. But like I said, any problems with tape come from putting the tape too close to the caulk line, and/or putting on too thick a bead over the tape. The tape should be at the feathered edge of the caulk line, not where there is any buildup over it.


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## Kemper100 (Sep 16, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> It's more of an issue with paint than caulk. Caulk is too thick to run under the tape much. Still, if you're going to be pushing hard on it, obviously you want to make sure the tape is down well. But like I said, any problems with tape come from putting the tape too close to the caulk line, and/or putting on too thick a bead over the tape. The tape should be at the feathered edge of the caulk line, not where there is any buildup over it.


I need to caulk & paint these wall stringers and risers. I'm thinking the tape method work be a good idea to use.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

You don't really need tape there. You can clean it with your fingertip in a cloth. The cloth give enough "grit" so to speak to clean up the wood edge nicely. You're rubbing against hard wood on both sides, so it won't abrade any drywall. You can press pretty hard.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

I would use tape in that situation, because you can caulk and paint at the same time, and leave sharp, perfect lines.Run all the tape first, then caulk and paint, and pull a stair at a time.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

I would probably use tape to paint there, but only to protect the wood stairs. Never to get a clean line. It's not really possible with the wood grain anyway. You have room to paint a clean line against the caulk, so it doesn't have to be precisely perfect. Tape not needed except again to avoid drips and mistakes.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I don't normally use tape for brush work because it can give a false sense of security. If you use tape it's best to immediately remove the tape. That way if any paint seeps under the tape you can wipe it up before it dries.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

mark sr said:


> I don't normally use tape for brush work because it can give a false sense of security. If you use tape it's best to immediately remove the tape. That way if any paint seeps under the tape you can wipe it up before it dries.



Also, the tape won't rip up the clean edge and leave a jagged line, if the paint is dry.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

mark sr said:


> I don't normally use tape for brush work because it can give a false sense of security. If you use tape it's best to immediately remove the tape. That way if any paint seeps under the tape you can wipe it up before it dries.


Thats why you'd caulk it first.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

woodco said:


> Thats why you'd caulk it first.



If you caulk first there's no need for tape. Would you tape a caulked door casing when you paint the wall? Of course not. This is basically the same thing.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> If you caulk first there's no need for tape. Would you tape a caulked door casing when you paint the wall? Of course not. This is basically the same thing.


No, its not the same thing, at all. You dont understand what Im saying...


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Well, one thing you're saying is to caulk and paint at the same time. And that's a pretty bad idea.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> Well, one thing you're saying is to caulk and paint at the same time. And that's a pretty bad idea.


No its not. I've done it hundreds of times. Its faster, easier, and looks better. Its a no brainer.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Most every time I've painted over caulk that wasn't allowed to set long enough the paint would crack over the caulking ..... although another coat of paint was often enough to hide those cracks.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Painting on top of wet caulk is not recommended. It messes up the caulk and mixes the colors together.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

No it doesnt. If it did, I wouldnt do it, and neither would the thousands other painters who use the same method. Its perfectly fine.

It does, however, take some finesse to lay the paint on without messing up the bead, and obviously the bigger the bead, the harder that becomes.


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## rfehr613 (Apr 29, 2020)

I think it depends on your medium for sure. Crown molding i imagine I wouldn't tape (never tried it, but that reminds me i need to fix my crown moulding)

I've caulked 2 tubs - one plastic tub against subway tile (taped), one porcelain tub against textured tile (no tape). No matter what, surface prep is key. 

I had a hell of a time scraping all the old caulk off the plastic tub. Plastic doesn't like razor blades. But i cleaned and prepped that one really well, then i carefully taped, caulked, and immediately removed tape. I went a little too thick in a couple areas, so i have some ridges, but the bond is very strong still.

The porcelain tub was more of an urgent issue, so i didn't tape. I did get one of those bead shaping tools this time though. Those might work well on smooth tile, but they do NOT work well on textured tile. My bead looked like ****. And i had a real big gap in the back of the tub, which just made things look even worse. I wish I'd done the opposite - tape the porcelain tub and freehand the plastic one.

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