Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend you buy paint locally, any of the big name paint companies handle athletic field marking paint, like Sherwin Williams, True Value Hardware etc. The bulk field paint comes in 5 gal. pails, in a concentrated mix. The concentrated bulk field marking paint can be thinned with water 1-to-1, 2-to-1, or even 3-to-1. This makes the cost of the thinned material $3.00 to $5.00. Don’t use house paint because it is so expensive. But if you have an emergency, any type of water based paint will work. The water based paints will not harm your grass.

We recommend you first try to find a local paint supply store. All the big name paint companies handle traffic marking paint, like Sherwin Williams, True Value Hardware etc. They may call it parking lot paint, highway paint, waterborne traffic paint, or isle marking paint.

For the traffic paint you should expect to pay, if you are a contractor, $10.00 to $15.00 per gallon, call your local paint store for exact prices.

For the athletic field paint you can buy a five gallon pail of concentrate for around $32.00. This concentrate can be thinned to make ten gallons of thinned paint material to spray the lines on your football or soccer field. Call your local paint supply store for exact prices.

You should expect to stripe 250 to 300 linear feet per gallon, with a 4” paint line.

For the basic lining of a football field you should expect to use 10 gallons of thinned material. This does not include logos, end zones, coaches’ boxes, or all of the hash marks.

Typically a complete soccer field can be painted with less than 4 gallons of thinned athletic field paint.

The most common types of traffic paint are:

1. Waterborne traffic paint. With the waterborne traffic paint you can clean and flush your paint striping machine with water before storing. Waterborne traffic paint has a very fast dry time when striped on a sunny parking lot. This type of paint dries through evaporation and heat. If this type of paint is used to stripe at night or on a cloudy cool day, you may have to wait several hours before the paint lines will be dry.

2. Alkyd oil base traffic paint. This paint will dry quickly day or night, because it dries chemically. The downside to the Alkyd oil based traffic paint is when you have to clean the paint out of your striping machine. This can be done using the recommended solvents for clean up that are specified by the paint manufacturer on the paint. The solvents can be expensive and messy if you’re not used to cleaning up the striping machine. Alkyd oil based traffic paint is very popular for striping the inside of an industrial plant for isle marking. If isle marking is what you are going to do then you should also look into making your lines reflective and slip resistant by dropping glass beads on the isle lines.

3. Chlorinated rubber based traffic paint. This is also another type of paint that is popular when striping on concrete or pavement surfaces as well as isle markings or any other indoor industrial application. It is fast drying (about 15 minutes or less), and very durable under some of the toughest conditions. The one downfall with the chlorinated rubber based traffic paint is that you will have to clean it up with Toluene solvents.

4. Epoxy traffic marking paint. The epoxy paint is very durable and good for high wear areas where you may get a lot of fork lift or vehicle traffic; however it can be quite pricy.

There are many things to consider when making or purchasing stencils for your job. The first thing to consider is how much you want to spend on stencils. By making your own stencils out of thick cardboard you can cut your cost way down. When making cardboard stencils you can cut them out to fit your specific needs. By taking care of them they can last you for many years. You can also buy stencils online to fit your specific needs if you don’t want to make them yourself. We do not sell stencils. One source is PTM Stencil Company, call for prices 1-800-345-7969.

Any local welding supply store will handle the Nitrogen and the CO2 cylinders. Purchase or rent an exchangeable cylinder which can be refilled for about $20.00.

By striping your own parking lot, entrance way, athletic field, sport track, or soccer field you can save thousands compared to paying for it to be done. By using a bulk paint striping machine compared to an aerosol striper will also save you a lot of money. With one of our paint line stripers anyone can do a professional job on any surface the first time out, and stripe it relatively cheep.

By thinning and straining your paint you are ensuring that your striping machine will consistently spray professional lines every time out. By thinning your paint to a specific viscosity, about 30 seconds, there will be no questions about how it will spray out of your machine. When putting the paint in the machine you will want to strain your paint to ensure that there are no paint clumps, chips, or anything else getting in to your machine. This will greatly reduce any clogs and make sure that your paint striping machine will remain trouble free.

When thinning your traffic paint or athletic field paint you will want to use the Viscosimeter cup that comes with your striping machine. Submerge the cup in the paint, remove the filled cup from the traffic paint or the athletic field paint and measure the time it takes in seconds for the paint to drain out of the Viscosimeter cup. This will give you the viscosity of the paint. 30 seconds means that the viscosity is 30. For water based paint or your athletic field paint, add water and mix to a viscosity of 30 seconds. For oil based paint or your oil based traffic paint, add the recommended solvents or regular gas and mix to a viscosity of 30 seconds.

With a Trueline striper you never have to worry about overspray when striping paint lines. The enclosed spray box design allows you to stripe a parking lot or an athletic field on the windiest of days and still get sharp edges with no overspray on your paint lines every time.

