I Tried the Viral Painter's Tape Hack: Here's What Happened

This simple trick seemed foolproof enough to give it a try in my own home—but don't make the same mistake I did.

As a home editor, I should probably enjoy painting my home—but I hate it. Especially the time-consuming task of taping and painting around the trim. Don't get me wrong, the idea of a freshly-painted room in my house is always exciting, but I usually end up regretting my enthusiastic decision about an hour into the project. My biggest pet peeve with painting is that no matter what I try when applying the painter's tape, I end up with unclean lines along the trim.

Recently, however, I stumbled upon an Instagram Reel that gave me hope for perfectly crisp paint lines and less frustration. My living room paint needed some touching-up near the baseboards, so I to give the simple hack a try. Unfortunately, I missed an important detail the first time I tried it, but I was eventually successful. Here's what you should know about the hack—including the mistake I made.

Related: How to Paint Trim to Give Your Walls a Tidy Finishing Touch

What Is the Viral Painter's Tape Hack?

There's not much to this easy painting hack. You simply apply painter's tape as normal, taking care to press firmly to adhere it to the wall or baseboard. Next, run a wet rag over the tape where it meets the trim or wall. According to the creator of the Reel, the water activates a polymer that creates a gel-like barrier, ensuring the paint doesn't bleed through.

The integral part of this hack—which I didn't realize the first time I tried it—is that you must use a specific brand of painter's tape: FrogTape.

Related: How to Paint Walls Like a Pro

The Hack Only Works If You Use the Right Brand

Since I was so captivated by the results shown in the viral Reel, I missed a key detail—the creator specifically called out the FrogTape brand. Since I missed this information, I used the 3M painter's tape I had on hand instead. After multiple attempts at getting my own clean paint lines (and failing each time), I was ready to give up. I went back to the Reel and sighed with both relief and exasperation when I realized the problem. So, I went to the store and purchased FrogTape, hopeful yet again.

Once I finally had the correct brand of tape in hand, I repeated the instructed steps one last time, this time with the added tips from FrogTape's site. According to FrogTape's directions for application, you should clean and prep the wall, apply the tape in short strips, and remove it at a 45-degree angle while it's still wet.

I pressed firmly on the tape along the trim, wet it with a towel, painted over it, and peeled it off at a 45-degree angle. The results were exactly as the video showed—crisp and clean. I was thankful that after all the trials that this hack truly did work—and now I'll never paint a wall any other way.

If you decide to use this hack for your next painting project, make sure to use the correct brand—the results are well worth the extra time. Simply select the type of FrogTape that best suits your painting situation; the wet rag trick should work on all of them.

Related: How Much Does It Cost to Paint a House?

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