Cold Weather Parking Lot Striping Considerations

While not ideal, sometimes property owners and facility managers just have to get paint on the ground for any number of reasons such as a Certificate of Occupancy, Fire Code Violations, as a condition of a property transfer, traffic problems, pedestrian issues, lawsuits, the boss is coming to town, etc., etc.

This can be a challenge in northern climates early and late in the year.

What to do? Read on.

What Defines “Cold”?

Acetone traffic paints typically call for 40 degrees F minimum/90 degrees F maximum with an 85% maximum humidity.

Latex paints need a higher temperature of 50 degrees F minimum, but can also be applied at higher temps than acetone all the way up to 110 degrees F.

The reason for the difference? In the lower temperature ranges, acetone paints and others like it have a solvent base that is not subject to the cold like latex paint which has water as its base. On the hotter days, that acetone paint can flash dry too quickly and become deformed in appearance. Contractors in very hot climates like Phoenix are often relegated to using latex throughout much of the year, even though their preference might be acetone (it produces a crisper line and is easier to manage inside the machines).

An Example of a Cold Weather Striping Success Story

I know a guy who was tasked with getting his biggest customer’s shopping mall done late in the year in the northeast. I, um, er, I mean, he was striping that lot at night with temps around 30 degrees F with zero problems except my, um, his fingers were cold.

When the Specs Don’t Work

Latex traffic paint is the biggest challenge. I’ve seen latex paints take forever to dry at 50 to 55 degrees F and the results weren’t the greatest. If able, I always recommend acetone over latex.

If you are in a state that mandates latex paint only, your window of opportunity to work is greatly shortened at the front and back ends of the season if you’re in colder climates.

Plan Ahead

For property owners and facility managers, that means plan ahead in your season! Or, postpone until the weather breaks if the temps are simply transient.

Handy Reference

My colleague, Greg Driskell, a Road Safety Advocate, created an app for contractors to use for the application of sealcoat and traffic paints. It can be found at www.DAFScale.com.

I tell my colleagues that you don’t dare get into the yellow or red with latex, but you can push the limits a bit with acetone, using that scale. For you property owners and facility managers who might be getting nervous about whether and temperature conditions, take a peak at that scale and have a discussion with your contractor if you see them operating in the yellow (hopefully not in the red!).

Conclusion

While not ideal, colder weather conditions may still allow for needed pavement marking installations with the right paints, a knowledgeable and experienced installer, and some supporting technologies to keep you out of trouble.

Salute!