Frog Tape, Is Green Painter’s Tape Worth the Green?

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We’ve all been there. Standing at the paint store, complimentary stir-sticks in hand, gazing woefully at rows of masking tape. Since it’s hard to tell one roll from another, manufacturers have cleverly resorted to coloring their tapes to set them apart. There’s the old beige masking tape you grew up with as a kid. Let’s face it, it usually sucks. Lots of tearing and bleed-through. Then there’s the ubiquitous and somewhat pricey blue painter’s tape. It’s OK, but leaves some room for improvement when it comes to clean lines. Then there’s Frog Tape, the painter’s tape that followed Geico’s lead and employed a small green critter as a mascot. If you’re like me, you’ve probably stood in front of those rows and thought, “when did masking tape get so expensive?” Frog Painter’s Tape also tends to be a step above even the blue tape in price. So is green Frog Tape worth your hard-earned greenbacks?

Almost a year ago now, Shurtape (who sells Frog Tape and one of my favorite versions of Duct Tape), sent us a big stash of Frog Tape and some T-Rex Duct tape. Yes, I said almost a year ago. That’s exactly how long I’ve been procrastinating painting our kitchen, 1/3 of which was still unpainted from what I used to call a “recent” remodel project. Yes, my wife is very patient. Finally, with a Fourth of July party looming, and with embarrassment growing for being so slow in my review for Shurtape, I took the plunge last weekend and started prepping to paint. It was time to put the little froggy to the test.

First, let me confess. Although I love DIY and Home Improvement, I don’t have that same love for painting. I was sharing that hate lack of love for painting with a colleague recently, who replied, “Oh, I LOVE painting. I really pride myself on cutting in perfect lines with a brush. ” Great, thanks for rubbing in your superior painting skills. I then complained about painting to my friend Mike over at the ICBE.org, who volunteered, “One question: Did you use any masking tape? Because masking tape is for rank amateurs.” Clearly my friends are better painters than I am. Relying on a steady hand for yards and yards of cutting-in around my prized wood windows just isn’t something I do. Besides, I had to cover my windows and doors with plastic anyway (to keep roller splatter off them), so why not rely on a little painter’s tape for the edges? I’ll tell you why, because normally most masking tape or painter’s tape rips, and it bleeds paint like crazy.

That’s where Frog Tape comes in, promising to be a cut above competing painter’s tapes. After using several rolls of Frog Tape I came to some conclusions. One, is that the tack strength on Frog Tape is pretty high. It’s described as “medium adhesion”, but I would definitely recommend caution on any surfaces that you might accidentally pull up old finish with. In fact, most of the reviews I read that were negative about Frog, were related to the adhesion being too strong. If that’s a deal-breaker for you, you’re in luck. Frog Tape now also makes a low adhesion painter’s tape (it’s yellow, not green though). Definitely worth considering if you’ve got any paint or finish that isn’t very solidly bonded to the surface below. If you ever find the tape you’re using is pulling up finish, consider this tip from Shurtape: try softening the tape’s adhesive with a blow dryer before pulling it up.

Another conclusion I came to is that Frog is stronger than many, but maybe not quite as strong as I’d like. A pet peeve I have is masking tape tearing during removal. It’s such a buzz-kill. You’re moments away from glory, with only masking tape standing between you and the glorious unveiling of the masterful new paint job you’ve produced. You pull on the masking tape and, rrrrriiiiippp, it tears into a long sliver that then requires razor accurate surgery with a utility knife to remove. I found Frog Tape to actually be a bit stronger than most of the masking tapes I have used in the past, but it wasn’t completely immune to ripping. If the tape was about 10-20% more rip resistant, I’d likely consider it the perfect masking tape.

Now before everyone gets all kukoo for Coco Puffs about Frog Tape, let’s be realistic. If you’re masking a really rough or textured surface, relying on any kind of painter’s tape alone is probably not a great plan. Paintable caulk and masking tape can work well in that situation. And, as good as Frog Tape is, it’s not perfect. Even though I was very meticulous about really pushing down on the tape during application to create a tight seal, there were some surface irregularities that still caused a little bleed. However, when I compared the results to a project in another room done with the blue stuff on the exact same materials, the room I used Frog Tape on had noticeably cleaner lines. For me, the cleaner, more professional looking result would be enough for me to justify paying a little extra.

One question I have for Frog Tape is what gives with the plastic tape containers? My guess is that it’s to protect their magic Paint Block technology from being activated before the tape gets applied. However the skeptic in me thinks it’s a marketing strategy to set it apart as a premium tape. Couldn’t the tape be protected with a layer of plastic wrap like the other tapes? Maybe the folks from Frog Tape can chime in via the comments below and let us know? The plastic tree hugger in me would like to see a refill option where you can buy Frog Tape sans the plastic case.

