Hints & Tips for Double Sided Tape and Adhesives

Working with double sided tapes can be a simple finishing task or a nightmare trying to find and apply the right adhesive if you are working with a rough, very smooth or delicate material. We've picked up lots of tips over the years for achieving perfect results fast and we'll be adding to this page over the next few months, sharing our experience and advice.

TIP 1: Making cut lengths of double sided tape

Unless you have a handy electric tape cutting machine (which we do sell, by the way - it's great) you will often find that you need regular cut lengths of double sided tape. There are several ways to do this. You can do it quickly with scissors, using one cut length to roughly gauge the length of the next piece each time you cut. A clever way to do this is to cut a piece of plastic or card to the width you want your cut lengths of tape to be, then wrap the roll of tape around the new holder, taking care to align the tape exactly over the previous line of tape. When you are finished simply use a knife or scissors to cut both ends of the wrapped tape and you now have many lengths of cut tape.

For longer lengths of tape you could make a holder at half the length you need your strips of tape then only cut one end of the card. 

TIP 2: How to correct a reverse-wound roll of double sided tape. 

Sometimes when using double sided tape the sticky side can end up on the outside of the roll, instead of the backing paper, making it difficult to use the tape.
If this happens and your double sided tape appears to be wound wrong on the reel with the sticky side facing outwards, simply:

1. Separate the tape from the backing layer,
2. Pull it around the roll once until it joins back up with the backing paper
3. Cut the tape once it is aligned back with the backing paper and use the roll as normal, with the backing paper on top again.

The tape shown here is a Guarantape Extreme Polyester tape - with red backing but the actual tape is clear.