When you need to mark the floor for your private or company car park, for a schoolyard or any area that needs to be delimited and signaled, you have the choice between ground painting and thermal marking. The second solution is much easier to use, while maintaining impeccable quality.
What is thermal marking?
Thermal marking uses strips that can be white, coloured or reflective. They are sold in rolls or can be pre-cut to the specific shape you need, for example the “disabled” logo to delimit a reserved parking lot.
Thermal marking is applied using a hot air gun that heats the strip which is then embedded in the floor. After a short drying time, you can use the road in a fully normal way.
Painting or thermal marking?
Floor preparation
Whether you use heat marking or paint, you will need to prepare your floor. It must be perfectly clean and not have too large holes. If your floor is already painted and you wish to repaint it, you will have to strip it beforehand. You need a specific stripper for this.
Thermal marking can be used over old markings without the need to strip it.
In both cases, if your surface is smooth, you must first apply a coat of primer, otherwise your marking may not resist well over time.
Patterns and cut-outs
The advantage of the thermal glued tape is that it can be easily cut from the roll or purchased with the pre-cut shape. When painting, tracing is much more delicate. You will need to install a stencil system to prepare your surface. These delimitations must be perfectly placed to obtain a clean contour and avoid splashes.
For parking space or schoolyard markings, you will spend a lot of time preparing. With thermal marking, you can directly apply ready-made icons, such as a handicapped logo or a hopscotch game.
For all the strips that delimit a parking space, you either cut straight from the roll or use strips that are already at the required size. Your marking is immediate.
The installation equipment
Floor painting requires more complex tools than thermal marking. If your surfaces to be painted are large, you must use a professional airless spraying device equipped with tracing guns.
You can also apply your paint using brushes and rollers, but this requires a certain amount of dexterity and experience. You must spread the paint evenly and control the dosage precisely.
There is no room for error, because it dries very quickly. It is done by evaporation of the solvent in the air and, if your stencil is badly placed, or if your tracing is not precise, you will have to strip your surface, before having to reapply a coat of paint.
With thermal marking, you must use a hot air gun. Since the strips are pre-cut, you take no risks and your marking is bound to be precise and clean.
The gun is gas operated and can be connected by a hose several meters long which allows you to work comfortably. The gun is easy to use, in all weathers and in all positions.
