How to use automotive masking tape

Choose the right automotive masking tape:

Automotive masking tape must be designed to:

• Withstand high temperature during drying cycles in booth or with IR lamps (up to 110°C)
• Not leave adhesive residue when removed after the job
• Be torn easily by hand to save time when applying it on small or irregular surfaces
• Resist the most common types of paints such as waterborne and solvent base paints

Use the tape on the car

To mask wide areas you can use film or paper, but to protect small or irregular surfaces you have to apply automotive masking tape straight on the car. You can use it around edges or inside grooves and apertures, or to wrap curved surfaces such as rear mirrors, taillights or headlights. You may have to tear it in smaller stripes to fit the surface, that’s why it’s important that the tape could be torn by hand. Q1® Premium Masking Tape is designed with crepe paper backing that guarantees high conformability to irregular shapes. The rubber base adhesive provides instant adhesion to all vehicle surfaces and good holding power.

Use the tape with masking film or paper

To mask wider areas you have to combine the use of masking tape with other masking products such as paper or film. To do so, you can proceed in two ways:

• To apply paper or film on regular surfaces, just fasten them with automotive masking tape.
• For applications under car body edges, you have first to apply masking tape under the edge: stick it just for half of its length, with the other half hanging out. Then, make a similar application of the tape around the edges of paper and film. Finally, match the two applications to fasten paper or film to the car.

Remove the tape after painting

To prevent the tape from breaking or leaving residues, you should remove it while the car is still in the booth. However, good products such as Q1® Premium Masking Tape don’t leave adhesive residue even when removed outside the booth.