Despite what some authors have written online and in certain veneering books, most blue painter's tapes are not inherently elastic. That's fine for pre-taping a veneer seam if the veneer edges lines up perfectly, but often there is an edge that needs a little extra "pull" to keep the seam tight.

I tried countless blue tapes from every manufacturer I could find to get a removable tape that had some elasticity, and eventually a box arrived from a supplier that followed through on a promise to find the perfect blue tape for veneering. This clean-release tape has the ideal amount of stretch and a strong memory so that it pulls back with enough force to keep unruly joints tight. I can't stress enough that this is not the same tape that you can find in a hardware store!

Apply this tape to the back side of the veneer joint. Placing this tape across the seam will allow you to stretch the tape so it can pull the joint tight. The more you pull and stretch the tape, the more the tape works to pull the joint tight. Once the blue tape is applied, the face side of the veneer can be taped with standard veneer tape. Remove the blue tape after the brown tape has set, and then press your panel without worry that the joint will separate.

Size: 11/16" x 180'
Thickness: .005"

Always remove the blue tape by pulling it at a low angle from the veneer face
and at 45 degrees from the seam line as shown below.