What it does: Protects areas from paint while you spray freely elsewhere
Masking is the process of covering parts of your surface to protect them from overspray while you apply paint to adjacent areas. After spraying, you remove the mask to reveal the protected area — either as a clean unpainted zone or showing a previously applied color.
Masking materials:
- Masking tape: Low-tack tape for hard edges on flat surfaces. Blue painter’s tape is a common choice.
- Frisket film: Self-adhesive clear film, cut to shape with a craft knife.
- Liquid frisket: Brush-applied latex that peels off after painting.
- Pre-cut stencils: Reusable masks for repeated designs.
- Blu-Tack / poster putty: For soft, organic edges on three-dimensional objects.
Hard edge vs. soft edge masking: Tape pressed firmly gives a hard, crisp edge. Tape lifted slightly off the surface (or a torn-paper mask) gives a softer, feathered edge.
Related: Frisket · Stenciling · Overspray