Unlocking the Potential of Warehouses: Floor Marking Tape vs. Floor Marking Paint
Warehouse floor markings are an essential element in any well-designed storage space. These markings create visual cues for the warehouse team by delineating spaces, highlighting hazards, directing traffic, and alerting employees to the presence of safety equipment. Visual cues facilitate employee navigation within the warehouse while also improving operational efficiency.
The Importance of Floor Marking in Warehouses
Floor marking primarily serves to designate individual pallet storage aisles, so operators know exactly how to align them. Without these markings, the gray concrete floor would just be a wide, open space. If there are no marked aisles and a pallet is placed slightly off, the next row will also be slightly off, and this deviation continues until an entire pallet storage space is lost.
Some operators might place pallets under a sign or align them with a column, but if there are marked aisles on the warehouse floor, the operator is guided with precision down to a few centimeters. In this way, the most efficient use of available space is ensured.
Safety Reasons for Floor Marking
Safety is another important reason for marking warehouse floors. Designating aisles for forklifts and pedestrian lanes helps keep employees safe and ensures smooth material handling operations. Areas where storage is not permitted can also be designated, for example, in front of emergency exits, breakers, sanitation stations, charging stations, and many more.
Differences Between Floor Marking Tape and Paint
There are two main materials that can be used for warehouse floor marking: adhesive tape and paint.
Adhesive tape, the most affordable option, is the one we are all familiar with: it peels off the roll and sticks to the floor. There are also more expensive tapes, but these are often harder to implement due to application costs. A special machine is needed to remove the protective layer and press them onto the floor. The material costs alone for this tape are higher than the material and labor costs for painted floors.
For floor paints, a two-component epoxy paint (Easyline) is used, with a base and a hardener. There are also acrylic paints that can be used for warehouse floor marking. Epoxy paint is more durable but requires more time to cure, while acrylic paints can dry in 15 minutes and cure the same day.
When Tape Is Recommended
There are two scenarios where it is recommended to mark warehouse floors with adhesive tape. First, if it is an area intended exclusively for pedestrians, marking small lanes for walkways.
The second scenario is when a client rents the space from an owner, and the owner does not allow painting; in this case, marking the floors with adhesive tape is the only available option.
Fluorescent and Photoluminescent Tapes for Warehouses
A special category of floor marking tapes are fluorescent and photoluminescent tapes. These are highly visible under normal conditions and glow in the dark after being exposed to light. Photoluminescent tapes are essential for marking evacuation routes, emergency exits, and safety equipment, ensuring visibility in case of power failure or smoke.
With an illumination duration of over 6 hours after a full charge, these tapes provide critical visual cues in emergency situations. Warehouses with poorly lit areas or nighttime operations particularly benefit from these markings, which enhance employee safety and facilitate navigation in dark spaces. Available in various fluorescent colors, such as neon green, yellow, orange, or blue, these tapes stand out due to high visibility and their ability to significantly improve operational safety.
Flexibility of Markings: Myth and Reality
Many warehouse operators believe it is easy to remove tape and reapply it. This is false, as floor marking tape often gets scratched, and vehicle tires create joints under pressure. Thus, when trying to remove the tape, it breaks, and small pieces must be removed one by one with a scraper. The older the floor tape, the more complex its removal, as it is more worn.
Often, it is just as easy to remove paint markings from the floor as it is to remove adhesive tape markings. For paint markings, a shot blasting machine is usually used, and removal is quite simple.
Shot Blasting Technology for Floor Preparation
Shot blasting is a concrete treatment process that uses a machine containing metal shot-round metal balls-and projects them at high pressure to fracture the surface of the concrete. This technique can be used to remove old paint and to prepare concrete floors for new paint. Similar to grinding, shot blasting breaks through the concrete sealer, creating more surface area for the paint to adhere to.
Shot blasting is always recommended as a preparation phase before painting any warehouse floors, as it allows for better paint adhesion and a longer lifespan.
Maintaining Floor Markings
Warehouse floors get dirty, especially when tires pass over the floor markings and blacken them. For warehouse floors, paint is easier to maintain because it only requires cleaning. There have been situations where managers complained that all the paint had worn off the warehouse floors, only for the installation team to go on-site with detergent and a brush and discover a brand new yellow line under the dirt.
Floor marking tape is harder to clean because if water or soap gets under any gap in the tape, a bubble can form that will cause it to deteriorate.
Color and Design Options for Markings
There are a limited number of color schemes available for floor marking tape. Tape comes in standard primary and secondary colors, with some striped options. There are also floor stickers for warehouses that can be used specifically for additional customization options.
Paint for warehouse floors also comes in primary colors but can be tinted to any desired color. By painting, various works with stencils can be carried out to customize the floors, such as footprints for pedestrians, “stop” barriers for restricted access areas, etc.
Color Standards in Floor Marking
The Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) guide on color use states that effective floor marking creates a visible, standardized system that is easy for employees to understand.
Floor marking systems that incorporate color standards improve both safety and efficiency. For example, a standard yellow floor marking is often used to designate aisles, traffic lanes, and work areas. Yellow and black striped floor markings indicate areas where employees may be exposed to physical or health hazards.
Regardless of the color system used for warehouse floor marking, markings must be consistent, and employees must be trained on the meanings of the colors and symbols for that warehouse.
Temporary Floor Markings for Warehouses
For temporary situations, paint can be removed and added quite easily, making it a good option even when the environment changes. If floor marking is needed for a few months, temporary adhesive tapes are recommended. These are not a good option for marking the entire warehouse but are a solution for temporary use.
Implementing the 5S Strategy with Colored Floor Markings
The 5S strategy, originating from Japan, is based on five essential principles: Sort (Seiri), Set in order (Seiton), Shine (Seiso), Standardize (Seiketsu), and Sustain (Shitsuke). Applying this method in warehouses involves, among other things, clearly marking the floor to delineate work areas, storage, traffic, or hazardous zones. Visual markings facilitate the quick identification of spaces and routes, reduce the risk of accidents, and contribute to maintaining an orderly workflow. For example, areas for fire protection equipment must be clearly marked and kept clear, while spaces for waste storage or hazardous areas can be highlighted with colored or hatched markings. A 5S board, placed visibly, centralizes rules, plans, and objectives, ensuring continuous information and involvement of employees. Proper implementation of floor markings, as part of the 5S strategy, leads to a safer, more efficient warehouse with reduced operational costs.
Professional Warehouse Floor Marking Services
Through our EUROFIT SIGMA team of specialists, we offer complete floor marking services nationwide to properly and professionally designate storage areas as well as traffic zones for forklifts and pedestrians. EUROFIT services ensure durable markings, compliant with safety standards and cost-effective in the long term.
