Stripers Choice

SOMAY "Stripers Choice" Traffic Safety Marking Paints are used on surfaces of highways, bridges, tunnels, driveways, parking lots, garages, curbs, wheel bumpers (stops), airport runways, taxiways and loading ramps, on the floors of warehouses and manufacturing plants (to mark aisles), on the edges of loading docks and stairways (to mark edges), on playgrounds and tennis courts, etc.

SOMAY's regular Traffic Paint customers tell us SOMAY's Traffic Safety Marking Paints are far more economical than competitive brands. SOMAY's Traffic Safety Marking Paints are manufactured to the same high quality specifications as our architectural and industrial coatings. We do not use "seconds" or "off-color" raw materials. This means that our pigment colors are more stable and longer lasting, and will retain their bright colors with less fading, even in the hot, south Florida sunshine. Our first quality resins will retain their durability and not break down, even when subjected to the extreme south Florida sunshine and temperature.

Likewise our Quality Control Laboratory inspects each batch of paint to make sure that each batch meets the standards which have been set for the particular formula. This ensures a smooth, well-dispersed formulation, so that the traffic paint will flow smoothly through application equipment without clogging, resulting in less down time for equipment servicing. This assures far more consistency, allowing more hours of trouble free operation of traffic marking application equipment, resulting in much more productivity, i.e., more striping done in less time. In addition, a retain sample is kept from each batch of paint manufactured, so we will always be able to check on the quality in each can.

SOMAY Traffic Safety Marking Paints have a high concentration of volume Solids, which results in paint with greater coverage, greater hiding and greater durability.

SOMAY Traffic Safety Marking Paints are made to accept the incorporation of reflective beads.

SOMAY's "Stripers Choice" Traffic Safety Marking Paints have been proven, not only by laboratory tests, but also by stripers' experience, to be far superior in quality, consistency and reliability than other brands.

SOMAY is not a manufacturer of and does not stock thermoplastic road marking materials. However, we are able to obtain them for our customers if desired. Also, we can obtain information on road striping machines and reflective pavement markers, i.e. Cat's Eyes, in white, yellow and red, single or bidirectional, etc.

It is impossible to predict the useful life one can anticipate from any applied traffic paint. This is because the normal durability of any traffic paint will be determined by a wide variety of exposure conditions, including: the amount (volume) and the type (weight, kinds of tires, etc.) of vehicular traffic driving over the traffic paint; the amount of Ultraviolet light ("UV") exposure, and whether direct or indirect; the actual weather conditions (rain, ice, sleet, snow, sunshine, clouds, etc.); chemical exposure (e.g. gasoline, motor oil, ethylene glycol, antifreeze or engine coolant fluid, acid rain, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, other salts or salt air); wind-blown sand, grit, etc.

Tropical environments are the most severe that paints must endure, including strong sunshine and ultraviolet light, high humidity, salt air, high temperatures, heavy rains, strong winds, thermal shock from daytime showers, etc. Some U. S. Federal Government performance specifications require traffic paints to last three times longer 18 months) in the latitude of Washington, D.C., as in the latitude of Miami, Florida (6 months). Therefore, one should always use the most durable paint formulation one can buy for any traffic striping job in a tropical climate area.

When one understands the effective durability of different resin-based traffic paints, then one can make a more intelligent decision on the kind of traffic paint one can employ in different use or exposure situations.

For example, if traffic driving over an applied traffic paint causing wear to the paint is of primary concern, such as pedestrian crosswalk paint lines at a major vehicular traffic intersection in a major city, then one would NOT use a vinyl-acrylic-resin based paint. Instead, one would use a tougher, longer-wearing resin-based traffic paint, such as an alkyd-resin (oil-based) traffic paint, or even a synthetic-rubber-based resin traffic paint. Yes, the paint will cost more per gallon, but the longer wearing, tougher resin will allow the traffic line to last longer, thus the cost on a per square foot per days (or months) of useful life should be less, thus saving the purchaser money over the longer duration of the paint's useful life.

Likewise, if the traffic paint is going to be applied in a parking garage or shopping center parking area, and there will be only an occasional vehicle driving over the paint lines, because the vehicles will park between the paint lines, so the paint does NOT have to endure the same kind of traffic wear as it would on a highway, then one could chose to use a vinyl-acrylic-latex-resin based traffic paint. We have seen these lines in parking lots in southern Florida last six (6) years and even longer … and the same paint probably wouldn't last six (6) weeks were it used to paint pedestrian crosswalk lines at a major intersection that had heavy automobile and trucks driving across the lines at the rate of hundreds of vehicles per hour!

Least Durable Formulation

Most Durable Formulation

Vinyl Acrylic Latex

Alkyd
(Oil)

100% Acrylic Latex

Synthetic Rubber

Epoxy-Phenolic

Aliphatic Urethane

(B) State of Florida, Department of Transportation Specifications (normally in stock)

(D) Custom Specifications (requires minimum order and non-refundable deposit with the order)

SOMAY "Stripers Choice" Traffic Safety Marking Paints, when made to government specifications, are guaranteed to meet or exceed Federal or State government specifications.

