All You Should Know About Line Marking Services Line Marking- just as the name suggests is the procedure of making a line with sprays, paints or other materials to mark specific areas. Let me give you an example to understand it better. The most common line marking we see in our day-to-day lives is the lines on the road that mark different traffic lanes. The above example clearly explains how important line marking is. The line marking of roads specifies lanes for the people who are walking and for the ones who are driving a vehicle. They let the people on the road know which lanes are only for cyclists, pedestrians or people with special abilities. They also define areas of high and low traffic, parking or no parking, areas where you can stop the vehicles and areas where you cannot and so on. In other words, Line Marking is a nonverbal way of communicating messages to people in a specified space. Imagine crossroads where there are no line markings; the chaos, mismanagement and accidents at such places cannot be averted. Table of Contents Types of Material Used for Line Marking Types of Line Marking Conclusion Types of Material Used for Line Marking Line Marking is important on roads, schools, colleges, playgrounds, stadiums, factories, excavations sites, under-construction areas, mining sites and warehouses. Some places need Permanent Line marking whereas others need Temporary. There are different types of material used for line marking. Each of them comes with a set of advantages and disadvantages. Here is a list of a few common materials used for Line Marking: ● Hot Thermoplastic: It is the most common type of paint used for line marking, especially on roads. It is made up of synthetic resin, glass beads and pigments. It can be applied on the surface with a machine or manually. It is applied on the surface at a specific temperature so that it melts and bonds with the surface. It is highly durable and can last for a decade. It does not require much maintenance and is cost-effective. But on the flip side, since its applications require specific machinery, this increases the capital cost. Besides, it is not suggested to be used on concrete. ● Methyl-Methacrylate: This is the most expensive material used for line marking services and is also referred to as MMA or Cold Plastic since it is applied cold on the surface. It is made of paint & catalyst which is mixed just before the application. It is applied manually with a brush or mould and the paint lasts longer than thermoplastics. The only disadvantage of MMA is that it is expensive and releases a bad smell of ammonia. ● Water-Based Paint: As the name suggests it is mixed in water and applied directly on the surface with a machine or hand. It is applied cold. The advantage of using water-based paint is that they release less harmful gases and are therefore more environment-friendly. Their disadvantage is that they last for three to five years and take a longer time to dry. Besides they cannot be used in winter or seasons with high humidity. ● Solvent-Based Acrylic: The above limitation is taken care of by these solvent-based acrylics. They are mixed in a container and directly applied on the surface without heating. The best part about them is that they can be used in cold and wet areas. The advantages of solvent-based acrylics are that they are easy to manage and usable even in humid areas but on the flip side they take longer to dry and are more harmful than water-based paints. ● Epoxy: They are majorly used for line Marking services in closed surface areas like warehouses, industries, factories, workshops, and garages. It usually comes in a package of two consisting of resin and a hardener which are mixed together. It is applied on the surfaces or floors of enclosed spaces with a brush, roller or even spray. The biggest advantage of epoxy is that they are resistant to abrasion and chemicals. This makes it suitable for industries and factories where there is daily use of different types of chemicals which might spill on the floor. The spilt chemicals on the floor can cause damage to the markings in case they are made using any other paint. On the flip side, the biggest disadvantage is that they are costlier than other options and take a longer time to dry. ● Thermoplastic Tapes: Now this is altogether different from all the other options discussed above. These are thermoplastics that have been moulded into rolls or sheets. After preparing the surface for Line Marking, the sheets or rolls are cut into the required size and placed on the surface and heated using a gas torch. They are useful in enclosed areas and last around five years. Their biggest advantage is that they prevent wastage as they can be cut as required, and they are easy and quick to dry. Hence their handling and application are less chaotic and hassle-free. The disadvantage of these thermoplastic tapes is that they cannot be used for bigger areas or projects as they are costlier than other options. ● Chlorinated Rubber: There are some other materials that were popularly used for line marking services and gradually their use declined due to various reasons. Chlorinated rubber and Polyurethane are just two of them. They are rarely used as they have harmful chemicals as their components which can cause serious effects on the user as well as on the environment. Since there are better options available for line marking, some places have completely stopped the usage of such harmful materials. Types of Line Marking There are broadly two different types of Line Marking depending on the area to be marked. They are listed below: ● Temporary: These types of Line Markings are done where some project is going on that would last for a year or two. For example an under-construction site of a building, road or factory. These temporary markings are used to define where the raw material is stored, where machines are to be kept, which lanes or pavements should be used by workers during the construction work, and most importantly the dangerous or accident-prone areas ● Permanent: These types of markings are made for permanent spaces or completed projects. These include roads, warehouses, factories and industries. Here the line markings play a very important role and they are made after a lot of planning since once they are made, they are permanent for a long period of time. Permanent markings are made on roads, schools as well as fully constructed buildings and premises of factories, industries and warehouses. In school playgrounds & roads, line marking ensures that these spaces stay chaos-free and well-managed. On the other hand, Line markings in the established set-ups of factories & warehouses etc define the different areas, workspaces, departments and sensitive or accident-prone zones. Conclusion There are a lot of companies that provide Line Marking Services in the country. Kenex is a renowned name when it comes to reliability and quality Line Marking Services in Australia. Line Marking makes sure your workspace is organised and employee-friendly. It provides safety and alleviates mishappening to a great extent. All these are really important if you want your organisation to say productive and grow for a long time. Therefore you should invest in the right quality services so that your workforce is happy and you can stay stress-free.