So if you don’t care about clean lines and a near perfect tape seal, by all means go with cheaper tape. But if clean lines are what you’re after (and you’re not one of those DIY paint pros that sees painter’s tape as a crutch for less skilled painting Neanderthals), by all means spend a little more and get great results with Frog Tape. I think it’s an excellent product, and is probably the best painter’s tape / masking tape currently on the market. You can find a variety of Frog Tape at your favorite paint retailer, or starting at around $6/roll on Amazon:

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About Marc Lyman

Marc grew up under a brave single mom who "encouraged" home improvement on the family home. Early toddler gifts included a tool set, and even a cordless Bosch drill when cordless drills first came out. In grade school (give or take a few years), Marc's mom said, "We need to cut down some trees. . . . here's a chainsaw." A father figure also involved Marc in many home improvement projects, including a summer of home remodeling in Palo Alto, CA. Toss in some Obsessive Compulsive personality traits researching everything home improvement related. The end result: a genetically pre-disposed, socially sculpted home improvement machine! For his complete profile, please visit our About page. Really, it's worth it.

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31 thoughts on “Frog Tape, Is Green Painter’s Tape Worth the Green?”

  1. I’ve used frog tape on my bathroom as I was using more expensive washable paint.

    What an utter disaster. My partner had gone to peel a bit off and ripped the dried paint right off the wall!

    From reading up I now understand it may be better to remove when the paint is still wet in this case. I’ll be trying my hair dryer on it tomorrow to see if I can actually get any more off without ruining the rest of my walls.

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  2. I was seriously disappointed by lack of straight lines when done painting. Well, I can’t say done because I had to spend HOURS scraping away with a little scraper and razor blade and re-cutting in almost every spot this green disaster was used.

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  3. I have been paining for nearly 30 years as a DIY person. I am very well versed in painting with various types of paint. I normally will not take the time to tape off any area. Just takes to long and I have learned the importance of a good angled sash brush. Plus I have learned what I can hide and get away with. All that said, I just tried Frog Tape after a friend used it with good results. I had to tape off around chair rail before I put the high gloss on the chair rail. The chair rail was at the perfect height for everyone to see any goof up I might had. The results were great….and I’m picky. I will continue to avoid taping at all cost unless I have to paint something like this again. Frog Tape is a go!

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  4. Frog tape is NOT for every surface. I use this tape every single day and you can’t use it on humid areas like bathroom or sometimes even around the windows. You can only tape after you clean and wipe very well the areas or you won’t get get any good results at all and even after ding all the cleaning I recommend to use the ninja secret that just a few “humble” painters know… and will die with it! 😉

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  5. I have painted every room in every house I’ve ever lived in – and being a military family, we move frequently. I have paid the extra for the Frog tape and found it not worth it. It wasn’t that it cost more, it’s that it didn’t work as well. It was thicker, and thus harder to apply in the bumpy places. It didn’t work as well to prevent bleeding as the plain yellow and blue tapes did. To me, the fact that the others are thinner makes them easier to work with. I don’t recommend Frog Tape. Worth noting, my walls were clean and dry, so dust was not a problem. I also live in a very humid area.

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  6. I am in the midst of painting my family room and kitchen beam. I decided, after seeing the new Blue premium tape advertised with a coupon in the latest HGTV magazine that I would purchase it. My son-in-law, who is tall and strong, came over and put the tape around all my craftsman-like wood moldings and on the ceiling. Before he left, some of that new blue tape was already coming off the molding. I don’t know if it can be used on wood, but I do know the original blue tape can and sticks nicely. However, I was going to go out in a few minutes and buy the Frog tape since I’d seen it in the store when I purchased the Blue premium, so I’m not sure until I get to the store which one I am going to buy. Hope all of you who have left comments here have gotten your painting done. Now that I need to retape all the molding and ceiling where the Blue premium tape is now falling, it’s going to take me quite a while to finish my painting.

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  7. I just used the blue tape to caulk my tub and could not be more pleased. Tape stuck to the tile and tub when it was supposed to and came off easily when I wanted it to. Best caulking job I’ve done in the last 40 years.

    Reply
  8. I painted my garage walls with a 3 foot black bottom section with a red 4 inch stripe and white above this. The walls in this garage were very rough stucco and after much thought decided on Frog tape sealed with a coat of the base colour to activate the sealer and once that dried applied the next colour and repeat for next colour change. The lines came out absolutely perfect and this is on the most difficult of surfaces. Now I know that there are some out there that consider masking is only for amateurs however I would challenge any so called professional to not use masking and match the results achieved by this method.
    You might pay more for Frog tape but in my opinion it is worth it.

    Reply
  9. I just spent more time using my wife’s tweezers to remove 3M blue tape from woodwork, ceiling area, etc. than I did to paint room in the first place. Frog wasn’t available when I went to buy paint and supplies. Wow, what a mistake. I’m no pro but I will never ever use any other tape than the Frog ever again.

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  10. Sorry I used Frog Tape,the blue tape works just as well.
    had paint bled bet. painted wall and trim.pulled paint off walls
    painted two weeks ago,no where near as good as hyped
    sorry I have one unopened roll will never be used.