SOMAY can supply special traffic paint formulations for special exposure conditions, including:

(A) Epoxy Phenolic Resin with Amine Adduct Curing Agent (2-component). This special epoxy coating has been especially formulated for exceptionally severe exposure and long-term resistance to extremely corrosive products such as "SKYDROL" 500 aviation hydraulic fluid, jet aviation fuel, "gasohol", unleaded gasoline, seawater, fresh water, distilled water, hot concentrated brine, the effluent of waste treatment plants, etc. This coating can even withstand sustained immersion in these extremely corrosive products.

This special epoxy coating has been used successfully at a major international airport to mark aircraft lead-in lines, aircraft parking positions at terminal gates, runway stripes and taxiway stripes, and also as a protective floor coating for aircraft hangers at Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) licensed aircraft maintenance stations, etc.

Available in "White" (normally in stock). "Medium Gray" and light colors require a minimum order of 500 gallons of each color and payment with the order.

(B) Aliphatic Urethane Resin with Curing Agent (2-component). This special urethane coating is for use when chemical resistance plus exceptionally long-term exterior durability and gloss retention is required.

(E) Baby Buggy Green (normally in stock in SOMAY Vinyl Acrylic Latex formulation only)

(F) Custom Colors such as Red must be custom manufactured. Requires minimum order and non-refundable deposit with the order. When chosing a custom color to match a company logo or school color, for example, please click here for information about the differences between ink colors and traffic paint colors.

All SOMAY Traffic Paints are VOC Compliant with all current EPA Regulations for Zone Marking Paints. This means they will release only a small percentage of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, and therefore are considered to be environmentally friendly coatings.

According to the Florida Dept. of Transportation Standard Specifications (1991) Section 710-6.1, newly placed driveway or parking surfaces, whether asphaltic or concrete, shall NOT be marked with permanent pavement parking prior to 30 calendar days after placement of the final surface. This applies to all kinds of paint formulations, including oil, rubber, or acrylic latex-based.

Whenever applying paint to concrete, especially for the first time, because of the possibility that there may be various additives in the concrete or sealers that may have been put onto the concrete surfaces, it is recommended that one always put down a test stripe and allow it to properly cure, to be sure there is complete compatibility and adhesion between the surface and the paint.

New asphalt pavement surfaces must "cure" a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the application of any permanent paint lines or markings.

When applying Traffic Safety Marking Paint over a freshly applied asphalt-emulsion sealer, always wait at least 24 hours for the sealer to cure properly prior to applying any paint.

In order for applied paint lines and markings to dry rapidly, so that traffic lanes will not be out of service any longer than necessary, fast drying (i.e. rapid evaporation) of solvents from the applied paint is desirable and therefore rapid drying solvents are required, for example, in government specification traffic paints.

However, whenever a paint containing a rapid drying solvent (including government specification traffic paint) is applied to asphaltic-based pavement "sealer", there is a possibility the black or dark brown pigments in the coal-tar asphaltic base of the "sealer" may migrate into the freshly applied paint, because of its rapid drying solvent, resulting in a discoloration of the traffic paint line or marking on the highway or parking lot surface. The discoloration may cause "white" lines to appear "brown", and "yellow" lines to appear "orange". The discoloration does NOT mean there is anything wrong with the paint specification or formulation.

To avoid the occurrence of the above condition, many knowledgeable traffic paint applicators recommend that only acrylic latex traffic paint which is water-thinned (not solvent-thinned) should be used on freshly applied asphalt pavement "sealers". Since the solvent (water) in an acrylic latex traffic paint generally will not cause the pigment in the fresh "sealer" to migrate into the fresh paint, usually there should be no discoloration of the painted lines or marking when acrylic latex traffic paint is applied to these "sealed" surfaces.

It is unwise to apply too thick a coat of a good quality acrylic latex (water-thinned) traffic paint over a poor quality and/or not fully cured fresh asphalt surface. Too heavy a coat of paint can cause the asphalt to separate (pull away from itself) and curl whenever the coherent (internal) strength of the paint film, plus the adherent strength of the paint film to the asphalt surface is greater (stronger) than the coherent (internal) strength of the asphalt to itself.

All properly formulated traffic paints made to government specifications will cover up to 100 sq. ft. per gallon, at a normal wet film thickness of 0.015 inch (15 mils), assuming a perfectly smooth, non-porous surface.

The actual coverage will be considerably less on rough, textured and/or porous surfaces, in which case more paint must be used to develop the required minimum 15 mils wet film thickness.

