How to mask door jambs and bonnet gaps when painting a car

Having difficult time at masking door jambs and other grooved parts of the car? Most of the problems can be avoided just using the proper tools and following the right masking procedures. Let’s discover some tricks for a professional, flawless job.

Door jambs and bonnet gaps are often some of the most neglected parts when preparing a car for painting. Masking them with regular masking tape, in fact, is a time consuming activity that requires patience and the use of great quantities of product. And still, the result is not granted: sometimes the paint filters through the edges and leaves unpleasant stains inside the groove.

Fortunately, there is a solution for a clean, thorough and quick job: you can employ foam masking tape, a product engineered specifically for the masking of door jambs and all the other gaps that occur on the surface of a car. The application of foam tape is fast and easy, you just have to follow some simple steps:

• Clean the surface: as usual when applying a masking tape, make sure to clean the jambs and the gaps before using foam tape in them. The adhesion power of the tape works properly on dry, smooth surfaces, so you should remove all the grease and dust from them before using the product.
• You can now proceed with the application of foam masking tape: unwind the tape and trim it to the desired length. Just stick it along the groove, making sure to follow thoroughly the gap. You should apply the adhesive side entirely on the surface, to be certain not to leave sticking parts exposed.
• Then, close the door or the bonnet and take a look at the result: foam masking tape perfectly fills the apertures, leaving no space for the paint to overspray.
• In case the tape sticks out too much from the jamb, you can simply level it using a filler spreader. As it compresses the tape into the gap, this procedure also improves the “filling” ability of the product, increasing its effectiveness.

Foam masking tape is perfect for boot, bonnet, door jambs and A-posts applications. Q1® Tapes provides a premium quality foam masking tape specifically designed for professional car body shops. Thanks to its high conformability, it easily fits the most irregular grooves; it can resist the high temperature of drying cycles and is designed to leave no residual when removed.