It depends which VELCRO Brand product you buy. Its Sticky Back tape, strips, squares and dots are for smooth indoor surfaces such as walls, glass, plastic, metal and wood, and the tape’s page rules out brick and rough concrete. For rough surfaces it names Extreme Outdoor, Rough Surface Strips and Extreme Lock fasteners, and for Extreme Outdoor on brick it says to test first.
Each product, in VELCRO Brand’s words
| Product | Surfaces it names | Not recommended | Indoor or outdoor | Operating temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sticky Back Tape | Walls, glass, plastic, metal, wood; its description adds tile and finished wood | Fabrics, dashboards, flexible vinyl, brick, rough concrete, underwater | Indoor | 0 to 100°F |
| Sticky Back Strips and Squares | Walls, glass, tile, plastic, metal, wood | Fabrics, flexible vinyl, underwater | Indoor | 0 to 100°F |
| Sticky Back Dots | Walls, glass, tile, plastic, metal, wood | Felt and fabrics (“aren’t made for felt or fabrics”) | Indoor | 0 to 100°F (its FAQ says 0 to 120°F) |
| Industrial Strength Tape and Strips | Painted wallboard, glass, metal, most plastics | Fabrics, dashboards, flexible vinyl, underwater; may not adhere well to certain types of brick | Indoor and outdoor | 0 to 120°F |
| Kitchen & Bath Mounting Tape | Painted wallboard, glass, metal, most plastics; a tub surround or tiles | Fabrics, dashboards, flexible vinyl, underwater | Care section: indoor and outdoor; FAQ: designed for indoor use | 0 to 120°F |
| Extreme Outdoor Tape and Strips | Unfinished wood, concrete and certain types of brick | Fabrics, dashboards, flexible vinyl, underwater (tape page); both pages: may not adhere well to certain types of brick | Indoor and outdoor (tape page) | 0 to 140°F (tape page) |
| Rough Surface Strips (PRO Series) | Brick, concrete and masonry | None listed | Made for outdoor use; also indoors on rough surfaces | 0 to 140°F |
| Extreme Lock fasteners | Metal, wood, glass, vinyl, concrete; its description adds brick | Drywall | Indoor and outdoor | −40 to 194°F; apply at 50°F or warmer |
| Workbench Mounting Strips | Metal, wood, glass, vinyl, concrete; smooth and slightly textured surfaces | Drywall (“not the best fit”) | Indoor and outdoor | −40 to 194°F; apply at 50°F or warmer |
| Extreme Hold Strips (PRO Series) | Most surfaces, including vinyl, plastic and concrete | None listed | Indoor and outdoor | −40 to 194°F |
| Removable Mounting Squares | Walls, glass, tile, plastic, metal, wood | Wallpaper, unpainted brick, concrete, other porous materials | Not stated | 0 to 120°F |
From each product’s page on velcro.com. VELCRO Brand’s HANGables Indoor Light Clips are for smooth indoor surfaces and not recommended for wallpaper or textured walls. VELCRO Brand’s FAQ names Industrial Strength, Extreme Outdoor and ALFA-LOK (now Extreme Lock) as its adhesive-backed products that work well outdoors.
Brick, concrete, wood and drywall
- Brick: not Sticky Back Tape, and not Removable Mounting Squares on unpainted brick. Industrial Strength and Extreme Outdoor “may not adhere well to certain types of brick”, so VELCRO Brand says to test. Rough Surface Strips are made for brick, and Extreme Lock names brick. See also hanging on brick without drilling.
- Concrete: not Sticky Back Tape on rough concrete, and not Removable Mounting Squares. Extreme Outdoor, Rough Surface Strips, Extreme Lock, Workbench Mounting Strips and Extreme Hold Strips all name concrete.
- Wood: Sticky Back Tape names wood and finished wood; Extreme Outdoor names unfinished wood; Extreme Lock and Workbench Mounting Strips name wood.
- Drywall: Industrial Strength and Kitchen & Bath name painted wallboard; Extreme Lock and Workbench Mounting Strips say not drywall.
VELCRO Brand’s brick post explains why brick is hard: it’s rough and irregular, which makes it harder for standard wall tape adhesives to grip, and textured or painted brick is harder still.
Where VELCRO Brand’s pages disagree
- Extreme Outdoor on brick: its tape and strips pages say it sticks to rough surfaces like brick and concrete, and the same pages say it may not adhere well to certain types of brick, so test. Its 2025 brick post says its adhesive grips brick, concrete and stone.
- Kitchen & Bath outdoors: the care section says indoor and outdoor use; the FAQ says it was designed for indoor use.
- Waiting time: the brick post’s steps say wait at least 60 minutes before mounting, while its tips say let the adhesive set at least 24 hours before hanging anything.
- Sticky Back Dots temperature: 0 to 100°F in the product highlights, 0 to 120°F in the FAQ.
Getting it to stick
- Clean the surface. VELCRO Brand’s FAQ says any cleaner that won’t leave a film or oily surface, and recommends alcohol prep pads. The Sticky Back Tape page adds mild soap and water, a rinse, then isopropyl alcohol.
- Let the surface dry completely.
- Peel the liner without touching the adhesive (the Workbench Mounting Strips and Rough Surface Strips pages say don’t touch it), and press firmly.
- For Extreme Lock and Workbench Mounting Strips, apply at 50°F or warmer.
- Wait. Sticky Back Tape, Industrial Strength, Extreme Lock and Workbench Mounting Strips reach maximum strength after 24 hours. Extreme Lock, Workbench Mounting Strips and Extreme Hold Strips say wait 60 minutes before mounting; Rough Surface Strips say 15 minutes before use.
The Sticky Back Tape page says the rough hook side usually goes on the surface that stays put, and the soft loop side on the item you move. The Sticky Back and Industrial Strength notes say continued full sunlight can damage the fastener.
Taking it off
VELCRO Brand’s FAQ suggests a citrus-based adhesive remover. The Sticky Back Tape page says to soften the adhesive with a hair dryer, peel slowly, roll leftover adhesive into a ball to dab up the rest, chill it with ice in a bag, then use acetone, mineral spirits or a citrus cleaner. The Extreme Lock page warns that removing it may damage the surface.
Hanging on brick without drilling?
Hang on brick