In about ten minutes anyone can clean up their striping machine. All our machines come with a tank brush for scrubbing down the inside of your paint tank. Depending on which type of paint you use, will depend on what type of solvents, or water, you will use to clean and flush out the striping machine. Regardless of which type of solvents, or water, you use to clean and flush out the paint machine; you should make sure that you double flush the paint tank and the paint line before storing the machine away clean. It is always a good idea with any paint machine to always store it clean.

You can drain out the left over paint for reuse, scrub down the inside of the tank with solvents, double flush the paint lines and the spray box, wipe down any paint residue on the outside of the striping machine and put it away in about 10 minutes.

Most of the striping jobs out there are restriping. It is a good idea to always snap chalk a line before you stripe to ensure that your paint lines are straight. When laying out a new parking lot you should always follow the architect’s blueprints and lay out the parking lot accordingly. Always snap chalk all of your lines before striping the lines on the parking lot.

Over the life of your athletic field or parking lot you will save thousands of dollars by using a bulk paint striper compared to the aerosol stripers. You will save money by buying bulk paint compared to aerosol cans. The paint lines that your Trueline striping machine will give you will be much thicker, look more professional, and last longer than an aerosol striping machine. By using a bulk paint striping machine, like all of our striping machines, you can decrease the amount of times required to keep your athletic field or parking lot in top condition.

With a Trueline striper you will never have to worry about fuzzy edges or overspray. The enclosed spray box design guarantees that your paint lines will be uniform, have sharp edges, and you will never have to worry about overspray. When using an air spray striping machine you will end up wasting paint on the parking lot, highway, concrete, grass, or turf due to overspray. All Trueline striping machines are airless paint striping machines. The spray of the paint in the box, which is for the paint lines, is an airless type of spray. The airless spray system, which all of our paint line stripers have, and the enclosed spray box guarantees that there will not be any overspray when painting lines on your athletic field, parking lot, or your industrial plant.

Trueline stripers all give you a low pressure flooding type of spray which helps adhere and stick better to the surface that is being painted. This type of paint spray helps increase the durability and the longevity of the paint line. With a Trueline striping machine there is no paint wasted on overspray unlike some of the other high pressure paint striping equipment out there.

When striping on an athletic field or any grass surface our paint lining machines will give you a better quality line. By not using the high pressure that some of the other striping equipment has (2000psi to 3500psi) our striping machines won’t lay the grass over, our paint spray has a pressure between 0 to 120 psi. Our grass/athletic field striping machines stripe a line that covers the grass from two angles at a low pressure. By doing this your field will get better coverage and have brighter paint lines on game day.

The T-2000 paint line striper has the best of both worlds; airless striping, for the best lines possible, and an air atomizing spray gun, for all your hand spray work.

With the T-2000 you can choose from our classic four wheel design which is ideal for long straight lining essential for highway, street, and road departments, or you can choose to get the T-2000 with the Rear Swivel Wheel for easier maneuvering around curves and radiuses. Just specify which design you want when ordering.

This model is the ultimate striper for cities, counties, or highway crews. For highway, street, and road striping the double line kit and the glass bead dispenser are essential attachments. The air atomizing spray gun is great for spraying curbing, poles, car stops, stencils, stop bars, virtually any surface that you will run up against while out on the job site.

The portable air compressor comes with one quick disconnect fitting to use for other pneumatic applications. When using the air compressor for striping you turn on the motor, engage the compressor, let the air tanks fill to 120 psi, and then turn off the motor. The air compressors air tanks are now capable of spraying out 5 gallons of paint before you have to turn the air compressor back on, allowing you to have no motors or compressor running while striping. The air compressor can be removed from the striping machine and used for any other pneumatic applications.

The battery power pack model is capable of spraying 60 gallons of paint at 70 psi. with a single charge. It comes with a heavy duty air compressor which is virtually noise and vibration free. This air compressor is designed to provide you with years of reliable service and maintenance free operation. The operating pressure will build to 70 psi in less than 1 minute with a full tank of paint. The toggle switch at the top of the handle and the 160 psi gauge make it easy to maintain a consistent operating pressure while striping. The battery power pack comes with an automatic battery charger that is designed to fully charge the battery overnight and maintain it at a proper storage level. You never have to worry about overcharging the batter with this charger. After you are done striping you plug it in and walk away. The next time you have to stripe, the battery will be fully charged and ready to stripe.

The reserve air pressure tank model is a great option for those who have easy access to an air compressor, whether at your plant or a portable air compressor at the job site. Our 5 gallon stainless steel air tank holds up to 120 psi. This is enough pressure to spray out 5 gallons of paint at 60 psi. The air pressure tank striping machine comes complete with a regulator and dual gauges to monitor the air pressure in the tank.

