Hi,

I purchased a condo in 2004 and was told it was painted with Benjamin Moore paint. Recently I decided to liven it up a bit, and so started replacing the "linen" with other more vibrant colors.

When I did the downstairs bathroom, I had some issues when using the blue (Scotch 3M) painters tape to guard against painting the white ceiling, and in some cases on the door molding. Some bits of it came off. I touched up the areas because they were small and thought it might just be because it's a bathroom.

Today I painted most of my loft area. In pulling off the tape (as a line to not paint another wall, and part of the ceiling), the paint underneath came off again. In some cases this was pretty significant, especially in the corner wall where the washer/dryer are. In one instance about a foot-long section of the linen paint came off when I pulled the tape!

From what I'm reading, this probably has to do with moisture, but in such a new place? Could it really happen that fast, or is there some other reason for the peeling? Note that I wasn't aware of this at all, until I pulled off the painters tape (i.e. it is not just peeling on its own). I was under the impression that the tape is what folks use, and although I'm a novice interior painter I can't imagine what I'm doing wrong. Also, any advice for fixing the issue would be most helpful!

Thanks in advance.

labman

The paint should resist pulling the tape off. I worked as a chemist for 10 years in the paint industry and pulling masking tape off was a standard test the paint was expected to pass. Before beating up on Benjamin Moore, you need to look at the surface preparation. Nothing sticks very well to wet or dirty surfaces. Applied in too cold hurts too.

I worked more with automotive and industrial finishes where more was expected than wall paint, but it should still do better than that. I am not familiar with the blue stuff. You might try some other brands. When I worked for Interchemical, their tape wouldn't pull their paint off, but our customers found other brands would.

You should be able to pick up some BM paint that matches and touch it up. Maybe after you are all done with the new stuff.

myoldhouse

While repainting all of our downstairs a couple of years ago, my wife and I used several rolls of the blue 3M tape-it's supposed to release better than the old school tan tape. The only paint pull-offs we encountered were from the freshly applied stuff that wicked under the tape from over-application and took some of the nearby new paint with it, but even then not much, and none of the existing paint. You're saying the original paint came off, correct? Rather than a paint problem, I agree with labman that you seem to have a moisture or a surface prep problem in the original finish. Two-year-old paint shouldn't have let go like that, unless you have a very, very serious moisture problem in your bath and loft. Do you have a bathroom vent fan? Is your loft above the bath? I notice you said the washer and dryer are in the loft area-is your dryer vented properly? No leaks from the washer? Check these out for a start, and good luck//dave

nightshade31

Hi Dave,

The loft is not above the bathroom, and yes I have a fan in the bathroom. (The bathroom is the downstairs guest bathroom, with no shower/tub, tho it's right below the master bath which has that.) I admit I don't use the fan as I probably should in the upstairs (the downstairs comes on automatically with the light).

RE the loft, yes I've had issues with the dryer not venting out; I had a plumber here on a 8-9 month basis ever since I moved in. The builder claimed it was the dryer and the maintenance guys for the dryer claimed it was the ventilation. Every time the plumber comes he does something and then my dryer (which doesn't dry well) works fine again. The area of peeling paint is the closest to the dryer. So yes, I guess then I found the source. Problem is, I can't seem to get people to fix it permanently. Maybe that's a different post.

Bgd

Paint does not stick to areas that have drywall compound. If the builder did not prime the walls after the drywallers taped and sanded, this kind of problem can occur. Is the area that this is happening seem to be where joint compound was used in drywall installation.

nightshade31

I'm not sure what joint compound is. The area behind where the linen colored paint peeled off is really smooth white.

Bgd

Joint compound is the putty used to fill in the cracks between the sheets of drywall, the corners and screw heads. White and smooth fits the description. Does it feel chalky? If so I think this is the problem. Scraping, repairing and priming is the only way to repair the area in question. To minimise the problem in other areas make sure you pull the tape back across itself not straight off the wall.

nightshade31

When I run my finger across it, my finger ends up covered in white powder, so yes I guess so! Thanks for the help.

boogie32b

Hi,
Sounds like you got the answers you needed, but thought I'd include a tip that helps. I also had the blue tape stick to paint and pull it off, and now I first stick the tape to my jeans, (make it less sticky on the wall) and then put it up. I also don't press it down super hard. Believe it or not, it helps a lot. Also, when removing the tape, you can blow dry it a little to soften the glue on the tape- makes it come come off easier.

cookpaintingllc

there is a chance that the paint on the ceiling might have been low grade primer only. The blue tape can remove clear coats sometimes as well.