When is it ok to take off the tape after painting?

Debbie Dzurilla
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September 6, 20060 found this helpful

My hubby is the painter and seems he waits till he knows the paint is good and dry....perhaps next day or if he paints early in the day, then at the end of the day.

The painter said when it is dry but I disagree. In my painting experience I have forgotten to take the tape off until it was dry and then pulled paint off the wall with the tape! I usually try to get it off as soon as possible. Or does the painter have any suggestions for how to prevent this from happening?

All the shows on TV (HGTV, Discovery) that I've heard talk about it say to pull off the tape immediately to keep from pulling up the paint along with the tape after it's dried.

I usually wait 20-40 minutes to take the paint off depending on the dryness. I don't like to take it off when its still wet because theres chance you could smear it. If you wait the next day the tape adhesive might have bonded to strong to the wall.