The Best Double Sided Tape for hanging

Are you looking for the best double sided tape to hang your favorite photo frame? Or do you need a strong double sided tape to install utilities such as power extension cords, shelves, pen holder, door bell, etc? Which is the best Double Sided Tape available?

Double sided tapes offer a good solution for damage free hanging. There are a number of manufacturers of quality double sided tapes. However, selecting the right double sided tape for your purpose is often a big trouble. Moreover, another big question that often trouble you is how much tape should you apply. The larger the amount of double sided tape used, bigger will be the hassle to remove it. While using double sided tapes you need to take a few precautions. We are listing some of the common errors occurred while using double sided tapes.

Error #1 - Not cleaning the dusty surface

Often the walls and the surfaces though appear to be clean but have micro dust particles sticking on them. This is especially true for light colored surfaces. Due to moisture these dust particles are loosely stuck on the surface.

Clean the surface of the Picture frame
Clean the surface

When you install a double sided tape, the adhesive partially sticks to these loosely bonded dust particles. Therefore, temporarily the double sided tape remains on the wall as it is partially bonded with the hard surface of the wall. The rest of the tape is only attached to the dust particles. Therefore, with a little pressure the partially bonded adhesive will leave the surface of the wall or of the product. The result is that with a the double sided tape not able to hold the weight of the object and therefore detaches from the wall or from the product. This will cause the product to fall after some time.

The fundamental of adhesion The lesser is the bonded area of the adhesive with the wall or the product, the weaker will be the strength of the adhesive. The obvious solution used often by most people is to use more of the double sided tape. Therefore, the efficiency of the double sided tape (measured as weight that each sq cm can hold), will reduce.

Solution to Error #1

 

Dirty surface after cleaning with alcohol based solution
Loose dirt after cleaning with an alcohol based solution

The best solution is to clean the surface of the wall and of the product with an alcohol based cleaner before applying the double sided tape on the wall and on the product. After cleaning the surface, wait for @ 30 minutes for the moisture to dry before you install the tape. The alcohol based surface cleaners evaporate fast without leaving much moisture. Please do not use water or soap based cleaners to clean the surface. Such cleaners leave moisture which takes a long time to dry and therefore get the surface ready for double sided tape to be installed

Error #2 - Wet or Moist Surface

If you are living in a coastal area, hills or some other place with high humidity, you may have moisture particles sticking to your walls. This may not be visible on the wall. Sometimes you can notice high moisture if you swipe the wall using a dry tissue paper. The tissue will get slightly wet.

When you install the double sided tape, the adhesive partially sticks to these loosely bonded moisture particles. Therefore, the double sided tape temporarily remains on the wall as it is partially bonded with the hard surface of the wall. The rest of the double sided tape is only attached to the moisture particles. Therefore, with a little pressure this partially bonded adhesive will leave the surface of the wall or of the product. The weight of the object may be enough to detach the tape from the wall. 

Remember the fundamental principle of adhesion mentioned earlier – The lesser is the bonded area of the adhesive with the wall or the product, the weaker will be the strength of the adhesive. It is difficult to tell for how long will the product remain on the wall. This depends on the amount of the solid area of the product and the wall bonded together. Also, in case of a loosely bonded adhesive, greater moisture may enter through the detached parts of the adhesive. This can further weaken the adhesion over a period of time.

Solution to Error #2

In case you observe or suspect that there can be moisture on the wall, you should treat the moisture first. To do this

  1. Wipe the surface with a dry tissue paper.
  2. Use a hairdryer to blow some hot air on the surface of the wall and then wait for sometime till the water particles evaporate.

After treating the wall to eliminate moisture, you can then clean the surface of the wall and of the product with an alcohol based cleaner before applying the steel tape on the wall and on the product. The alcohol based surface cleaners evaporate fast without leaving much moisture. After cleaning the surface, wait for @ 30 minutes for the moisture to dry before you install the steel tape. Please do not use water or soap based cleaners to clean the surface. Such cleaners leave moisture which takes a long time to dry. Therefore, it may take more time for the surface to be ready for adhesion.

Error #3 - Applying the double sided tape on an uneven surface

Textured Paints provide good aesthetics to the walls but the uneven surface reduces adhesion of the double sided tapes
Textured Walls have uneven surface for double sided tape

Many textured paints produce 3D effects on the walls.

While they look beautiful, they create an uneven surface for the application of steel tapes.

Hardwood surfaces are uneven making it difficult for double sided tapes to stick
Surfaces such as hardwood are uneven

Likewise, some art objects, especially made of hardwood, have inherent unevenness in their surfaces. Certain textured plastic surfaces also have unevenness in their surface.

When we install the double sided tape on an uneven surface, the adhesive sticks only partially to the surface. The strength of adhesion in such cases is as strong as the area of the wall or the product that is in contact with the adhesive. Moreover, over a period of time moisture and dust may enter the detached area and further weaken the adhesion.

Error #4 - Using double sided tapes on Weak Surface such as paper and plastic films

Certain surfaces such as paper have high propensity to tear. This means if a large force is applied on such surfaces, the surface itself will tear or break.

Double sided tape can damage weak surfaces
Double Sided tape cannot hold heavy objects with weak surfaces

It is advised not to use double sided tape on such surfaces. While the double sided tape will stick well to the surface, the challenge will be that the surface itself will not be able to bear the weight of the suspended object. Therefore, the surface of the paper or the plastic film will tear. Also, the adhesion between the double sided tape and the paper is usually very high. Therefore, it will be difficult to remove the double sided tape from such a surface, when not needed, without causing a damage to the paper or the plastic film.

