On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:56:33 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

The wife has been doing some projects in the house and is about going
mad. We have eggshell paint on plaster walls and when she paints and
uses "painter's tape," the the tape pulls the paint off the wall.

She'd like to know if there is a better alternative, if she should
look for a particular brand, or if there is something else to help
with the issue.

If she used the blue 3M stuff, sometimes that will pull paint off (as
we learned ourselves), typically latex over an oil-based paint. What
seems to work better (and cost more) is the green stuff called Duck
Tape. At least I think that's the brand: it's at the big box stores
and comes in a green plastic container with clear lid, not just shrink
wrap like the blue tapes. It worked well for the stripe project in
one room, where we alternated flat and eggshell finishes of the same
color on the walls.