Connecting to Collections Care

Hi Madeline,

Thank you for your question! In my experience I have yet to find an adhesive that will reliably come off of a painted surface without damage. There is always some risk of peeling off the paint. The adhesive product that I personally have had the most success with is 3Ms Command Strips or similar brand/type of product. The reason these are more effective is that instead of pulling the tape away from the wall at close to a 90 degree angle which requires some force, the tape is first pulled straight down, parallel to the wall surface which allows the tape to stretch loosening the attachment to the wall allowing you to work it off in a slower, more controlled manner. While I've had good success with this, I have also had many mishaps so they are by no means foolproof, and patiently following the directions for removal is critical. If you choose to use any adhesive product I'd recommend using the least amount of attachment you can get away with.

Adhesive products are simple and convenient to use, but I've also found that nails, tacks, or similar hanging hardware can be less damaging than they may seem, especially if you have access to a small amount of touch-up paint.  It's much quicker to touch up a few small holes, than a long paint tear.  Do you often mount labels in the same location? Could you consider a permanent mount that you could more easily attach and remove labels from? I'm thinking of something like a slotted card holder.

I hope this gives you some ideas to consider.

Best,

Jen

------------------------------
Jen Hunt
Special Collections Conservator
Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame
jhuntjoh@nd.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Original Message:
Sent: 11/18/2025 9:04:00 AM
From: Jen Hunt
Subject: RE: Labels on walls

Hi Madeline,

Thank you for your question! In my experience I have yet to find an adhesive that will reliably come off of a painted surface without damage. There is always some risk of peeling off the paint. The adhesive product that I personally have had the most success with is 3Ms Command Strips or similar brand/type of product. The reason these are more effective is that instead of pulling the tape away from the wall at close to a 90 degree angle which requires some force, the tape is first pulled straight down, parallel to the wall surface which allows the tape to stretch loosening the attachment to the wall allowing you to work it off in a slower, more controlled manner. While I've had good success with this, I have also had many mishaps so they are by no means foolproof, and patiently following the directions for removal is critical. If you choose to use any adhesive product I'd recommend using the least amount of attachment you can get away with.

Adhesive products are simple and convenient to use, but I've also found that nails, tacks, or similar hanging hardware can be less damaging than they may seem, especially if you have access to a small amount of touch-up paint.  It's much quicker to touch up a few small holes, than a long paint tear.  Do you often mount labels in the same location? Could you consider a permanent mount that you could more easily attach and remove labels from? I'm thinking of something like a slotted card holder.

I hope this gives you some ideas to consider.

Best,

Jen

------------------------------
Jen Hunt
Special Collections Conservator
Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame
jhuntjoh@nd.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Our exhibition coordinator has success using Command strips--not the hook part, just the adhesive strips. The strips come in different sizes, and are advertised to hold various weights. Multiple strips can be used to span a larger surface and can be cut as desired. Strips can be added to one surface or both (the wall and the back of the label). The strips with Velcro have a strong bond to each other.

Best,

Michele

------------------------------
Michele Hamill
Head Conservator
Cornell University Library
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-351-7269
mh92@cornell.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

My thoughts: use specialized removable adhesives such as museum putty, painter's tape, or products with Post-it technology.

------------------------------
Peggy Cwiakala, MLIS
Student, USC Museum Management Program
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hi Madeline,

I've found success with the double sided Command strips. It can
sometimes still pull paint, but rarely. I've also found that it can
discolor surfaces. I would recommend testing it out first to see if it
works for you before investing a lot into it.

Best of luck!

Valerie Seiber (she/her)
Senior Manager, Historical Collections & Exhibitions

The Hershey Story Museum
63 W. Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033
Office: 717-508-1712

Email: vseiber@HersheyStory.org | HersheyStory.org

--
The M.S. Hershey Foundation exists to preserve and enhance Milton Hershey's
legacy and community vision and to provide education and cultural
enrichment to residents and visitors of Hershey, PA.


Original Message:
Sent: 11/17/2025 3:05:00 PM
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

I'm curious to know if other people have tips, but something I have found helpful is having blue tape be the tape that actually is on the wall and then double sided tape or foam tape to stick the label/panel to the blue tape. 

The way I often do it is put the double sided tape on the back of the label, then put pieces of blue tape over the double sided tape, then put the whole thing on the wall. Or you can put the blue tape on the wall directly and then stick the label to it--I just find I'm not precise enough and sometimes have edges of blue tape visible if I do it this way.

For panels I have also sometimes used command strips, with careful trimming so they are less visible. They tend to come off the walls really well.

------------------------------
Kathy Haas
Director of Historical Resources, Girard College
Philadelphia
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hi Madeline,

I've always had the same problem with foamy adhesive tape. They're a bit more expensive, but I have found that Command strips tend to not take the paint off the walls. It has happened occasionally but it's rare. Also, to make them last longer, I'll buy the longer strips and cut them down into smaller pieces, and even without having the little "tail" to remove them, the strip pieces still come off the wall (you might have to rub at the layer of adhesive for a second, but it still comes off the wall without taking the paint with it).

Hope this is helpful!

------------------------------
Nezka Pfeifer
Museum Curator
Missouri Botanical Garden
Saint Louis MO
npfeifer@mobot.org
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hey Madeline,

We have had great luck with command strips. They hold well overtime and have been easy to remove without wall damage.

