Recently I showed a house in the Hartford area where the homeowner had a strong affection for masking tape. Throughout the home we saw its various uses; acting as an insulating material to seal gaps between a door and its frame, serving as a water barrier to caulk around a bathroom vanity, replacing glue to hold together a broken piece of wood covering the water meter, and stitching together tears in a porch screen.
Overall, the house had been maintained very well throughout the years by its one owner. You could tell that they truly cared about their home and loved it. Windows had been replaced, the furnace was serviced every year (and they had the records to prove it), landscaping was kept up, and the interior of the house was essentially meticulous. So my clients and I found the various uses of the masking tape to be bizarre, but not entirely concerning.
If tape is going to be the first responder in home repair, I would personally go with duct tape. It has better adhesive qualities and its fabric backing makes it a more robust solution than masking tape. Plus, it comes in a variety of colors these days, making it easier to match with your home decor. But that’s just me.
Whatever adhesive tape you choose for a home repair, just make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing and neatly done. Otherwise the home inspector is really going to ding you for it on their inspection report…