With one nitrogen cylinder you can spray up to 100 gallons of paint before the nitrogen cylinder has to be refilled. Nitrogen is a completely neutral gas. It will not dry paint or change the PH sensitive balance of the paint. Nitrogen makes up two thirds of the air we breathe, is non-flammable, and very safe. The nitrogen striping machines have no moving parts, engines, compressors or fluid pumps. To save you time and money the nitrogen stripers are shipped without cylinders. You can purchase or rent an exchangeable cylinder from your local welding supply dealer. Refills cost approximately $15.

The CO2 cylinder stripers have no moving parts, compressors, or fluid pumps. The Model 120 is our standard production striping machine. It is ideal for spraying 4” lines, hash marks, and numbers. It sprays a professional line just like the rest of our striping equipment. The top locking device for the paint tank has a built in pump assembly for a back up pressure source.

The model 310 is designed for high production where more pressure is required. This machine is designed to give better production when using thicker paint for professional fields such as University football stadiums and Pro-teams where large emblems, stencils, logos, and end zones are sprayed. The high pressure is also better when using our 36 inch spray bar for bordering the fields or spraying coaches’ boxes. This machine comes with a 2 foot drain hose for quick clean up, a bleed off valve for releasing pressure from the paint tank, a box lifter assembly for raising and lowering the spray box, and a quick release knob for exchanging the CO2 cylinder.

CO2 is NOT recommended for waterborne traffic paints. The CO2 reacts with the waterborne traffic paint causing it to jell. CO2 will change the PH level of the paint causing it to jell up before you get all of the paint sprayed out of the tank.

The hand pump Model 20 is a light-weight, compact striping machine that is built tough, and capable of handling even the biggest striping jobs. With a self-contained hand pump, just a few pumps build sufficient pressure to stripe. This lining machine can stripe 120 feet per minute. Striping machine comes complete with 4 gal stainless steel paint tank, commercial shut-off valve, 4 inch box, 9 inch 8 quart funnel and strainer, with a maximum operating pressure of 40 psi.

The Model 20 is also a good lining machine when striping only one soccer field. This machine would not be recommended for large athletic facilities with multiple fields.

Anyone can benefit from having a hand spray gun attachment whether striping on a parking lot or an athletic field. By having a hand spray gun attachment you can easily spray any stencils, arrows, handicap spots, stop bars, and curbing.

The 258k hand spray gun is airless and excellent when light duty spray work is needed.

The 523 hand spray gun is airless, and is our commercial spray gun. With a full grip hand control and an 18” brass extension this hand spray gun is designed for years of reliability and is good for continuous spray work. This hand spray gun will also handle any type of paint.

When purchasing the T-2000 Trueline striper you get a fully adjustable air atomizing spray gun which is ideal for curbing, arrows, handicap, poles, car stops… virtually any surface you will come up against while on the job. This air atomizing spray gun will handle any type of paint or solvents.

With one touch of the finger you can flush the paint out of the spray assembly in just seconds, preventing paint from drying up on the tip when not in use. By having a Solvent Cleaning System on your striping machine you can save time by keeping your spray assembly clean, by saving five minutes here and there your solvent cleaning system will pay for itself. The refillable tank holds enough solvent or water to clean the spray assembly 20 times before you need to refill. This attachment will fit on any Trueline Striping machine and comes complete with 1 quart chrome plated brass tank, brass fittings, hoses, funnel, and instructions.

With the double line attachment kit you can spray two paint lines simultaneously or each line separately. This is an ideal time saver for those big double line jobs, ideal for streets, highways, road dept’s., or airports. Line adjusts from 3 to 10 inches apart. Comes with everything you need for adding a second line. The double line attachment kit includes an extra spray box, adjustable box hanger, commercial shut-off valve, hand control, cable, paint line, paint line support, guide line pointer, operating and assembly instructions.

By using a glass bead dispenser while striping lines on your parking lot, highway/road, concrete, or even when striping an industrial plant, you can use a glass bead dispenser to make the paint lines reflective. By dropping small glass beads into the paint when striping you will make the paint line become reflective at night.

When you drop glass beads on your paint line you are accomplishing a few safety tasks simultaneously: for one you will make the paint lines become reflective making them stand out at night, also you will give the paint lines some texture which helps prevent anyone from slipping on your paint lines.

The glass beads, like your traffic paint or athletic field paint, can be purchased at your local paint supply store.

We offer many different widths of spray boxes, the 2”, 3”, 4”, 5”, 6”, 8” and 12”. Please specify which width spray box you want when purchasing your striping machine. You can also purchase any width spray box at any time if your needs change. All our paint striping machines come with a standard 4” spray box.

The spray boxes can be taken on and off of the machine in less than 1 minute. By unsnapping the wires on the spray box and loosening one nut you can exchange the spray boxes quickly easily for wine width changes.

Although we do ship to Alaska and Hawaii, The freight rates to those states are best quoted before and order is placed. If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, please call us to place your order.