Easy Mask® Tape & Drape™ Review

Painting often requires taping and masking. If you have ever done a lot of ad hoc taping with newspapers, you know it's like a frustrating puzzle. The idea of a single piece of masking tape that covers the entire wall, window, or door is very seductive. That's the basic idea behind pre-taped masking film. One such product is Tape & Drape™.

Manufactured by Trimaco, Tape & Drape is clingy masking film with a strip of adhesive tape attached to one edge. The theory behind it being clingy film is that it sticks to the surface with static electricity without having to tape it into position.

But the cling-ability isn't strong enough to stop paint spray from infiltrating underneath. That's why there is an adhesive strip to hold one edge firmly in place. Should you need to spray close to any of the three untaped edges, you can tape them separately with your own blue painters tape.

Tape & Drape comes in rolls that range in width from 22 inches to 4 feet.

Tape & Drape holds together very well after you unfurl the roll, allowing you to pull down the film when you are ready. In other words, it doesn't fall down by itself.

Tape & Drape flattens on the surface quite easily. It's not hard to push out the wrinkles.

The painter's tape holds adequately well and removes with no mess.

I have a few beefs with Tape & Drape--or at least suggestions for further product development.

One thing I don't like is that, once you have removed the product packaging, you have no idea of the dimensions of the roll. If you have a number of rolls of Tape & Drape, it's easy to get them mixed up--especially if some time has passed since you last used them. That's why I mark the width on my rolls (see picture) both on the side of the adhesive strip and on the inside of the cardboard roll.

It can't be all that difficult for Trimaco (the manufacturer) to imprint dimensions on the masking film.

I also would like to better locate the end of the masking film. Running a black line along the edge would solve this problem.