When you paint an interior wall....?

...and you blue tape it off, when are you supposed to peel off the tape? When it's wet, when it's tacky, or when it's completely dry?When you paint an interior wall....?
*Victory claps her hands together and briskly rubs her palms* So glad you asked!





Marnee (above) has got it right, particularly if you're using an interior latex paint. Remember that latex paint is made from the same basic product as latex gloves; what you've got on your wall is a huge sheet of elastic polymer. It's super easy to pull a chip off while removing the tape, if the paint has already ';cured';, and will come off just like rubber, all stretchy and gummy.





Remove the tape as you finish each section, and pull the tape off like this: Pull the free end as close to the wall as you can, and form a 90 degree angle as you do so. Slop some paint on a cardboard box to try this out; you'll get a feel for it almost immediately.When you paint an interior wall....?
It's best to wait until its dry for a couple of reasons, sometimes the paint drips down, and sometimes you might smear the paint on yourself and on the wall if you accidentally rub it while you're taking the tape off . I'd give it at least 5 hours to be sure these don't happen.





If you're using the tape to cover part of the wall (ie not molding) by waiting until its dry the edge/border will be much sharper.
Victory got there before I did, but! Keep the sun off it. The sun will do strange things to the tape (sort of like the white dry erase board did) and it can make the stuff stick there way too well. The back bedroom border in the apartment where it's close to the ceiling (because there is no attic there) got like that. The tape got baked to the wall before I was ready to remove it.
When painting a wall and using blue tape, it is best to wait to pull the tape off when the wall is still tacky.





Pulling the tape off when the paint is still wet, will destroy your paint job, and waiting till paint is fully dry you will damage the paper surface of your drywall.(sheetrock)
I have been through this and it sucks to try and pull it off when it is dry. We have done it both ways and the absolute best way by far is as soon as you finish the wall remove tape!!!
if you peel it off prematurely you'll end up with raised paint at the edge where the tape was, wait a little while for it to partially dry and then pull it off.
I would suggest you wait until it completely dry,and do it gentle