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Types of Paint to Use for Road Line Marking

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Whether you plan on starting your own road line marking business or you just need to mark your parking lot, you should know there are about 12 different paints for road line marking. While most of them have universal applications, some of the paints can address specific needs. Keep reading to find more about the most popular types of paint:

1. Paint based on oil or solvent formulas

One of the basic components of this paint is either food based oil or petroleum oil. This variety of paint, in turn, is divided into four subtypes:

  • Regular solvent based paint can be used on almost any paved area or surface. It is the safest choice of paint when you can't decide what to buy. However, this paint is not recommended for use on large areas.
  • High-performance hybrid paint. The only difference between this type and regular paint is that it contains some extra solvents that ensure road line markings of superior quality.
  • Alkyd paint uses synthetic resin as a binder. It's one of the most environment-friendly paints. It can be used on most pavements.
  • Chlorinated rubber paint is ideal for marking only certain parts of the road. Its thick, rubber-like texture is designed to warn drivers whenever they cross the road line markings. This paint lasts longer than other types, but it's more expensive.

2. Water based paint

This type of paint is generally considered more Eco-friendly than solvent based paints. There are two subcategories of water based paint:

  • Regular dry waterborne paint is the most common and cheapest type of paint that is compatible with both asphalt and concrete. It's an all purpose paint ideal for line striping, curb marking and road line marking.
  • Waterborne fast dry paint is pretty much the same as regular dry water based paint in terms of quality. What makes it more special is that it is designed to dry out in 5 minutes and be ready for traffic in about fifteen minutes.  

3. Thermoplastic paint

This paint comes mainly in two versions: hot applied and cold applied. Each version is applied differently, but both are more resistant to abuse than other paints. The downside is their high cost.

Before buying any of the above paints, be sure to check with local authorities if you're complying with regulations. Some towns may not be allowing the use of all types of road line marking paint. To learn more, contact a company like Pelican Linemarking with any questions you have.


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