Our Guide To Line Marking Tape That You Should Know

Line marking tape is very handy in warehouses and other industrial sites – you can use it for marking out walkways/vehicle paths, highlighting potential hazards and separating equipment areas. There are a number of different line marking tape products to choose from, as well as different ways of applying the tape – so we have written this handy guide to help you out. 

What is floor marking tape? 

Floor marking tape is essentially a long adhesive strip, which is applied to the floor in your facility and used to delineate the different areas – you might want to highlight the edge of a pedestrian walkway in your distribution centre so that people do not wander into forklift or pallet truck lanes, or mark out an area around equipment or machinery so that people take particular care in those areas. 

Why use floor marking tape? 

There are a couple of reasons to use floor marking tape – the primary one being the improvement in health and safety. When people can clearly see that they are walking into a potentially hazardous area they will take particular care to look for, and avoid, dangers. The second reason is to improve the performance of your facility – you can clearly mark out different areas, zones and aisles to make it easier for your workers to navigate around the facility. 

How is the tape installed? 

Wherever you buy your floor tape you should also usually be able to find an applicator. These make the job of laying out the lines a lot easier, quicker and more consistent and remove the need for constant stooping and crouching. Over longer distances, you should absolutely think about using an applicator. 

Step 1. Clean and dry the floor – it makes sure that dirt and debris is all removed so that the tape can lie perfectly flat and adheres to the floor rather than other substances. 

Step 2. Load up the applicator. This will depend on your model, but you will usually have to put the roll of tape onto a spindle or axle and then feed the tape through and onto a floor roller. 

Step 3. Start moving the applicator along the line that you want to mark. Make sure to be consistent in terms of speed and pressure, and minimise deviation so the line doesn’t come out wobbly. 

Step 4. Cut the tape at the end of the line, and press the end firmly into the flooring. 

Step 5. Go over the tape line and check that there are no trip hazards caused by the tape not sticking, or by bunching or rolling. 

If you are laying the tape manually, the steps are still the same – clean, lay, cut, check. 

What are the types of tape? 

There’s a huge range of different floor tapes available. The most common are the hard-wearing types you will see in warehouses and industrial sites – they will be manufactured from vinyl for general use or PVC and steel for more heavy-duty use and particularly where wheeled traffic is in use. 

Choose your colour to suit the requirements – yellow and black or red and white stripes are a great choice for an eye-catching tape that marks out hazards, whereas a single bold colour is usually enough for less hazard-related uses.