Top Tips

Top Tips

Bodyline Masking

This month we are talking masking; one of the most essential parts of the repair process.

PREPARATION Cleaning is a very important function that needs to be completed

before masking; edges need to be pre-cleaned and if necessary compounded to give a good surface for your tape to stick. One of the easiest ways to tell if a car has been

refinished is to look out for masking lines in door shuts, wing edges or quarter apertures; therefore care has to be taken to work towards an invisible repair.

DOOR SHUTS & EDGES For door shuts we suggest foam edge tape which can Save time masking off the whole shuts, this also works well in the bonnet and tailgate gaps. Foam can be rolled into small balls to fill holes where mouldings were - this stops the overspray going into the inside of the vehicle and dirt getting out,

contaminating the paint work. Swage Tape has been specifically designed to allow the edge of the tape to be folded over to help with masking sunken screens, roof rails and other difficult areas; saving time in the repair process. It easily can be dispensed from a box, can be cut to size and simply applied – the benefits of this are that the paint never reaches the edge leaving a soft overspray that is easy to polish.

MASKING STRIPES & LINES Masking stripes and lines is best achieved by using plastic fine line tape. A top tip for this tape is that it works better if it’s warm. Trim lifting tape is excellent for window trims that touch the paintwork; you can easily use it to pull away the rubber seals to give an invisible mask without removing the windows. Paint absorbent Plastic sheet is a very quick method to covering a vehicle and can be painted onto without the paint flaking off when it’s dry. Keeping the sheet tight over the vehicle is very important. This will stop dust collecting in the folds .

Keep the sheet in a clean place help as this will help to keep the dust levels low in the booth. When you are finished drying your paintwork it is recommended that you remove the masking as soon as possible, this will help prevent contamination from the adhesive.

To find out more please visit our PPG Refinish TV Channel where you can access all of our latest product videos: www.ppgrefinishemeatvchannel.com/uk-and-ireland/ppg