Error #5 - Elastic surfaces

The walls and the product surfaces are usually made of hard materials. However, some times these surfaces are attached to strong frames leaving the middle of the surface with high elasticity (similar to a trampoline). Therefore, when you try to press the surface hard, the surface moves back leaving air between the steel tape and the product/wall surface. As a result the bond between the steel tape and the product is weak. This can lead the product to detach from the steel tape after some time. Some examples of such surfaces are:

  • MDF board behind a photo frame. The MDF is strong and held on the sides by the frame. The center of the MDF board has high elasticity
  • Middle of a Box shaped object such as power extension cord, backlit artwork, middle of a shelf etc.

If such a surface is detachable from its frame, please remove the surface and place it on a hard platform such as a table or floor. Then you can install the double sided tape as usual

In the cases where surface can not be detached, you need to provide an additional support behind the surface. This can be done by one of your friends pushing the surface from behind at the point and the time when you are installing the double sided tape on the surface.

Error #6 - Surface with nails, staple pins etc.

Double sided tape installed over a pin
Double sided installed on a pin causes elevation

The surface of the product often has things such as a nails or a stable pins projecting from it. Pin is sticking to the frame and the double sided tape will stick to the pin at its point of contact. Also, pin is very small compared to the rest of the area of the frame which seems to be comfortably sticking with the double sided tape. Therefore, it may seem obvious sometimes to cover the pin with the double sided tape. However, the elevation caused due to these projected objects will restrict the double sided tape to firmly attach to the surface of the product. Moreover, the air, dust and moisture passing in through the elevation in the tape, will weaken the bond between the tape and the product.

Remember that you need a hard flat surface to optimally install a double sided tape. Therefore, all the pins and nails must be removed from the surface before applying the double sided tape.

Issue #7 - Holes on the surface

There are often holes on the wall caused due to previous installation using screws
Holes on the wall due to prior installation using screws

Sometimes you have small holes on the wall due to the previous screw installation. You may want to cover the hole while applying a double sided tape. The presence of the hole below the double sided tape reduces the area of adhesion between the wall and the tape. Also, the surface on the edges of the hole is usually weak and releases dust. This further reduces the area of adhesion and therefore causes the double sided tape to detach from the wall. You need to install the double sided tape on a firm surface either below or above the hole using the normal installation process.

The Fundamental issue with normal double sided tapes

Double Sided Tape usually requires large area of application
Double sided tapes usually need large area for their application

The major issue in hanging products using a double sided tape is that they have very low adhesion per square cm. Therefore, you need to install a large amount of tape to firmly hang a product on a wall. This means that you need large surface area for hanging objects. Thus the challenge is to have a large surface area, which is hard, straight and clean; without moisture and without any holes or pins etc.

Moreover, strong double sided tapes once used cannot be reused and need to be always replaced by the same amount of another double sided tape. Also, most double sided tapes are foam based and often leave a residue after removal. The larger the area, the greater will be the residue. Due to the residue, it is often difficult to use another double sided tape on the same area. Therefore, it is always better to use strongest double sided tape to hang products on the walls. This will mean high adhesion per square cm and you will be able to install the tape on smaller areas.

VHB or the Very High Bond Tapes

 

3M VHB tapes are generally considered as world’s best and the strongest double sided tapes. 3M manufactures a large number of VHB tapes meant to be used for different purposes. You can find the details of these on 3M website to find the best match for your purpose. However, strong double sided tapes are only meant for a single use. VHB tapes are expensive and therefore, are not general prefered by consumers for their everyday use. Also, you are never sure how much tape will hold your product firmly against the wall.

We worked on these shortcomings of the VHB double sided tapes and developed KLAPiT.

KLAPiT - The versatile reusable solution for the double sided tapes

KLAPiT adds the power of magnetism to the strength of a 3M VHB tape. With KLAPiT your product can easily be detached from the wall and reattached at the same place any number of times. 

KLAPiT is an assembly of two steel tapes and a super strong NED Magnet. Each steel tape has a strong 3M VHB adhesive on one side which firmly bonds with the wall and with the product. 

Each 1 inch X 1 inch KLAPiT can hold 500 g weight. Therefore, you know precisely how much KLAPiT you need for your product. Using KLAPiT can easily hang photo frames and paintings on your walls using the super strong NED Magnet provided in the pack. The detachable mechanism in KLAPiT gives you a complete flexibility to remove and reinstall your photo frames, paintings and artwork. Also, the small size of KLAPiT enhances its use beyond photo frames and paintings, to many small flat surfaces such as remote controls, speaker, Power Banks, etc.

Due to its small small size, wide usage and flexibility for the users to detach and reinstall various products, KLAPiT is the best double sided tape.

How to use KLAPiT

Step 1: Remove the liner of this adhesive and attach one steel tape to the wall and the other steel tape to the product you want to hang. Wait for at least 30 minutes then;

Step 2: Attach the NED magnet to the steel tape on the product.

Step 3:KLAP the product to the wall so that the NED magnet is between the two steel tapes.

KLAPiT is indeed the simplest way to hang your photo frames, paintings, shelves, clocks and many other objects. Each 1 inch X 1 inch KLAPiT can hold 500 g weight. So you know precisely how much KLAPiT you need for your product. Also, the small size of KLAPiT enhances its use beyond photo frames and paintings, to many small flat surfaces such as remote controls, speaker, Power Banks, etc. Its small size and ability to detach and reinstall makes KLAPiT, the best double sided tape.

Removing the product from the wall

The painting is held against the wall using a strong magnetic force. To remove the painting, slide it down, up or on either of the two sides. Remember not to pull the painting or else it may damage either the wall or the frame. The NED magnet can then be used either with the Alpha Steel tape on the wall to hang a different object; or with the product to hang it anywhere else where there is another Alpha Steel Tape.

Shop KLAPiT online

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