Double-sided tape has many different applications across multiple fields. Its invention and premise revolutionised many industries due to its multifunctional nature. Where did double-sided tape come from? And why is it so popular today? And where can it be used?
What is Double-Sided Tape?
Simply, double-sided tape is a tape that is adhesive on both sides. This has many advantages and utilities. A patent for the double-sided tape was first filed in 1987 by Dean Waldenberger, on behalf of the Norton Company. There are multiple types of double-sided tape used in many different types of applications.
Double-sided tape has also been the premise for other types of double-sided adhesives.
Who Would Use Double-Sided Tape?
The usage capability of double-sided tape is vast – here are just a few of the main industries and individuals who may use double-sided tape, and what they use it for!
Artists & Craftspeople
One of the biggest users of double-sided tape are artists and other craftspeople, who mostly use it to mount their work to something. Photographers might print their work and use double-sided tape to mount it to the matboard – one half of the tape sticking to the printed image, the other half to the matboard.
Upholstery & In-Home Decorating
Double-sided tape has fantastic uses around the home as a quick fix. Instead of upholstering seat covers onto your fabrics, try using double-sided tape to stick them down. Double-sided tape can also be used to stick down carpets and other pieces of furniture to prevent them from moving around.
Construction Workers
Double-sided tape has uses in the construction industry, too! Construction workers who use double-sided tape typically use construction-grade tape. Double-sided tape can be used to affix the floor underlay between the floor and the subfloor. It can also be used to overlay vapour barrier over insulation, and it can even be used to hold insulation in place on the wall, rather than using staples.
There’s also temporary double-sided tape that can be used to temporarily mount something in place on a wall while re-checking or re-measuring to ensure whatever you’re putting in is in the right place before it’s fixed into place with a nail or screw – things like a light switch, a thermometer, or crown mouldings.
The Fashion Industry
One of the main places that double-sided tape finds itself in use is the fashion industry. There’s something called ‘lingerie tape’ that’s used to secure garments in place, whether that’s bras or dresses, the point being that this lingerie tape is skin-safe and can be used rather than having to throw another garment on or use a bobby pin.
What About Dimensional Tape?
There are two main types of double-sided tape – thin and dimensional. Dimensional tape is thicker than its counterpart and is mostly used to mount signs and other thicker artistic projects, to offer a more 3-D look. Though most craft users prefer thin double-sided tape, some will opt for dimensional tape if necessary.
Double-sided tape has so many uses in our day-to-day lives that it is hard to see how any household could be without it, you never know when you’ll need to stick one surface to another while obscuring the tape used to do so!
