Is it Important to Tape a Room and Use Drop Cloths Before Painting?
Preparing to paint a space on your own can take a lot of work from choosing the primer and paint to repairing parts of the wall. One of the last steps is applying tape and laying down drop cloths or plastic sheeting. At this point, you may be a little tired of the process of preparing to paint, and you’re ready to get started. You may wonder if it’s really necessary to tape the room and use drop cloths before you start painting. The short answer is yes. Here are a few reasons why this step is so important.
You Paint Only The Surfaces You Want
Using tape is kind of like creating the lines you will paint within. It clearly marks the edges of the surface you plan to paint and tells you where to stop painting. When your project includes painting only the walls of a space, tape should be applied along the baseboard, ceiling, around windows, and any other trim. The tape protects these surfaces from accidentally being painted.
It Protects Surfaces
Similar to using tape, laying down drop cloths or plastic sheeting helps protect the surfaces in the space. Drop cloths or plastic sheeting can be used to cover the floor and any furniture that will be in the space during painting. Small paint spills and paint splatter can easily happen during any painting project, and using drop cloths or plastic sheeting will keep paint off your flooring and furniture.
Painting is More Efficient
If you aren’t worrying about accidentally painting your baseboard or ceiling, you can focus on painting. You may be able to apply the paint more efficiently because painting around the surfaces you don’t want painted requires less delicacy and time. That being said, you still shouldn’t speed through the painting process. Tape acts as a barrier, but if you rely on it too much, you may paint completely over the tape and still paint a surface unintentionally.
Cleanup is Easier
Using drop cloths and plastic sheeting makes cleanup at the end of your painting project much easier. The cloths or sheeting will catch small paint splatters and debris. You won’t need to clean any paint off the flooring or furniture in the room, and you don’t need to worry about debris hiding in your carpet. You can simply pick up the cloth or sheeting, take it outside, and shake it out into a garbage can.
While taping a room and laying drop cloths or plastic sheeting is a very important step when starting a painting project, it does take time and effort. If you’d like to save yourself the work and partner with a reliable team to take care of all the prep and deliver a successful painting project, JMJ Painters would love to work with you. You can schedule a free project estimate online or by calling us at (612) 255-3351.