When shopping for parking templates, there are (3) things to look for:

1) The material from which the template is made.

2) The thickness of the template itself.

3) The general dimensions offered by the template. And I mean all of them, not just “full height”.

First, referring to # 1;

Parking template material.

I’ve seen parking templates that are advertised as “made of quality,” and then there’s this fancy word for cardboard.

I have also seen them made of “countertop” material.

The best material is low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic … not high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It is the material of choice among parking lot striping companies. This is why;

A) It is strong, unlike cardboard. It is more flexible, unlike the material of the countertop.

B) It is also too easy to clean. Spray the stencil. It will have a bit of “overspray” on the stencil itself. Let it dry. Then bend the flexible LDPE and the dry spray will come off. Or you can peel it and it looks like a giant potato chip. Now your template is “like new again”.

If you spray a cardboard stencil, the overspray gets soaked. You can’t easily clean it and then expect to reuse it for years to come.

If you spray a stencil made from some type of countertop material, two things can happen.

1) It is too stiff to bend. If you try to bend it, prepare for it to break.

2) If the countertop material is rough instead of smooth, the top spray will hold it tightly and it will not come loose. It cannot be re-cleaned and made “like new again”. After a while, the overspray will build up and affect the quality of your work.

Simply put, buy LDPE. It is more flexible than HDPE. It will conform to the contour of your parking lot. It will last. It’s too easy to clean … etc … etc

FOLLOWING; Thickness of the parking template.

I have seen thicknesses of 10 thousand and 30 thousand. I’ve seen 60 Thousand and 125 Thousand.

10 mil is approximately (3) sheets of thick paper. 30 Mil is approximately (10) sheets of thick paper. There are a few things to consider here.

1) If it is too thin, like 10 mil, it may not stay where you need it. (I hope the wind isn’t blowing!)

2) When the paint hits the stencil, prepare for the stencil to “flutter” and / or just move. It is not heavy enough to do the job. Also, these are not heavy enough to lie completely flat. If they’re “wavy” at all … again … they don’t have the weight to just lie down. Paint will spray under the areas that are above the pavement and affect the quality of your work.

3) If you have to slide a “thin” material template from under another template … the little “bridges” that hold the letters or symbols to the surrounding plastic will eventually catch on something and break. This creates more problems. Be careful.

The best (2) thicknesses are 60 Mil and 125 Mil.

The 60K parking templates are for occasional use. Schools that scratch or paint their own stencils can use them. A part-time parking lot striping company or the maintenance department of a mall or hospital will find these to be fine. Just take care of them.

125 Mil is for the professional parking lot striping company. Let the spray dry. Take it off. Bridges are tough. This thickness will last, seemingly forever.

NEXT … “General dimensions” parking template.

This is actually quite simple. There are two things involved. One is the total height. The other is the height, width, and brush stroke of the individual letters. Now I’ll say it backwards; Find the height, width, and brush stroke of each letter. THEN is the total height that will tell you the distances to the edge.

Let’s start with the total height.

The first thing you will almost always notice is a “full height” ad.

When you see the total height, it refers to the total height of the plastic part from which the letters or symbol are cut.

This is what that means; Let’s say the template is a NO PARKING template with 12 “high letters. Let’s say the” total height “is 16”. That means there is only 2 “of plastic above the top of the letters and 2” of plastic below the bottom of the letters. Again; Adding a 2 “edge distance at the top, with 12” lettering, and another 2 “edge distance at the bottom, will bring you to the full height of 16”.

I like an overall height of 18 “. Here’s why, it’s not just about excessive spray protection, it’s about strength.

1) If you are unsure about spraying the stencil, a 2 “edge distance is scary.

A 3 “edge distance is not that scary. (On a 12” template WITHOUT PARKING, the total height would be 18 “, not 16”).

2) If you want them to last any amount of time, a 3 “edge distance offers much more resistance than just having a 2” edge distance.

FOLLOWING; the actual height of the letters will probably be up to you. Common parking lot templates feature 12 “and 24” high letters. However, again, this is up to you.

FOLLOWING; The width of each letter is important. I like them between 8 “and 9” wide for a 12 “tall letter. (The” W “is just wider than the” V “). It’s all about having a balanced look and taking up the space given for the letter. template works better.It’s work.

LATEST; The brush stroke. Imagine that you are painting the letter with a brush. How wide is the brush? Is it 1 “wide? Is it 4” wide? That dimension is called the brush stroke. We have 12 “tall letters, make sure your brush stroke is at least 2” wide. On a 24 “high letter, I like a 3” to 4 “brush stroke. It needs to show. A” narrow “STOP may not work as well as a 24” high 12 “high STOP. wide, STOP with a 4 “brush stroke.

Bottom line; If you are shopping for parking templates, look for three things. (Ok, maybe four things).

1) Material; Look for Low Density Polyethylene Plastic = LDPE.

2) Thickness; Buy 60 Thousand or 125 Thousand, you decide. Occasional use or professional use.

3) General dimensions:

Height; You can choose this. But make sure the edge distance is at least 3 “on standard letters, 12” and even more on larger parking templates.

Width; Make sure the width offers a balanced look. Half the height or more will work fine.

Brush stroke; Again, I like a 2 “to 2 1/2” brush stroke on a 12 “font and a 3” to 4 “brush stroke on a 24” font.

THEN … and only then … compare prices. I would expect to pay less for a 24 “tall STOP that uses a 9” wide font and a 1 “brush stroke. (And 2” edge distances!) Much less.

Ask for the overall dimensions.

I hope I have helped. I hope your parking lot looks good and is as safe as possible. I also hope you receive the templates, just as you envisioned them.

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