The Genius Reason You Should Put Tape on All Your Hardware

Painter’s tape is a modern miracle isn’t it? I mean, sure, the Great Pyramids are cooler, but when it comes right down to it, there isn’t much the blue tape can’t do. We’ve used it to spruce up furniture, for child safety, and to pull off quick and easy design projects. But there’s another genius use for the stuff, and we wish we’d known about it sooner.

There are a few things in life that make me cringe. One is when I’ve just spent time cleaning and the children come barging in from school like a herd of elephants and *poof* all my hard work goes by the wayside in the wake of tossed bags, shoes and other debris. I get the same awful feeling when I’ve just painted a room and then have to mount hardware on said wall. Anyone who has ever had to remove shelving brackets from a painted surface later on knows what can happen: the hardware sticks, you have to pull it off, and the paint comes off with it. Renters especially feel this pain when they move out. The alternative is patching and painting again at the end of your lease, or risk losing a security deposit.

Next time, just grab your roll of painter’s tape! Just apply to the back of your hardware, as shown above by Studiomoorwall over on Instagram. The tape acts as a magical barrier that won’t allow paint to stick or peel when the piece is removed down the road. Try this on kitchen cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, and coat racks —or anywhere that metal and paint meet. You can also do this to the bottom of heavy photo frames or mirrors that leave marks where they rest on the wall.

We love this idea. Has anyone tried it?