Cara

------------------------------
Cara Downey
Assistant Curator/Collections
Ocean City
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hello Madeline,

At the gallery I work at, we use 3M Scotch Poster Tape for labels made from a thick cardstock. They have held up well for long periods of time, and I have never had an issue with it taking off paint or leaving a residue. However, for large labels, I've had to be generous with the amount of tape used. I hope this helps!

Thank you,

Megan

------------------------------
Megan Escene
Pre-program Student
Missoula
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hi Madeline,

In the past, I've used double sided foam tape plus blue painters tape. We adhere the double-sided to the label, and then adhere the non-sticky side of the blue tape to the double-sided. This way, the sticky side of the painter's tape is the only thing that makes contact with the wall.

Thanks!

Molly

------------------------------
Molly Hatesohl
Libraries and Special Collections
School of The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hi Madeline,

I love Remo Two tape from Duraco. If I have a very large panel that needs something stronger, one trick I've used in the past is to put down a layer of painter's tape on the wall beneath a much stickier adhesive (like Scotch double-sided foam tape). This way when it's time to remove, the painter's tape makes everything come off the wall cleanly.

I hope this helps!

------------------------------
Julia Teel
Exhibitions and Collections Manager
Abilene
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hello Madeline,

The method we use is for smaller labels, as larger ones would be too heavy, but here it is: prepare a piece of matboard that's of sympathetic colour to your label and cut just a tiny bit smaller. Install the matboard to the wall using staples, and then adhere the label to the matboard with your usual tape. When it's time to remove the label, you'll be removing the staples from the wall, leaving only very small holes that are hardly noticeable and easy to repair. So far we've had no instances of the matboard sticking to or otherwise damaging the paint.

I hope this helps!

August

------------------------------
August Macdonnell
Conservator, Paper and Textiles
Canadian War Museum
Ottawa ON
august.macdonnell@warmuseum.ca
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hi,

In one of our galleries at the RISD Museum where we have an historic grass-like wallpaper, we have chosen to use a magnet system whereby a steel screw has been inserted into the wall and a magnetized acrylic label holder has been attached.  That way we can easily switch out the paper label (that has been inserted into the magnetized acrylic label holder) each time that the exhibition changes and there is conseqently no damage to the walls.

I hope that this idea can work for you too!

Ingrid 

------------------------------
Ingrid Neuman
Senior Conservator
RISD Museum
Providence RI
(617) 947-2189
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

I'm a big fan of Remo 2 double sided tape. For 6-9 month installations, it has not damaged our new-ish, stable walls, and is more likely to stick to the panel than the wall when removed. 

But if you have more delicate paint or historic walls, you may need to be more cautious. In that case, I'd lay a piece of painters tape on the wall, then the double sided tape and see if that works.

------------------------------
Lynn Bethke
Collections Manager, Museum of Culture and Environment
Central Washington University
Ellensburg
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

We have been using Gorilla Mounting Putty. It seems to hold pretty well and does not rip up paint. We've only had issues with it if the paint was already peeling or loose on the wall.

------------------------------
Rachel Lovelace-Portal
Registrar and Collections Manager
The Hyde Collection
Glens Falls, NY
518-792-1761 ext. 335
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Dear Madeline, 

Velcro! We staple the velcro to the wall (don't use the velcro adhesive, you will have the same problem as double sided tape), and use the velcro adhesive only to affix to the back of the label. When you remove the labels you only have staple holes. When we take the velcro off the wall, we remove the staples and then reuse the velcro for the next exhibit. Good luck!

Best,
Stephanie 

------------------------------
Stephanie Wiener
Exhibitions Registrar & Gallery Operations Manager
Princeton University Library
Princeton
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

I'm seeing a lot of great ideas here, thanks everyone! I especially love Ingrid's magnet solution. One small hole could give you a lot of options. Those rare earth magnets can hold a fair amount of weight, so I'm guessing this solution would work well for a large range of label sizes, while still being discreet.

------------------------------
Jen Hunt
Special Collections Conservator
Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame
jhuntjoh@nd.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

I also recommend the Remo Two tape from Duraco. It has to be the Remo Two with the green backing. I have used it for over a decade without damage, even on paint that has only cured for a week.  I have even used it on large 3mm Sintra panels. You just have to use a lot of it on those. 

Best,

Ashley

------------------------------
Ashley Kowalski
Curator of Collections
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Fort Worth
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline

Hi Madeline,

Rather than taping matboard/cardstock labels to the walls, my colleagues have the labels printed on a product called fathead, that's like a stickier Post-It. It never seems to damage the paint and can (carefully) removed and reused multiple times. It means a flush look which not everyone may like, but I'm a convert after seeing in action for a few years.

Best,

Ingrid

------------------------------
Ingrid Seyb
Objects Conservator
New Orleans Museum of Art
New Orleans
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 15:04
From: Madeline Calise
Subject: Labels on walls

Hi C2C community,

I wondered if you had any material suggestions for adhering interpretive labels on a wall in a way that won't rip off the paint when removed. These will be up for a little while so they need to hold up. We've used a type of double sided tape in the past and it usually really rips off the paint. Thanks for your experience.

Madeline