Straight Line Striping Guide

No joke! There really is a right way and a wrong way to paint a straight line! Most people who have never run a striping machine smirk when we mention this subject. Yet every professional parking lot striper knows how hard it is to produce a perfectly straight lines, even though the machine has three fixed wheels that roll only forward or backward. Or, more accurately how easy it is to paint a crooked line.

And if you think straight lines are tough to paint, just wait until you try painting curved lines.  After reading the last line, you just might be laughing out loud.  A few readers may actually have tears in their eyes and muscle spasms in their back from laughing hysterically. Its the one thing that most parking lot striping professionals fear having to do the most. And if the customer is watching it just got 100% harder.

Of course, if you don’t take this subject seriously and prepare yourself properly, the joke will be on you, because you’re going to be ashamed of your first striping job.  We all had that first doozy of a  line.  let see some photos guys!

This is not my first because they didn’t have digital cameras when I started striping but its an oldie but goody that I found on the net.

Our Competition Makes Us  Look Even Better!

Let’s look more closely at all the factors involved in painting a perfectly straight line, regardless of whether you’re re-striping or doing a new layout.

Empires Perfect Line Striping Factors:

1. The machine must track precisely over the old stripe or beside a chalk line or string line.

2. Even though the machine’s wheels are fixed and cannot pivot from side-to-side, the pressure of each tire must be identical or the machine will not track perfectly straight.  A special low pressure tire gauge must be used to check the tire pressure periodically.

3. Even with uniform tire pressure and “fixed” wheels, one of your hands and arms will be slightly stronger than the other one, and many people tend to push the machine unevenly.  Uneven side pressure on the handlebars will prevent the machine from tracking perfectly straight.

4. An uneven pavement surface can cause the machine to track off course.

5. If you fail to establish the proper “alignment” of the machine, you must correct the machine’s course in mid-stripe. Any correction, however slight, will produce a curved stripe instead of a straight one.

6. Some older damaged paint surfaces can only be painted straight by using a stencil approach.  Though the effort is usually not paid for by the customer. Be aware and advise your customer upfront so there is no confusion.

Those are the factors involved in producing a straight line, but there’s a bit more to running a “professional-looking” straight line. The painted line must be consistently thick from the beginning to the end. If it isn’t, it won’t wear uniformly, because it may not dry properly.  These may seam like remedial parking lot striping issues to some but to Empire Parking Lot Services its a passion.

There are many procedures involved in both re-striping and new layouts. Trust the experts to get the best product for your dollar.