Many don’t realize it but one of the secrets to a perfect paint job is a clean job when masking off the car in the areas that you don’t want paint or where you want a paint break. There’s lots of painting and masking accessories but we have a handful of favorites that we reach for in every project. Read our Top 5 paint masking supplies below.
- Masking Crepe Tape- Dedicated autobody grade crepe tape is one of the most important supplies you can have when painting a car. It will allow you to get crisp masking lines where needed and won’t pull paint or primer underneath. Pick automotive grade crepe masking tape over cheap craft store masking tape as it will resist 2K paints and primers and won’t bleed paint or primers through the tape. Good quality tape also will come off easily when done and won’t leave heavy residue. We suggest getting multiple widths to cover straight line taping and taping on curves.
- Masking Paper- Much like automotive grade masking tape; a good masking paper is a must for taping off large areas on a vehicle. Quality masking papers are coated with a poly bonded blend that resists bleed through found in solvent based 2K paints. It also won’t flake the paint off when you go back over it with a HVLP gun like plastic sheeting like you find at the hardware store. Make sure you tightly tape your masking paper down no matter the brand!
- Soft Edge Foam Tape- What if you don’t want a hardline in your paint masking like when using crepe tape? You can try and use the “back taping” method to give a softer edge when painting but it takes a lot of experience to do this successfully without getting harsh lines or bleed through. That’s where soft edge foam tape comes in. This semi-round foam masking accessory allows you to put it in door jambs, trunk openings, hood openings, etc. and the rounded edge allows paint to naturally flow around the edges but won’t allow overspray to get where you don’t want it. The result is a professional blend around jambs, trunk openings, and window surrounds where you can spot a hard tape line from a mile away.
- Masking Machine / Station- Much like sandpaper, masking tape, etc. you should have multiple sizes of masking paper on hand. This poses a big mess when you’ve got all of the rolls of masking paper out and the tape and can be hard to do by yourself. A Masking Station will allow you to load tape and masking paper on it and the station adds the tape to the edge of the paper as you pull it off. It also allows you to rip it off easily without needing a 3rd or 4th hand! Load the machine with one roll or multiple it will be a time save and make for cleaner large area masking.
- Tire and Wheel Masker- Most of us don’t have the luxury of having a large body cart or rotisserie to put our project on when repainting and we need to roll it on the original wheels and tires. The last thing you want is overspray on your wheels and tires on your project and it can be difficult to get tape or masking paper to stick or stay on wheels and tires. This is where a set of canvas wheel covers come into place. These covers have a built in wire spring that helps the covers “cling” to the wheels and tires and will fit up to 26″ wheels! Use these over and over again as they don’t really go “bad”.