Construction marking paint: how to make the right choice? The complete guide!
Construction marking paint (also commonly known as marking spray) is an essential tool for professionals in the building and construction industry. It is particularly valued in the world of topography during marking and staking operations, but can also be used for various road marking jobs, earthworks, pipelines, constructions, etc.
But with so many different construction marking paints and accessories available, it can be difficult to choose the one that’s right for you.
Technima, Europe’s leading aerosol marking expert, has put together a buyer’s guide to help you choose the right product for your needs.
If you would like to go straight to the CONSTRUCTION range of construction marking paints, please follow the link below.
Otherwise, happy reading!
HOW DO I CHOOSE THE MOST SUITABLE CONSTRUCTION MARKING PAINT FOR MY WORK?
Summary
1) Characteristics of a construction marking paint
- What colours are the marking sprays?
- What are the performance and selection criteria for a construction marking paint?
- Find the SOPPEC or MERCALIN construction marking paint best suited to my needs
2) How construction marking paints are used in the construction sector
- Which product is right for public worksites and other worksites?
- Which products are best suited to private customer worksites?
3) How to mark a worksite successfully
- Our recommendations for use
- How do I prepare the surface before applying paint?
- Accessories to make marking easier and more effective
1) CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSTRUCTION MARKING PAINT
The construction marking paint market offers as many products as there are jobs requiring site marking and identification, and for good reason.
The wide range of construction marking paints can meet a multitude of more or less specialised needs: identifying colour, resistance to weather conditions, use on various substrates, marking durability, paint visibility, etc. All these criteria need to be taken into account when choosing the ideal construction marking paint.
The first important point to consider when choosing marking paint is the colour of the paint used.
Marking spray colours
Depending on your site marking and location work, you will probably have to comply with certain standards.
For example, the marking / staking and tracing of networks must be carried out in compliance with standard NF P 98-332, the colour code of which indicates the nature of the network.
Marking should be applied at regular intervals to indicate the depth of the networks identified. As a result, manufacturers of construction marking paints need to offer a range of products in a variety of colours.
7 colours comply with standard NF P 98-332.
CONSTRUCTION brand construction marking paints offer a wide range of colours that meet this standard.
Type of network | Color name of the marking | Paint Color |
| LV, HV/MV electricity, traffic lights and road signs | Fluorescent red |  |
| Combustible gases (transport/distribution) and hydrocarbons | Fluorescent yellow |  |
| Chemical products | Fluorescent orange |  |
| Drinking water | Fluorescent blue |  |
| Drainage and rainwater | Brown |  |
| Heating and cooling | Fluorescent purple |  |
| Telecommunications (including fibre optics) | Fluorescent green |  |
| Multi-network right-of-way zone | Fluorescent pink |  |
| Right-of-way zone | White |  |
Technima offers a range of construction marking paint in a variety of colours that comply with this standard through the SOPPEC and MERCALIN brands, a leader recognised by professionals in the industry.
But colour isn’t everything. Selecting a spray paint for marking is dependent on a number of performance criteria.
The performance and selection criteria for construction marking paint
What do you expect from a construction marking paint? That it’s adapted to your needs! But what are those needs? They are based on performance criteria, which are:
PAINT VISIBILITY
MARKING DURABILITY
Non-visible marking is marking that can jeopardise a worksite. Imagine a construction machine digging where it shouldn’t … that could end in disaster!
Most markers on the market contain fluorescent pigments that become more visible when exposed to light.
The pigments selected by the Technima group for the formulation of TECHNIMA construction marking paints are the most fluorescent on the market, offering high visibility both up close and at a distance, whether the paint is acrylic or water-based.
In some cases, non-fluorescent marking paints are also used, such as white in dark areas (tunnels, sewers), or grey and black, which are very useful when masking is required. The standards require brown to be included in the list of non-fluorescent colours.
The length of works can vary considerably. Some may last a few weeks, others several months. Markings need to be visible throughout the duration of the works being performed.
Marking durability is therefore one of the most important criteria in selecting your construction marking paint. It is directly linked to the quantity of pigments used in the paint formulation.
For this reason, Technima has developed paints with variable marking durations, from 1 month to 12 months. So there’s no need to worry – you’re sure to find the perfect match for your needs!
APPLICATION TEMPERATURE
USE ON DAMP SURFACES
Depending on the region you work in, temperatures can be extreme.
So what do you do if your paint refuses to flow because it’s too cold, resulting in a lack of pressure? And how do you deal with a spray can that risks exploding because it is not heat-resistant?
Technima manufactures a range of construction marking paints that are capable of working at temperatures ranging from -15°C to +40°C.
Construction work does not always take place in ideal weather conditions. That’s why construction marking paint has to perform well and withstand all weather conditions, including wet weather.
SOPPEC construction marking paints have been developed to offer coverage and weather resistance unmatched by any competitors.
They have excellent adhesion and can be applied to all surfaces: cement, concrete, tar, wood, metal, etc.
Other selection criteria are also important, such as:
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PRODUCT SECURITY
PAINT MUST BE USABLE RIGHT TO THE END
All SOPPEC construction marking paints are fitted with a patented safety cover, which provides a high level of protection even in the event of an accidental fall (1.50 m), good shock resistance and clean paint application without getting your hands dirty.
Buying a product without being able to use every drop, or almost, can be problematic …
Technima construction marking paints guarantee an almost total paint return rate!
