Good quality line markings, whether they are inlaid or painted, can make all the difference to both the appearance and appeal of a synthetic sports surface. If you opt for the latter, it is especially important to ensure that the lines retain their definition and clarity throughout the year and to offer players the assurance that these lines will last over the course of a season whether for football, tennis or hockey, you need a product and a service you can rely on. Chris Bassett speaks to specialist firm Technical Surfaces.

Temporary options such as aerosol and water-based paints are available, and can be a good option for a single event, but they will require continual re-marking to ensure their visibility for any length of time. Indeed, the cost of manpower and materials to refresh these lines often prohibits this as a real option.

Not only that, but using water-based products can lead to a number of problems including leaching and fading. Excessive use over time can begin to contaminate the infill and cause the area around the line to become a hazard.

To create long-lasting lines, without the associated costs of cutting play lines into the carpet or the laborious and cost-prohibitive efforts involved with temporary markings, there is another option: Technical Surfaces, the UK’s leading sports pitch maintenance provider, use a specialist 2 PAC sports compound that makes regular re-marking a thing of the past. The paint is applied using an airless spraying technique to produce clearly defined, accurate lines that can provide in excess of 12 month’s usage.

The key benefit of this specialist process is its reliability – no more aerosol or water-based paints letting you down for that all-important, end-of-season tournament.
In order to generate both income and interest in playing on a facility, it is important to be sure that the lines will look as good at the end of a long, hard season as they do when the first match kicks off.

The facilitators of many high-usage facilities, such as those at the Universities of Oxford and Westminster, have long recognised the advantages of employing Technical Surfaces as synthetic pitch maintenance experts to carry out regular line marking on their surfaces using specialist 2 PAC sports paint.

Following one such application, David Palmer, Facility Manager at the University of Westminster, commented that “The line marking carried out on the surface has exceeded our expectations. The lines are so good that we have even got the players making comments on their clarity.”

In some cases, clients have reaped the rewards of having their markings last well beyond the projected 12 month timeframe; for instance, at Newton Preparatory School in south London and Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel, Isle of Man, the line markings were of sufficient quality to last just under two years before re-marking was required.

Technical Manager, Sean Colbert, explains: “How long the lines will last depends on a number of factors – the correct footwear being used on the surface, the amount and type of use the facility receives and prevailing climate conditions, together with the maintenance regime currently in place at the site. However, 12 months is a useful and fairly accurate indicator, helping our clients to budget for line marking – an often overlooked contributor in improving pitch usage – to be carried out on a regular basis.”

By its very nature, line marking on outdoor sports surfaces is weather-dependent, and best results are achieved when conditions are dry. The nature of the 2 PAC compound requires a curing time of 48 hours after application, although the lines should be dry to the touch within a few hours. The surface also needs to be dry before line marking can commence, and water-based pitches must not be watered for a minimum of 48 hours prior to application.

2 PAC sports paint is available in various colours, so the addition of extra game lines such as five-a-side can be included, boosting the potential for increased revenue and saving you time in the process.

Technical Surfaces’ professional teams will meet your unique line marking requirements, from football and hockey through to gridiron and rounders, and they remain in contact with all relevant sporting bodies to ensure complete accuracy with regard to any new rulings that may affect your chosen pitch layouts.

Clients are encouraged to book their line marking, in advance, for completion in the summer months when the weather should be fine and pitch usage is at its quietest. To arrange line marking on your synthetic surface in time for next season, call Technical Surfaces now on 08702 400 700.