Best ways to remove paint or traffic lines

Removal of paint lines can often be a big problem for many industries.

Here we go over the many variables and challenges that are faced when removing Paint line markings

The Applications and Industries 

Some of the different areas and industries that often require road line removal are;

• Airports
• Councils and Municipalities
• Warehouses
• Stock Rooms
• Hangers
• Footpaths
• Runways
• Bus Lanes
• Tram crossings
• Many more…

The Challenges

There are a few challenges and variables when removing lines from any surface, these include;

• Removing the line while making the resulting cleaned substrate as close as possible to the texture or finish of the original & surrounding substrate particularly on bitumen or asphalt.
• Different line marking methods of application and paint types, such as Thermoplastic Lines, Cold Rolled, Pressure Spray, Adhesive lines & Decals and much more
• Different Substrates Such as Spray seal, Spray Tar, Asphalt, Hot mix, Bitumen, Concrete, Wood, Steel, Ship Decks, and many more.
• Not creating a visual lip or groove in the substrate
• Not creating a smooth slippery surface as a result of removal.
• Blending in the finish as much as possible so that the resulting surface cannot be confused for an actual marking.

Common methods

There are many methods of removing paint lines and road line markings. Many of these will give a reasonable result if they are right for the application and variables as listed above but as soon as they are used on a different substrate or a different paint or line is to be removed then they often will not result in satisfactory finished surface or production speed.

https://floorex.wistia.com/medias/lr1w27rw6c?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=400
Example of a Shotblaster removing Paint lines from a carpark

Below is a table of some of the common methods that are used in the industry and their uses and advantages and disadvantages.

Machine or method of removal	Advantages	Disadvantages
Shotblasting	Because the shot is thrown nearly vertically at the paint line it is removed indiscriminately from the surface without being affected by ups and downs or substrate profile. Can be quite fast	When used on anything other than steel or similar the substrate can be removed before the paint line in areas leaving hollows. This can be quite hard to balance If the paint is soft or rubbery (consider the sun also heating it up) it can be ineffective altogether. Leaves a Straight un-feathered edge and the result can look like a new line
Scarifier or Planer	Fast and aggressive Removes most line types leaves a coarse finish great for road lines	Finish is unacceptable for concrete and finer surfaces Tends to be easy to over do it and create a groove that in wet weather will look like a line Most planers don’t follow the surface and will cut deeper or not deep enough if it is undulating
Sandblasting	Can be controlled by user based on the results	Expensive to run equipment per lineal meter. Messy Huge investment for equipment Hazardous dusts are produced that can be hard to contain
Bushammering using Galaxy	Can be controlled by results by the user Fast and Aggressive Leaves an excellent non slip surface Removes most line types easy to feather in and result quickly weathers in No grooves of gouges Very economical Easy to service and maintain machine Full Dust Control when connected to a dust collector	May not work as well as shotblasting on steel surfaces

https://floorex.wistia.com/medias/yey0pp7srm?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=400
Example of a Galaxy 250 removing Painted line from Spray Seal

Conclusion

From the experience with working closely with our clients, we can confidently say that out of all the methods of removing coatings and line markings from many different substrates, the Galaxy 250 is a clear winner giving excellent return on investment with fast production and great consumable life and cost.

Visit our Traffic Line Removal Section to see more of what we have to offer and contact us if you have any questions on your application and needs. we are here to help!