The Best Painter's Tapes for DIY Home Projects

Painting is like measuring: Plan twice, execute once. It’s a big job, so you want to make sure you nail down every detail before your first stroke. Everything from the best interior paint and color selection to painting technique is crucial to achieving the best end result. The real secret to making your job look professional, however, is painter’s tape. Painter’s tape will help keep messes at bay, ensuring a clean painting job, regardless of experience. It's an essential part of most painting jobs, providing clear definition between color transitions and keeping paint off unwanted surfaces.

The engineering experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute test all of the latest home improvement items for upgrading your home. To find the best painter’s tape we consider factors like ease of application, cleanliness of the paint edge and whether it peeled the surface it was adhered to when removed on an array of surfaces like primed sheetrock and delicate paper. Both the tape and the wall were then analyzed to see if (and how much) the removal of the tape disrupted the surface. After analyzing nearly 100 data points in Lab tests, here are the best painter’s tapes for all jobs, according to our experts.

Our top picks:

GH Lab Tip: When applying painter’s tape, it’s important to push edges down firmly (especially with lower adhesive tapes) to prevent bleeding and feathering. Run a finger along each edge to ensure that the tape is secure.

How to choose the right painter's tape for your job

Using the wrong painter’s tape could result in sloppy lines, or can remove the wall beneath it during removal. When shopping for painter’s tape, consider your specific job to ensure the best results.

• Wall finish: It’s crucial to select a tape that is well suited to the material it will be used on. Multi-surface tapes will stick better to harder surfaces, but they might peel gentle surfaces like wallpaper or fresh paint. If in doubt, go with delicate.
• Width: Unless you’re painting a tight space, wide tape between 1.5 and 2 inches will be the best bet because it protects the most area from stray brush strokes. Wider tape may be a bit more expensive, but it’s easier to spend a few extra dollars up front than to go back and clean up any messes!
• Timeframe: Consider the amount of time you expect your job to take. Most tapes recommend an amount of time that the tape can stay in place before being taken off. It’s important to observe this recommendation to avoid adverse performance of the product, such as premature peeling or leaving residue on surfaces upon removal.