The Best Masking Tapes For Precision Painting

FrogTape's green Multi-Surface tape is the pick for any job where the line has to be perfect, like a two-tone wall or the edge between a skirting board and a freshly painted wall. It works on cured paint, wood, glass and metal.

Its PaintBlock edge is treated with a super-absorbent polymer that reacts with water in the paint and seals the edge of the tape, so the paint can't creep underneath. The roll in our testing photo is the standard multi-surface green. Rolls are 41 metres long in 24, 36 or 48 mm widths. It costs more than general masking tape, so it makes sense to keep it for the edges that matter and use something cheaper for dust sheets.

ScotchBlue Multi-Surface works on walls, ceilings, wood, metal and glass, and it's made for indoor and outdoor use. What sets it apart is 3M's claim that it removes cleanly for up to 14 days, which suits a big job spread over a fortnight, or masking window frames outside while you wait for a dry spell.

The UV resistance earns its keep on window frames and glass that sit in direct sun, and the medium adhesion grips most surfaces without being aggressive. The roll is 41 metres by 48 mm, and there aren't many other sizes to choose from. The blue colour is easy to see against white woodwork, so you won't miss a strip when you're peeling up.

Tesa Precision Professional is a low-tack tape for delicate or freshly painted surfaces, such as masking a newly painted wall to paint the ceiling line. It has crisp, thin edges and an adhesive that Tesa says stops paint bleeding while leaving no residue.

It's for indoor surfaces only, and Tesa says it can stay on for up to 14 days, which takes the rush out of a room you're decorating in stages. Rolls are 50 metres by 50 mm. It's one of the pricier tapes here, so it's best saved for the jobs where a stronger tape would risk lifting the paint underneath.

ProDec PLT is a cheaper low-tack tape for previously painted surfaces. In our testing it was easy to peel and tear by hand, which speeds up masking around sockets and switches.

ProDec says it won't pull paint off if it's removed within 24 hours, so it suits jobs you can finish in a day. Rolls are 50 metres long in 25, 38 and 50 mm widths, and it leaves minimal residue. It isn't as high quality as Tesa, but it costs less, and it's the roll to keep handy for sockets, switches and freshly painted walls on quick jobs.

Duck Tape All Purpose is a general masking tape for most household surfaces, and the label says it's suited to emulsion and gloss paint, whether brushed or sprayed. The roll in our photo is the 25 mm by 25 metre size, which comes in a 3 pack.

It's easy to peel and tear, and it comes in 25 or 50 metre lengths and 25 or 50 mm widths, with multi-packs to keep the cost down. In our testing it let a small amount of paint bleed under the edge, so it's better suited to masking carpets, floors and dust sheets than to crisp colour lines.

Northern Brothers sells its tape in packs of 12 rolls, each 20 metres long and 25 mm wide. It's one of the cheapest tapes we'd still recommend, and having a dozen rolls means you can tape down dust sheets, cover sockets and mask floors without rationing.

It's easy to peel and tear, works on multiple surfaces and comes in white or beige. The 25 mm width is the only size, which is fine for most DIY jobs but narrow for protecting a carpet edge. That makes it the tape we'd keep for the jobs that use tape by the metre, like holding down dust sheets.