    Reply
    • Following the directions carefully for the use of Frog tape you will have great success. It takes a little practice. As professionals we often do lacquers right up next to master painter faux work, leaving us with a high liability if there is any leakage onto the impossible to match faux work. This is the very best product we have found. The best success comes with applying it nice and wet as specified.
      .

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  11. I like that frog tape has more adhesion. Blue painters tape just falls off for me, especially if it is on the ceiling. High humidity can really cause the tape to fall off. I used it today, we will see about bleedthrough. It is too expensive in my opinion, so is the blue 3M tape, and it is not worth a damn. I painted a 15 by 15 room with two large windows, baseboards to mask and spent almost as much on tape as I spent on paint. That is ridiculous. If I had a steadier hand I would just feather in on the edges, but I am not that good.

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  12. Frog tape sucks! I read your adhesion area where you describe that it might hold on too tightly to the wall. Well my friend, I am having the opposite problem. It literally falls off, even after I run my hand over it to ensure that it adheres. I have wasted like a yard of the stuff and still it hasn’t stuck to the wall. I just wanted to paint my ceiling and 4 hours later I only have taped off 1/2 to circumference of a 10X10 room. The stuff sucks. I am going out to buy am 3M now. Any suggestions?

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    • You know Noah, I caught that error back when this first posted and somehow managed to not correct it. Thanks for the reminder. Frog = amphibian. Got it! : )

      Reply
  13. I was repainting my Master Bedroom and wanted a medium brown boarder to frame our oak headboard. Because I wanted a crisp edge I paid the extra money for the FrogTape. I even followed the special instructions on their web site for textured walls and spent at least 30 extra minutes pressing the tape down firmly to the wall. The result? Just as crappy a feathered edge as any other masking tape. Will I have to touch up? Oh yea…and I’m looking at another 2 hours just to fix the mess! Will I buy the FrogTape again? Nope, that’s one jump I won’t make again.

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  14. I’m trying it out now, so I can’t give feedback on the tape’s effectiveness, but reading on the packaging my understanding is that the plastic container is to keep the edges of your frog tape immaculate after you’re done using it. When you buy other rolls, the plastic gets ripped off and then months or years later when you want to pull out that old roll of blue stuff the edges are full of dust and crumbs and whatever else was in your toolbox or closet. Face it, it just doesn’t stick as well after that. Maybe it’s not the most environmentally friendly, but it’s a way to save the tape edges that I would not have thought of before. I guess now that I ponder it, one could put your blue stuff in a gallon bag to protect it’s edges… but I sure wouldn’t have thought of it.

    Reply
    • Good points Holly. Now that you mention it most of our old non-Frog Tape rolls are pretty skanky. We would like to see “refill” versions of Frog Tape though, so you can reuse your old containers without having to add a new one for every roll of tape you buy.

      Reply
  15. I stand by my earlier remark – masking tape is for rank amateurs! However, given that when it comes to painting this is clearly the category into which I fall, Frog Tape sounds positively lovely.

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    • I have to disagree with you on this one. Ever seen an automotive colour change that was not masked? I expect the same quality of line as on automotive paint and you simply will not get it without masking even if one considers themselves a professional.

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  16. Hi, my name is Kristin and I represent the FrogTape brand at Shurtech Brands, LLC. Thanks so much for the great review for FrogTape – we think it is a fantastic product as well! Please be assured that the canister is not a marketing strategy and it does have several different functions. It helps maintain the freshness of FrogTape, keeps it from being damaged (such as the edges being nicked), and keeps dirt and debris off the tape. You can use an empty canister for storage of nuts and bolts, screws, or nails. It is also recyclable! Thanks again for using FrogTape and we will definitely take your feedback into consideration for future product development.

    Reply
    • I understand some of you have may have ha problems with Frog Tape, the only time I had problems with it sticking was when there was dust on the wall. make sure you wipe the walls or taping area clean of any dust and debris. Also, put it up right before you paint and take it down immediately after painting. As far as the container is concerned, I am a crafter, not only does the container protect the tape from damage and drying out but they are awesome storage items. They are great to store buttons, ribbon, jewels, etc. I just label the front with the treasure inside and line them up on the shelf. The take less room than most storage containers, someday i will figure out the perfect craft item to make out of them, but for now they are great storage containers!

      Reply
    • FrogTape said: “Please be assured that the canister is not a marketing strategy and it does have several different functions. It helps maintain the freshness of FrogTape, keeps it from being damaged (such as the edges being nicked), and keeps dirt and debris off the tape. You can use an empty canister for storage of nuts and bolts, screws, or nails. It is also recyclable!”
      So what are the tabs on the squared back part of the container for?

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    • This tape is worthless. I’m sitting here this morning looking at FT dangling and ready to fall off the wall after applying it last night. I wiped the wall, I layed the tape and even pressed it down into the wall for a positive seal. Returning it for a refund. I’m coming to the conclusion that EVERYTHING manufacturers promise is the exact opposite. Lies, lies, lies.

      Reply

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