Joe, my children call me the duct tape queen. They even bought me a calendar and a book of 1001 things you can do with duct tape. Have you seen the tie dye and the leopard prints? Very cool, but I haven't found a use for them yet. John, I've used 97 cent spray paint, but love the coverage of a new one, I think it's Rustoleum X2. My only concern is scuffing up the tape enough so the paint will hold. Steel wool? You're right, packing tape is strong.