What is Advantages and Disadvantages For Using Double Sided Tape
First, let’s take a look at how double-sided tape got its name. It uses two adhesive sides to stick objects together that wouldn’t ordinarily stay put. That might sound useful in many cases, but you do have to be careful not to use it on surfaces where it will leave residue when you try to remove it or on materials that aren’t tolerant of adhesive chemicals. You also should never walk on surfaces covered with double-sided tape—it can damage floors and carpets. And, if you plan to use it outdoors, make sure you don’t get caught in rain or other precipitation. The tape won’t hold up well under water and could come off as soon as moisture hits it. If you need something for outdoor projects like these, consider using a weatherproof glue instead.
First, you want to make sure that what you’re taping is completely dry. Water has a way of making double sided tape not stick at all, but once it’s totally dry (give it twenty-four hours) that becomes less of an issue. You also don’t want your surfaces to be really smooth. Any texture in your wall or whatever surface you’re using will help hold the tape in place. Lastly, when taking down your poster or whatever else you taped up, start on one side and work over to the other side so as not to rip off pieces of tape every time you pull back on it! That could leave residue behind which can actually cause your poster to fall down again.
Common Mistakes
There are a few common mistakes people make when trying to use double sided tape:
They use too much of it – Unless you’re hanging something very heavy, like furniture or a mirror, you shouldn’t need more than one strip of tape per side. More than that can cause bubbles and reduce adhesion between both sides of the adhesive.
They let their surfaces get wet – This kind of goes along with #1 above but sometimes people have no choice but to hang something right after they clean their walls (like right after painting). The paint needs several days to fully cure before you can apply any kind of adhesive directly onto it; otherwise it won’t stick well at all!
Any time you use double-sided tape, it’s important to avoid these common mistakes. From selecting a material that’s not strong enough for your project to gluing in an area that’s easily damaged, these are all potential pitfalls you don’t want to risk.
Tips to Choose Double Sided Tape?
Most tape failures can be avoided by following one simple rule: Choose the right tape for the application. Sounds easy enough, but we find there’s a “one tape fits all” approach lurking on job sites and it’s wreaking havoc with your results. Tape is a tool, just like a hammer, just like a saw. In fact, you wouldn’t choose a reciprocating saw for a project that calls for a circular saw, so why use duct tape when the project calls for outdoor double-sided tape?
Speaking of double-sided tape, there are many different options available on the market. Before you just reach for the first one you see, ask yourself these 3 questions first:
Step 1: What are the two surfaces you are bonding?
Choosing the right double-sided tape begins by evaluating the surface characteristics of the two substrates you’re trying to stick together. For example, the flatter and smoother the surfaces are, i.e. glass, aluminum, PVC, the thinner the tape can be. Conversely, the rougher the surface is, i.e. wood, cement, brick, stucco, the thicker the rough surface adhesive tape needs to be to provide adequate contact.
Step 2: What is your surface energy?
All surfaces have a property known as surface energy, the degree of attraction or repulsion force of a material surface exerts on another material. Substrates with a high surface energy form very good surfaces for bonding, like glass, glazed tile, and bare metals. Plastics can vary from reasonably easy to very poor. For example, polypropylene and polyethylene are very hard to stick to and call for a higher adhesion and a very tacky adhesive.
Conversely, a material like silicone has such “low surface energy” that conventional adhesives won’t stick to it at all. Working with this material would, therefore, require an incredibly tacky and/or silicone adhesive.
It’s also important to take treated surfaces into consideration. For example, if a surface is coated with paint, the tape might stick well to the coating, but it there is a weak bond (low surface energy) underneath, the tape and the paint might peel off.
Step 3: What temperature resistance do you need?
Next, take your environment into consideration and choose a temperature-resistant tape. The tackiness of the adhesive tape is very temperature-dependent, and the colder the conditions, the poorer the bond will be.