Finding The Best Parking Lot Stencils
There are (3) things to consider before you buy the Best Parking Lot Stencils.
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(1) Material, (2) Thickness and (3) “Several Dimensions” = Edge Distance ( for strength ), Width of Characters ( read at a distance ) Letter Spacing ( read “at speed” ) Brush Stroke ( width of the letter’s stem ). Buy the Best Parking Lot Stencils. More plastic. More value. Best price.
1) Material. All of our stencils are manufactured from a plastic called; Low Density Polyethylene ( LDPE ). ( Not High Density. ) I cannot say that “all” pavement marking companies use LDPE, but most do. And, I can say that all of my own, personal stencils, which are 28 years old, are made from this same LDPE. It’s durable. It’s also flexible. The flexibility allows us to bend it, so the dried overspray can peel off. ( They’re easily “cleaned”. )
2) Thickness of the LDPE Plastic. There are (2) common material thicknesses; thick and thin. The thicker material is 1/8” and the thinner material is 1/16”. Here’s how we say it…1/8” is for professional use. 1/16” is for occasional use. If you’re just starting out, the 1/16” will serve you well. And / or…if there’s a stencil you need and will probably never use again, I’d choose this thinner, 1/16”. Accordingly…if it’s a stencil you’ll use throughout your career such as a Handicap, maybe consider the thicker, 1/8”. ( Unless money is tight. ) And…try NOT to buy anything thinner than 1/16″. It tends to be too flimsy and over priced. ) Call me, we can talk more.
3) Several Dimensions. In the “several dimensions” category, the most obvious is; “Edge Distance” ( ED ). The smallest we have is 1.5” and that’s on our 4” Letters and Numbers. Words ( 4” “worded stencils” ) have 2”. 12” Worded stencils have 3” etc. Be careful of three things here: if the stencil has a 1” ED, over spray will be an issue and the strength is compromised. Yes, I can get more stencils cut from a sheet…but that does NOT benefit you. If someone offers to match my price…ask if they’ll match the stencil / plastic / edge distances…etc. Also…if I skinny things down…my price will drop, even more.
Another category of “several dimensions” is letter width. Yes, I can make the 24” letter 8” wide. But, you need to be OK with that. ( Picture that. ) ( 24″ x 12″ is a great balance and easily readable at a distance, at speed. ) Don’t get me wrong, sometimes there are standards. But, when you see a 12” Worded Stencil using 6” wide letters…that’s fine, it may still be “readable” on the ground…if…if…it is foot traffic …that will have enough time to read it. And…there’s NOT 1″ between the letters. But, it should cost less than our 12” Worded Stencil using 8” wide letters simply because less plastic is being used.
Letter Spacing. Just take a look. If it looks good and is readable at a distance AND “at speed” you’re fine to buy. “At speed” in a fast food restaurant or bank parking lot may be around 5 to 8 MPH…? Can you see and read the stencil? Spacing is also important on the larger Worded Stencils because of the assumed speed you’re travelling. For a 36” STOP with 18” wide letters, we use a 5” and 6” spacing. Easily seen, at a distance, at speed. ( And it takes up the lane nicely ! ) Here’s a semi guide…Bank sized parking lots = 12″ tall letters. Strip Malls…ish = 18″, maybe 24″ tall letters. ( Wide enough letters and spaced properly. ). Streets; 96″ because of speed and it needs to be seen / read at a distance.
The last category is “Brush Stroke”. This is the width of the actual “stems” of the letters. In other words…what size paint brush would you use to paint the “S” or the “T” ? ( I wouldn’t “paint” a stencil. I’d “spray” it. ) If you say a 3” wide paint brush…then that brush stroke is a 3” brush stroke. Our 36” STOP Stencil, with a 16” wide letter, ( 36” x 16” ), uses 4” and in places, a 7” brush stroke. ( The top of the “S” fans out. ) It looks nice. It’s balanced. It also does the job. ( A friend of mine called and apologized. She bough elsewhere but received a 36″ STOP using 1″ brush strokes. She said it looked like spaghetti ! )
Bottom line…we have the best parking lot stencils for several reasons. Take a look. Compare. When you shop around, if you don’t know the material, thickness or overall size, be careful. And…if the material thickness is much thinner, it should cost much less. I understand buying a very thin stencil for a (1) time use, even if it “flutters” but not if it costs the same as our .060”, 60 MIL.
I hope this all helps. I know it’s just a stencil, but I also know it’s associated with your career / your place of business / curb appeal. I’ve been striping parking lots and streets for 28 years. Some of my own, personal stencils are that old. If I can help in any way, let me know. Click; Contact Me.
Thanks again.
Dan
