Commercial Painting Contractors Install Pedestrian Walkway Lines

Installing lines in facilities has many meanings and reasons.  But the most critical reason is to direct and guide pedestrians.  And by maximizing the adhesive power of epoxy, commercial painting contractors have been able to help guide those pedestrians out of harms’ way.

Floor markings and lines serve a great purpose in manufacturing facilities.  And one of the biggest reasons that those markings are so highly coveted are for safety reasons and organization.

Industrial painting contractors and commercial painting contractors have the experience, product knowledge, and manpower to install the longest lasting lines.  Which is critical in areas that receive a lot of forklift traffic, and equipment.

But besides knowing which product to use, there are varying ways to install these coveted lines.  And then there are ways that don’t work so well.  But in case you need to check the floor temperature, consider these industrial thermometers to ensure you’re prepared.  So here are the best ways that commercial painting contractors have installed pedestrian walkway lines:

1. Gas powered sprayer

   1. The benefit of using the gas powered sprayer is that they can install a significant amount of lines in very little time.  With the sprayer, there is no need for applying tape on the floor, or using a laminate roller to seal the tape, or clearing over the tape with clear epoxy to seal the tape.  The gas powered sprayer is ready to rock and roll without the extensive requirements from taping and brush and rolling lines.
   2. However, the drawback of using the gas powered sprayer is that the user has to use a combustible engine inside the facility.   Now, most facilities have the ventilation to exhaust the toxic fumes.  But, if conducting this work in food or pharmaceutical plants, or other manufacturing areas with sensitive products, then there’s going to be a major backlash against this method.  So keep this in mind.

2. Tape out all the lines, and brush and roll the material

   1. Incase industrial painters aren’t working in facilities where they can use a gas powered sprayer, then they’ll need to meticulously tape out all the lines.  Obviously, just by the sound of this, and knowing that many of these walkways can easily exceed 1000, 2000, 3000, or even 5000 linear feet, then you can see how this can extrapolate the costs of the project.
   2. However, although the project cost increases significantly, you’re getting a project that can be installed without the fumes from a gas powered sprayer.  But in addition to this, using tape gives the industrial painter the opportunity to brush and roll the paint.  By brushing and rolling, the applicator can work the material into the floor, offering better adhesion once the paint has cured.

But regardless of the application method, the product being used has a significant influence on how well the material adheres to the surface.  Sherwin Williams makes a solvent cured acrylic traffic paint.  This material is the go-to product for most line applications.  It holds up well outdoors, and can tolerate the constant UV exposure.

However, the set back from using this material is that it doesn’t offer the same adhesion as an epoxy.  But that might be ok when applying it to a very profiled surface, such as pavement or concrete.

But there’s a significant challenge applying this material to smooth interior concrete slabs.  Especially polished slabs.  And in those situations, we prefer to use a polyamine epoxy.  Epoxies offer superior adhesion, and will perform better than acrylic.

But even on smooth concrete, epoxy lines will have challenges.  So one method to increase the adhesion and longevity is by applying a clear coat over the lines.  This clear coat will overlap the edges of the first line, helping to increase the longevity of the product.

Overall, applying lines to a concrete slab is a challenge, due to the smooth surface, and the heavy traffic volume from equipment and people.  It’s not as simple as installing a fence in your backyard.  But regardless of these challenges, as long as the right industrial painter or commercial painter is hired, then it can be expected that the final outcome will improve the performance of the coating.