Tag Archives: masking tape

Episode 217: A Father’s Day Story, Ladder History, The Best Tape, Saving Your Carpet

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SEGMENT 1: A Father’s Day Story

Dan recounts some of his favorite childhood memories of his Dad and the lessons that come along with them.

SEGMENT 2: The Unexpected History of Ladders

There are a lot of everyday tools and objects that we take for granted. We never stop to think where it all began…In the case of the Ladder its story begins in Spain, as cave paintings, that date back to 10,000 BC! We dig into the innovations as well as the 40 years of bad luck!

Some Fun Folkore Fixes

If you happen to wander beneath a ladder . . . there are some tried and true fixes from history:

WALK BACKWARDS THROUGH THE LADDER! Don’t turn around, but instead, freeze in your tracks and walk backwards out. According to some sources, this is a the prime time to make a wish as well.

MAKE THE I’VE GOT YOUR NOSE GESTURE! OK, if walking backwards isn’t your thing and you find yourself beneath a ladder, history tells us you can put your thumb between your index and middle finger (I’ve got your nose). If the ladder is REALLY big or if you’re REALLY nervous, you could do this with both hands. Unless you’re shopping and carrying many packages. Then just do the one hand and hope for the best.

CROSS YOUR FINGERS AND WAIT FOR A DOG! Another finger-crossing fix from history is to cross your index and middle finger and keep them crossed until you see a dog. Now, we were unable to determine what kind of dog you are looking for. Technically, any dog will work. But maybe hold out for a bigger one. Bigger is better after all.

SPIT THROUGH THE RUNGS! If you’re in an area with a sparse dog population, you can always spit three times through the rungs. This is also said to be very effective, but, of course, do not spit on the rungs. That would result in a slip-hazard for the poor person actually working on the ladder.

SPIT ON YOUR SHOE AND WAIT! The last method we uncovered was our favorite. If you happen to find yourself under a ladder all you need to do to ward off the bad mojo is to spit on your shoe. However, it’s absolutely critical that you do not look at the spittle on your shoe until it is dried. This is so important and so many people miss this step. We repeat: do not look at the spittle until it’s dry. So you may need to have a spittle-checker-helper. 

SEGMENT 3: Is Painter’s Tape Worth It?

Taping is our least favorite part of the paint job and most masking tapes will still allow paint to bleed through. Leaving you to wonder; is it really worth it? We put 7 painters tapes to the test to find out!

Below we have our test board pictured. To clarify:

  • For all tapes, the left side is the tape pressed down with finger pressure only.
  • For all tapes except the two Frog Tape samples, the right side had been applied and then pressed down with a putty knife.
  • For the Frog Tape, the right side edge has been applied and then “pre-activated” with a damp paper towel.

A few takeaways:

  1. The Frog Tape outperformed all of the other tapes when it came to sharp lines, even when it was only applied using finger pressure. 
  2. Most of the other tapes provided dramatically improved results when pressed tightly down with a putty knife.
  3. The cheapest tape definitely underperformed in every test. Even with a putty knife, paint bled under the tape. 

SEGMENT 4: Paint the Baseboards, Not the Carpet!

If the last segment didn’t get you hooked on tape this one is sure to. Painting baseboards can get really messy when you have carpet on the floor. Tools sold as carpet shields rarely live up to the name but we have found the magic trick that offers flawless results.

EP19 – August 12, 2017: Adventures in Furniture Refinishing, Masking Tape Woes, Streak-Free Window Cleaning Miracle, and Carpet Care 101

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Paint projects shouldn’t be daunting. Or complicated. Most of the time, any struggles we’ve ever had come from not knowing a few tricks that the professionals know. Today we talk about a number of ways to get beautiful results whenever you use masking tape!

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 019:

Some people may have heard this segment before, but Kim DeBoer had such good information. She told us where to find furniture to refinish and how to tell if it's worth buying. It's a project that is well worth the time and effort. You end up with a truly unique, one of a kind piece of furniture you can be proud of.

Kim DeBoer is a professional painting contractor who does a lot of furniture refinishing on the side. She's been doing this for herself and her customers for years!

We took Kim's advice and went hunting for the perfect piece. We picked up this very sad looking desk for about $50, but thought it might have potential. We were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful wood top under many layers of paint. We now have a one-of-a-kind desk that we can be proud of!

Have you ever finished a painting project, all excited to pull the tape off and see the fruits of your labor, only to find that paint has bled under the tape and you now have all kinds of touch up to do?

We've all been there. Our paint project goes so well until the tape comes off. Maybe paint has bled under the tape. Maybe the tape pulled paint off the wall. We've got some of the most common tape complaints, when it comes to painting, and the solutions for them.

Many of us dread washing windows because it takes so long and it's so hard to get them streak and spot free. As soon as the sun is at just the right angle, we can see (very clearly!) every swipe of the rag we made.

  We tried the top three window cleaning solutions we found on the internet, and this is the one we thought worked the best.

Magic Cleaner #1

1/2 gal. warm water

1 Tbsp. Jet Dry

2-3 Tbsp. Dawn

  The other solutions we tried were:

Magic Cleaner #2

1/2 bottle Jet Dry

4 Tbsp. Alcohol

1/4 c. ammonia

1 handful powdered dishwasher soap

2 gal. hot water

Magic Cleaner #3

2 c. water

1/4 c. vinegar

1/2 tsp Dawn

New carpet is a huge investment and no one wants to do it often. But most people are unaware that the way they clean their carpet and what they clean it with, can actually void their warranty or even wear it out faster.

Nick Sargent from Johnson Carpet One joins us in the studio to discuss the finer points of carpet care.

And in the segment, Nick talks about Capture Carpet Cleaner. We said we'd include a link. And here it is!

 

3M Delicate Surface Tape

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3m_tapeEvery now and again, a new product enters the home decorating field and changes the way everything is done.  Today I want to very briefly highlight one such product:  3M’s Delicate Surface Masking Tape.

Now hold on, don’t click away just yet.  I know the very words “masking tape” don’t necessarily instill a feeling of raw, unchecked excitement even in the hardiest home decorating gurus, but this tape is different.  It’s worth a quick read.  Trust me.  You’ll thank me later.

See, 3M’s Delicate Surface tape will give you razor sharp, crisp lines when you paint.  Oh, it can be used on all sorts of delicate surfaces including wallpaper and recently painted walls, but for me, the biggest, most important aspect of the tape is the sharp lines it leaves behind.

After all, I hate taping a room off.  I cannot stress this enough.  I hate it.  It’s time consuming.  It’s no fun (I just want to put paint on, not spend this time taping).  And then, usually, after all that work of taping, I roll my paint on, pull the tape off and discover that there are many areas where the paint leaked under the tape.  My lines aren’t crisp.  It’s depressing.

But that’s where this particular tape changes the game entirely.  The lines are absolutely razor sharp.  They’re perfect.  You can go through all the work of taping your room (which still isn’t fun–even with this tape), but the end results make it all worthwhile–no paint leaking under the tape, no wallpaper or wall paint peeling off when you remove the tape.  Nothing but sharp lines and perfect walls.

Now, of course, the tape is more expensive than regular masking tape–probably a couple bucks a roll more.  But think about it this way:  you’re going to spend all that time masking a room with good tape or with cheap tape.  You’re going to do all that work painting that room.  You’re going to spend all that time pulling the tape off when you’re done.  Isn’t it worth it to do all of that and end up with perfect results?  Isn’t that worth an extra $2?

OK, that’s enough said.  Instead of reading, do a little viewing.  Here’s a video that will give you crystal clear proof that this tape’s worth the money!  Check it out: