3M is undoubtedly one of the most well-known tapes we know. However, what exactly it is may not be ours to understand. So, what is 3M adhesive tape? It can be described as a tape with two sides of adhesive, which 3M produces.
Also often named 3M VHB, the VHB specifies that the tape has a ‘Very High Bond’. Then how to remove 3M adhesive from the wall if we don’t need it anymore?
How to Remove 3M Adhesive from Wall without Damaging Paint
3M VHB tape is a tape made of various ingredients. To mention some, its main ingredients will include these soups of monomers: methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate.
You may pay no attention to what it contains to adhere to this-and-that surfaces. But you must have thought about how far can this adhesive go? According to sources, the tape can be used to mount around 400 ounces (25 lbs .) for every inch you adhere to the surface. However, another source mentioned that this tape could even go past 45 lbs.
With those amounts of weights it can endure, it can be imagined how hard it is to remove the adhesive from your wall, especially knowing that it can also be used to replace a rivet.
So, how to remove 3M adhesive from the wall? It turns out it is not that difficult to do, though. You will need to prepare:
- A dull blade, it can be butter knife, plastic spatula, or even a credit card.
- Rags
- Nylon scrubber
- Eyeglass cleaner with alcohol
You can as well use a commercial adhesive remover. However, you need to test it first before applying it to your wall due to its ingredients. It may contradict your will to remove the tape from the wall without peeling paint.
The procedure of removing 3M tape from the wall will be as follows:
- Insert the dull blade between the wall and the foam.
- Then, you can work the blade under the foam while softly pry the foam from the wall. As much as possible, remove the foam layer, leaving the adhesive layers only on the wall.
- Now that you have removed the foam layers, proceed with removing the adhesive layer. To do this, use your thumb to rub the remaining adhesive.
- Keep rubbing the adhesive until all remaining layers gone.
- If you find a stubborn adhesive, consider rubbing it with a nylon scrubber you have prepared earlier. Get the help from the eyeglass cleaner as well to boost the power.
- Once done, you can wipe the wet wall with a clean and dry rag. This will ensure that you will wipe away the remaining residue.
- Let the wall to get dried naturally.
So those are the procedures of removing 3M tape without damaging the wall paint. One tip you should remember is never to use an oil-based remover. Why so? The oil will enter the drywall and its plaster, resulting in a stain that permanently ruins your wall paint.
Alcohol is used in this procedure of how to remove 3M adhesive from the wall simply because of its quick-to-evaporate feature.
