Freshly done line striping adds to the curb appeal and safety of roads and parking lots. It allows traffic to move smoothly, minimizing accidents and improving visibility for drivers as well as pedestrians. It depends on how long the fresh paint takes to dry for the area to be open for vehicle traffic and parking. Standard Striping, Baltimore, MD is an expert in high-quality line striping and also re-striping existing markings.
The usual drying time for line striping is approximately 30 minutes, however some factors can influence this. There can also be a combination of these factors that would affect the drying power. In this blog post, we will look at those factors that influence how soon you can open up your parking lot to traffic.
What type of paint is used?
The drying time would depend on the type of paint that is used. The usual types that are available in the market are water-based acrylics, oil-based, chlorinated rubber, reflective paints, and thermoplastic paints to name a few. Experienced contractors choose water-based paints on asphalt pavement and oil-based paints on concrete pavement. The typical life of these paints is 1 – 4 years depending on the volume of traffic. Heavy vehicle surfaces may require re-striping once a year while others may go longer. An experienced contractor can suggest to you the best type of paint based on your exact requirements. Contact Standard Striping for consultation to determine the most appropriate kind of paint for your property.
What are the weather conditions?
It is common sense that the warmer the weather, the quicker the paint will dry. It will dry best 50 degrees Fahrenheit or more. It is best to get the job done in summers to take benefit of the heat and sunlight. It is the opposite in winters as humidity increases in cold weather due to which the paint takes longer to dry. Furthermore, if there little or no wind, the drying process gets further affected. It is not possible to do line striping during rain as the paint will not give good results well when saturated with water. Thus, it is highly recommended that you check the weather forecast before deciding when to stripe your lot.
What is the condition of the area?
If the road or parking lot is new, the pavement will absorb a lot of paint. To overcome this challenge, a second coat of paint is applied which will require more time to dry as compared to a single coat. Older pavements may require repairs before beginning any painting.
It is important to prepare for striping in advance. The area should be clear of all vehicles and irrigation systems should be turned off as paint cannot be applied to wet pavements.
Looking for a contractor for line striping in Baltimore, MD? Get in touch with Standard Striping for consultation or get a free estimate.
