Expert painters will provide free painting prep advice to celebrate the official start of paint season

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To give DIYers an edge up on painting season, ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape is launching the Pro Prep Patrol, a team of expert professional painters who will provide free painting prep advice to DIYers during some of the busiest painting weekends of the season.

“People continue to look for affordable ways to add value to their homes, and painting projects remain the number one home improvement project among both seasoned and inexperienced do-it-yourselfers,” said Paul Hansen, marketing director for 3M Construction & Home Improvement Markets. “As we are now entering paint season, we’ve launched the ScotchBlue Pro Prep Patrol to show that proper prep work can produce super sharp paint lines and expert results. We want to help even the most inexperienced DIYers make their personal painting project a true success that they can be proud of.”

Kicking off on June 4 and 5, ScotchBlue is offering three ways to seek expert advice from its Pro Prep Patrol Team. The experts will be available at no charge to help DIYers achieve professional looking results for any painting project:

• Interact with an expert for painting advice through a Skype Hotline – Callers can connect via Skype to show their painting dilemmas and receive personalized step-by-step solutions from a ScotchBlue Pro Prep Patrol expert from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. ET on June 4 and 5.
• Talk to a professional painter and get advice by calling 1-855-HLP-PAINT (855-457-7246) – DIYers can talk live to a Pro Prep Patrol expert and receive tips and solutions from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET on June 4 and 5.
• Get expert advice during an in-home consultation – On June 11 and 12, ScotchBlue Pro Prep Patrol experts will provide complimentary in-home painting prep consultations in Atlanta and San Francisco. Local residents can sign up for a chance to receive a free in-home consultation by emailing ScotchBluePPP@gmail.com and outlining their personal painting struggles.

DIY enthusiasts can also learn expert painting tips and view profile videos of the ScotchBlue Pro Prep Patrol team leading up to the launch of the program by visiting the ScotchBlue Facebook page, www.facebook.com/scotchblue. Skype and in-home appointments can also be scheduled at the ScotchBlue Facebook page.

ScotchBlue Painter’s Tapes are available at home improvement, paint and decorating stores, mass merchandisers and hardware stores nationwide. ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape prices start at $3.99 and vary depending upon the product and tape width. Additional information may be found at www.scotchblue.com.

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $27 billion in sales, 3M employs about 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

3M and ScotchBlue are trademarks of 3M. © 3M 2011

Lauren Pasquarelli, Cohn & Wolfe212-798-9845Lauren.pasquarelli@cohnwolfe.comorRobert Brittain, 3M651-733-7034