Floor marking tape can be the unsung hero of adhesive tapes as you only realise how vital they are when they’ve actually achieved their use. This Is to mark out areas that need to be noticed, whether this is for encouraging people into that area, or making it inaccessible to the public.
This kind of tape is made from different materials which include PVC and Vinyl, which often use a pressure sensitive rubber based adhesive system. These also range in thickness from 5mm – 55mm which shows the versatility of the product and highlights its suitability for a variety of different purposes. Most floor marking tape is made with the purpose of being a durable product that normally last towards upwards of 7 years, which is astounding seeing how thin the product actually is.
This floor marking tape is often sold in a variety of different colours, and these tend to be bright in order to make them easily visible to the unsuspecting public that are wandering the areas. These bright colours include orange, yellow and red. The most popular colour is often the black and yellow stripes which is found in factories with dangerous equipment, or even in offices that have a lot of wires present.
These colours are not just used for show, and actually each colour has a separate meaning, so be sure to choose the colour of tape you buy wisely. The most commonly used colour system for floor marking is:
Yellow – This marks aisles and pathways, and also displays areas where caution may be required.
White – This is the floor marking tape with the most uses, as this can be used for general purposes, these include putting lines around general equipment and storage locations.
Orange – This tape often indicates materials or products are being held for inspection.
Red – This tape is used for areas that need to be kept clear, these include firefighting equipment and first aid stations. It’s also used for marking potential hazards and red tag areas. However, it is vital that these do not overlap for multiple purposes, as this wouldn’t comply with OSHA’s floor marking safety guidelines.
Perhaps surprisingly, floor marking tape can also be a suitable replacement for paint on items such as aisles and rails. These are useful for this kind of situation as they are very easy to install as one strip of tape could be good enough in some cases. The floor marking tape is also easier to replace than paint as this can be teared off if you don’t like the colour or installation. This product is also a lot more sturdy and durable than regular paint. This is because the only way it could be removed is by hand, but due to their thick surface this would be hard to do. Whereas with a paint surface, this could be prone to chipping after a period of time due to regular wear and tear.