COVERAGE AND PERFORMANCE
IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND USERS
Coverage: This is the paint’s ability to cover the surface. A product with little coverage needs several applications to be visible, and therefore generates waste. A product with good coverage, on the other hand, requires a single application to achieve the same effect.
Flow rate: This is the speed at which the aerosol empties.
To achieve good marking quality, you’ll need to use more product with a low-coverage paint than with a high-coverage paint. If the flow rate is high, the can will empty faster than if the flow rate is low. However, it is the coverage of the paint that will determine the quality of the marking. A lack of coverage can be ‘compensated’ for by a higher flow rate, in which case the spray will empty faster and less work will be needed for the same coverage.
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FAKE NEWS: Some sellers will try to justify the price of a spray can by saying that ‘The heavier the can, the more you get for your money because you can do more marking.’
This is totally untrue! You can’t justify the price of a spray can using these arguments.
Aerosols are measured by volume, not weight.
Volume depends on product density. For example, 1 litre of alcohol is lighter than 1 litre of water. What counts is the quantity of the product, but above all the performance of the can and the useful quantity of product, i.e. 500 ml of paint + propellant.
Technima aerosols have the best coverage and one of the best outputs on the market! The packaging is 500 ml net.
There are a number of construction marking paints on the market. Their differences lie above all in their composition and formulation. This has resulted in a number of hazard pictograms and warning phrases appearing on labels.
At Technima, people and the environment are at the heart of our priorities. That’s why we use our expertise in formulating and manufacturing spray paints to create construction marking paints with the lowest impact on health and the environment on the market.
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Our products are designed without CMR compounds (carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic…) to reproduction substances of class 1A, 1B & 2 above 0.1%
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Without Hexan et Methanol, Toluen et Xylen
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Without heavy metals such as Lead (PB), Cadmium (Cd),…
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Without Environmental Hazard statement n° 412 : “toxic to aquatic organisms long-term damage to the ecosystem”
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Our labels are in compliance with EU regulation n°1272/2008 and with its adaptation
Here is a table of requirements based on the work needs
2) HOW CONSTRUCTION MARKING PAINTS ARE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR
The Construction sector includes several types of jobs and worksites, depending on the sector in which you work. Each of them will involve marking/location requirements, for which construction marking paints are used.
Products for public worksite
Public worksites are linked to public infrastructure.
There are different types of worksites and MERCALIN and SOPPEC construction marking paints are designed to suit them:
WORKSITES FOR ROADS AND MISCELLANEOUS NETWORKS INCLUDING ROADS AND MOTORWAYS
Typical applications include laying asphalt, kerbstones, telephone and electricity cables, sewer systems, etc.
Needs:
Recommended products for Construction of buildings or properties
CIVIL ENGINEERING WORKSITES
This applies in particular to the construction of bridges and tunnels, dams and locks, water treatment plants, etc.
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Construction of buildings or properties
WORKSITES ON RAILWAY LINES
Quite simply, the creation and maintenance of railway lines.
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Construction of buildings or properties
EARTHWORKS WORKSITES
This involves preparing the land for future construction and laying the various networks.
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Construction of buildings or properties
WORKSITES AND TRANSPORT OF ENERGY (ELECTRICITY, GAS, OIL) OR FLUIDS (AQUEDUCTS, STEAM)
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Construction of buildings or properties
CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS OR PROPERTIES
This involves preparing the land for future construction and laying the various networks.
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Construction of buildings or properties
LANDSCAPING
Landscaping includes all the actions that allow to arrange an outdoor landscape (garden, land ...). It is a subset of the external development, including several activities such as: the establishment (levels, tracing staking), the preparation of grounds, the plantation of shrubs and trees, the grassing of plots...
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Landscaping
WORKS AND MAINTENANCE ON PROTECTED SITES
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Works and maintenance on protected sites
Products for private customer worksites
These are small-scale projects, generally of short duration. They include:
SMALL JOBS, BUILDING SITES, RENOVATION WORK
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Small jobs, building sites and renovation work
ROOFS
For these applications, we recommend TEMPO TP, TEMPO MARKER, MERCALIN TS as well as IDEAL SPRAY paint.
NEEDS:
Recommended products for Roofs
GARDENING
For these applications, we recommend TEMPO TP, TEMPO MARKER, or MERCALIN TS as well as forestry paints.
BEHOV:
Recommended products for Gardening
3) MARKING A SITE SUCCESSFULLY
You now have all the information you need to choose the ideal construction marking paint. To perfect and optimise your marking work, we invite you to read the following recommendations for use.
Recommendations for use
A construction marking paint is a technical tool which, like everything else, requires you to employ the right methods:
- Shake the can well before use.
- Purge the aerosol after use (unless it is multidirectional – 360° use – like MERCALIN products or SOPPEC IDEAL SPRAY).
- Store spray cans in suitable conditions: between 15 and 25°C and between 50 and 60% relative humidity. Do not expose aerosols to temperatures above 50°C, and keep them away from sources of ignition, heat and sunlight.
Preparing a surface before applying paint
To improve the durability of your markings, we recommend that you remove all waste (stones, gravel, various loose debris, weeds, dust, etc.) from the surface before application.
Accessories to improve your marking
In addition to its SOPPEC CONSTRUCTION marking paints, Technima offers a set of tools and marking accessories for the construction and public works professionals
Our accessories greatly facilitate the application of the paint and are a good solution to avoid postures that may cause MSD (Musculoskeletal disorders).
This range of marking accessories includes :
- A marking rod
- A marking gun
- Chalk lines and marking powder
- Paint marker pens
- Marking chalk
- Marking tapes
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