The drying times of SOMAY Traffic Safety Marking Paints vary according to each specification. For example, SOMAY's paint made to Federal Specification TT-P-115F, Type II, will dry in 5 minutes; TT-P-115F, Type I and TT-P-85 will dry in a maximum of 30 minutes; TT-P-1952D will dry in approximately 20 minutes. Florida Dept. of Transportation Specification Traffic Paints will dry in approximately 30 minutes, and SOMAY Specification Acrylic Latex Traffic Paints will dry in approximately one hour.

Solid Traffic Stripe, four inches wide, will normally require a minimum of 16.5 gallons per mile on a smooth, non-porous surface.
Skip Traffic Stripe, four inches wide, will normally require a minimum of 4.125 gallons per mile on a smooth, non-porous surface, when each stripe is 10 feet long, and each paint stripe is separated by an unpainted space 30 feet in length.
MILES	GALLONS USED SOLID STRIPE	GALLONS USED SKIP STRIPE
.10	1.650	.413
.25	4.125	1.032
.50	8.250	2.064
.75	12.375	3.096
1.00	16.500	4.125
2.00	33.000	8.250
3.00	49.500	12.375
4.00	66.000	16.500
5.00	82.500	20.625
6.00	99.000	24.750
7.00	115.500	28.875
8.00	132.000	33.000
9.00	148.500	37.125
10.00	165.000	41.350

Parking Lot Stripes, four inches wide and 18 feet long equal 6.00 sq. ft., so that approximately 16 stripes can be painted with one (1) gallon of paint when painting a smooth, non-porous surface.
NUMBER OF STRIPES	GALLONS USED
1	.06
2	.12
3	.18
4	.25
5	.30
6	.36
7	.42
8	.48
9	.54
10	.60
11	.66
12	.72
13	.78
14	.84
15	.90
16	.96
17	1.02
18	1.08
19	1.14
20	1.20

No paint should be applied when any moisture is present on the surface to be painted or when the ambient air temperature is below 50° F., or when there are poor drying conditions and/or the possibility of precipitation or dew within an hour after application or before the paint can properly dry and cure.

All SOMAY traffic paints are formulated to be applied full strength, as manufactured by SOMAY, without thinning. When any paint is thinned, diluted or otherwise adulterated with any foreign material, it drastically reduces the serviceable life of the applied paint because it reduces the percentage of solids in the formulation, which will adversely affect such properties as adhesiveness or bonding, hiding, coverage, and the durability of the applied paint, which will be evidenced by powdering, chalking, fading and premature failure.

Solvent-thinned Traffic Safety Marking Paints should normally NOT be kept in storage more than 6 months 180 days) under ideal storage conditions. Water-thinned paints normally may be stored for one year or longer, but MUST be protected from freezing temperatures. Paint should always be stored in a protected area, never outside where it is exposed to direct sunlight or inclement weather.

Traffic Safety Marking Paints which are solvent-thinned are normally packaged in heavy-duty five (5) gallon steel containers. Water-thinned paints are normally packaged in heavy-duty five (5) gallon plastic containers. One gallon containers and 55-gallon drums are available on a special order basis. Please contact us for prices.

All solvent-thinned Traffic Safety Marking Paints require a RED (Flammable) shipping label; those made with acrylic latex resin (which is water-thinned) do NOT require a RED label, but must be protected from freezing temperatures during transit and storage prior to application.

NOTE: Special metal pails are required, at an additional cost, if shipping solvent-thinned Traffic Safety Marking Paints by air. Federal regulations also provide significant restrictions on the quantity of any solvent-thinned Traffic Paint that may be shipped via air cargo.

(A) Non-Reflectorized (do not reflect headlights, etc.)
(B) Reflectorized (to reflect auto headlights or airplane landing lights):

Drop on beads provide immediate reflectivity, but once the drop on beads have worn off (by traffic driving over the paint stripe), the stripe will no longer be reflective, unless the paint originally contained pre-mixed beads also.

Glass spheres should be dropped onto the painted stripe before the paint dries or sets up. Glass spheres should be applied uniformly at the following rates of glass spheres per each gallon of paint applied

PAINT SPECIFIED	GLASS BEADS (Spheres) SPECIFIED Retro-Reflective	AMOUNT OF BEADS SPECIFIED
Florida. Dept of Trans. Specification	971-14 Type I	6 lbs./gal.
U.S. Fed. Govt. Specification
TT-P-85	TT-B-1325 Type III, Gradation A (High Index, Coarse)	10 lbs./gal.
TT-P-87 Premixed Plus Drop On	TT-B-1325 Type I, Gradation B TT-B-1325 Type I, Gradation A (Low Index, Fine & Coarse)	5 lbs./gal. plus 5 lbs./gal.
TT-P-115	TT-B-1325	6 lbs./gal.
TT-P-1952	TT-B-1325 Type III, Gradation A (High Index, Coarse)	10 lbs./gal

Florida Dept. of Transportation Specifications 971-14, Type 1 (Drop On Beads)