3 thick coats is usually all that you need to use. If you put it on too thin, it's a real pain to remove. I just use a regular paint brush and slap it on, then hit it with a hair drier. What I like about using liquid mask is there is never any bleeding, plus I can dry my paint with a hair drier and it doesn't lift at all. If you use tape, heat starts to release the glues and you get bleeding. Use a new x acto blade when you cut it, light pressure, the weight of the blade is enough to slice through it.