A Measuring Tape That's Actually (Adhesive) Tape
January 16, 2015By Lance Powers
Most of us have used a tape measure to find the perfect spot on a wall to hang a picture. It's not rocket science, but it can be tricky if you're working by yourself. At one point or another, the tape measure is going to shift, move or even bend and collapse while using it. Measure-It! thinks they have the perfect solution. It's a roll of tape with a tape measure printed on it.
Measure-It! is a roll of tape, just like the typical masking or blue tape you might use when painting. The difference is that Measure-It! tape is white with measuring tape markings printed on it. The idea is to simply place the tape on the wall and then drill or pound your nail right through the tape. This save pencil markings and cleaning the wall later. The tape has similar adhesive properties to painters tape, so it can easily be removed or repositioned without damaging the paint on the wall.
Measure-It! comes with all the standard tape measure markings on it such as fractions of an inch, inch and feet. It also includes red lines every 16 inches to indicate standard wall stud alignment (this alignment mark may not be helpful if your studs are 24 inches on center). It can even wrap and measure around corners, which is a difficult task with a traditional tape measure.
While a standard tape measure is fairly easy to use (and is reusable), there are times when Measure-It! could really come in handy. For example, when placing multiple pictures on a wall that must be evenly spaced. A traditional tape measure would require a steady hand and a lot of pencil marks. With the Measure-It! tape, it would be simple enough to place a length of the tape on the wall and then simply locate each picture placement (the tape can even be written or marked on with a pencil or pen).
When vertical and horizontal measurements are needed (i.e. a row of pictures at different heights), the tape becomes even more useful. Simply tape vertical and a horizontal segments on the wall and go from there.
There are quite a few other uses for the tape. For example, a strip of the tape adhered to the length of a work bench or craft table makes for a quick place to either measure the size of items or as a fixed measuring stick for marking cuts on wood, paper or other materials.
The Measure-It! website even suggests using it as painters tape when painting stripes or other repeating patterns on walls. Normally when using traditional blue tape for a project like this, each part of the pattern that needed to be masked would need to be pre-measured on the wall, marked and then the painters tape would be put in place. With the Measure-It! tape, the measurements are already on the tape and so a couple of steps in the process are removed, saving time and effort.
The Measure-It! tape can be purchased at a number of locations. Amazon has it starting at around $6 for the 32 foot length.
Image Credit: Measure-It!