Fifth Grade
Worksheets
The Invention of Masking Tape
The Invention of Masking Tape
Reading Comprehension for May 27
Have you ever watched someone paint a wall? He has to be very careful not to let the paint drip. Most people cover the floor, but what to do around the windows or edges? Mask them off, of course! Masking tape was invented to do just that.
In the early 1920s, cars with two-color paint jobs had become popular. After one part had been painted and dried, the painters masked off the area with paper and tape. That sounds easy enough, but the tape they had back then was very strong.
When it was put on new paint, it stuck too well. When the men tried to take it off, it would often pull off part of the new paint as well. Not only was the paint job messed up, but there was the added expense of fixing the marred places.
