Blog / How to Protect Surfaces Using a Hand Masker

June 4, 2020

Before jumping into your fresh new gallon of paint, take the time to prep your space with the appropriate products, such as surface protectors, plastic sheeting, drop cloths and general-purpose masking paper. Protecting your surfaces with reliable materials will save you time and money in the long run.

One of the most common ways to protect doors, windows, baseboards, and door jambs is to mask off the areas with tape and masking paper or masking film. For best results, explore these tips and tricks to properly use a hand masker and masking products.

Choose your Masking Products

First things first, choose your masking products. Trimaco offers a handful of options that are great for all types of jobs. Here are our recommendations:

Brown or Green Masking Paper: Trimaco offers both brown general purpose masking paper and premium green masking paper options. Brown Masking Paper is ideal for water-based materials, while Green Masking Paper is for water oil-based materials.

Masking Film: Masking film is a great option to protect windows. Trimaco’s Premium Masking Film is treated with a unique formula that attracts overspray and reduces flaking. Bonus–this masking product will cling to surfaces, making the application process much easier.

Painter’s Tape: Whether you choose masking paper or film, you’ll need a good painter’s tape to keep your surface protector in place. We recommend Trimaco’s BluEdge® Painting Tape.

Tape & Drape: This pre-taped masking film takes the hassle out of loading two products into a hand masker.

Load your Hand Masker

Don’t be intimidated by a hand masker! Maskers are easy to load, easy to use, and will cut your prep time in half. Follow these easy steps to properly load your Trimaco hand masker:

1. Snap the paper and plastic blade into place onto the masker. You’ll need to line up the grooves with your desired tape width. As a rule of thumb, you want the blade to extend beyond the paper and tape. If using the plastic blade It’s a good idea to keep the blade guard in place. This blade is very sharp!
2. Once your blade is in place, load your hand masker with your choice of masking paper. The paint masking paper should be positioned so it rolls out over the top of the roll.
3. Lastly, load your painter’s tape. Similar to the masking paper, load the tape so that it pulls from on top of the roll. Pull out roughly 2-inches of tape and place under the catch and onto the top of the paper. Apply pressure so the tape is sticking to the edge of the paper.

Mask & Protect

Tape off all of the room’s trim, baseboards, and windows. Take your time and be precise during this step to ensure clean lines, especially if you have different drywall textures.

Using your loaded hand masker dispenser, begin masking the following areas:

• Baseboards: The masking paper will act as a “mini-drop cloth” and catch any paint that may drip onto the floor.
• Windows: We recommend masking film for windows. Simply mask off the top of the window, pull the masking plastic down to cover the window and tape to secure.
• Window Sill: If the masking plastic does not cover the window seal, run a piece of masking paper or plastic to protect the window seals.
• Doors: Mask off the bottom edge to keep paint from dripping onto the carpet, and throw on a plastic door cover for extra protection.

Finish prepping your space

Masking off your surfaces is critical during the painting process to achieve crisp lines, but don’t forget about your other surfaces!

Floors: Protect your floors with a traditional canvas drop cloth, Trimaco’s Stay Put® Canvas Plus Drop Cloth, or other related products. Simply lay the drop cloth over the excess masking paper.

Outlets & Light Switches: Take off your outlet and lights switch covers or tape them off with a painter’s masking tape. Trust us, take the extra 10 minutes to protect these surfaces, to avoid messy mistakes.

Light fixtures: Using tape or a masking film, protect fixtures and lamps.

Clean Up

Once you are finished with your paint job and the surfaces are completely dry, take the necessary steps to begin cleaning up. Remove your masking paper and masking tape. Next, peel the painter’s tape from your baseboards, trim, door jambs, outlets, and light fixtures. Be careful during this step to ensure crisp lines.

We recommend removing tape from the surface after 14 days. Be sure to test in an inconspicuous spot before applying it to the whole surface.

And voila! Enjoy your new space!