I just learned this really cool trick for stopping leaks under tape when painting.

So, sometimes when we paint, we want a nice, crisp edge, so we tape it.  They make two kinds of masking tape nowadays.  The traditional, beige kind and the low-tack blue kind. 

The blue kind is supposed to be less likely to rip any of the paint beneath it up when you peel it off, which is really nice when you tape over recently painted surfaces, because paint really does take a few days or weeks to completely set.  The problem I’ve had with the blue tape is that it is also more likely to allow that leaking, or seeping thing to happen at the edge, and to me that’s more annoying than peeling up the other layer. 

The trick I just learned is that if you, after taping, add a quick layer of clear paint over the edge of the tape and let that dry, it will seal that edge and then you can paint as heavy as you want, but when you peel your tape up you will have a crisp edge every time. 

The only down side I see to this is the time it takes for that clear to dry.   For the added value of lower frustration level and fewer touch ups though, I think this is definitely a trick worth knowing.  

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