More About Oversized Stencils

Visibility is a fundamental requirement for any public sign or marking, regardless of where it is located or positioned – after all, if nobody can see it, how can anybody expect people to follow it? As far as a pavement marking is concerned, the general rule is that bigger is indeed better. Not every driver has 20/20 vision, and varying weather conditions can interfere with visibility. Thus, a larger marking on the concrete before you is much more likely to be seen, and observed. Oversized stencils create markings that are also easier to see from a distance, giving a driver ample time to react to a command before something untoward occurs. These factors apply with greater importance to parking lots, where the limited drive space allows markings made with oversized stencils to really stand out prominently.

It should also be noted that oversized stencils are easier to paint with the appropriate tools. When it comes to painting pavement, as fortune would have it, bigger is also better. Certainly, the stencil is there to make your work look proper no matter how messy you are with the paint application. However, some level of precision is still needed. Dealing with a smaller stencil design often means paint spillage past the borders of the stencil, uneven coating and a general lack of accuracy in the painting. This is not so with a larger or oversized stencil, which provides considerable leeway when being used to paint a marking, dispensing with the tedium associated with maintaining steadiness and a careful eye for the paint job. Consider that you will be spending some time, at least a few hours, if not an entire day repainting the markings for a parking lot. Even if your hands and body waver from fatigue as the day wears on, an oversized stencil is bound to be much more forgiving.

Word markings, like “FIRE LANE” and “NO PARKING”, will also have to be painted more times if the aim is to cover a specific area or length of space. A larger stencil, which produces a larger marking, does not have to be painted as often, saving you the time and effort of having to re-position the stencil, taping it down and brushing away debris.

Lastly, the marking produced by an oversized stencil is not likely to be worn away quite as quickly as one produced by a smaller stencil. Wear and tear on the pavement paint will chip away bits and pieces, and fading will result, but with a larger marking, it will take longer for the marking to deteriorate enough for a re-painting to be necessary. In this way, too, an oversized stencil makes pavement painting easier, by requiring it to be done less often.