Maintain the Durability of Your Floor Tape

Top Tips For Maintaining The Durability of Your Floor Tape

Applying floor tape in your workplace can facilitate smooth traffic, guide visitors and new employees, and help locate areas. While it’s an effective organizational tool, floor tapes, like most things, don’t have a specific lifespan. Here, you’ll find the best tips and tricks that can help you make the most of your floor tape (and money), despite the heavy foot traffic.

1) Proper Surface Preparation

The need for proper surface preparation cannot be overstated. Debris, dust, and physical residue can impact the application process, inhibiting the adhesive from bonding properly with the surface. With proper application, you can reduce the need for frequent replacements and ensure the edges do not peel off.

Steps to properly prepare your floor:

• Step 1: Ensure a grime-free surface: Sweep any signs of debris, dust, and mop away moisture that may prevent the adhesive from forming a strong bond with the surface.
• Step 2: Degrease the floor: If you want to take floor prep a step further, you can degrease the floor to remove any oil or other contaminants.
• Step 3: Prime the surface: Use a primer over the intended surface, which can help create a stronger bond with the floor and new tape.
• Step 4: Follow the manufacturer's instructions: Read through the manufacturer’s instructions and apply the safety floor tape.
• Step 5: Tamp down the tape: After application, apply pressure on the tape with a roller or a tool to remove any air pockets. This can help ensure a clean, polished look.

2) Choose A High-Quality Tape

Investing in a floor tape that meets your intended purpose can help make cost-effective decisions. For example, a floor tape for a school in comparison to a warehouse will differ in terms of specifications and design. A warehouse oversees continuous heavy forklift and pedestrian traffic, while a school does not. By going for a more heavy-duty product, you can cut the need for frequent replacements or repairs.

When choosing your floor tape, make sure to look for the following qualities:

• Strong adhesives
• Durability against wear and tear
• Resistance to harsh environments

3) Change Habits That Impact Your Floor Tape

Like most products, floor tape isn’t designed to last a lifetime. While it can withstand occasional scraping and dragging from forklifts or heavy machinery, doing so makes it more susceptible to damage. Driving around or avoiding resting directly on the floor tape can help ensure the longevity of the floor tape, enhancing the durability of the floor tape. If damage ensues, consider re-training or investing in a safety floor tape that’s low profile, has adhesive strength, and is resistant to heavy wear and tear.

4) Regular Check Ups

Floor tape maintenance can sound like a chore, but it can clue you into what your floor tapes are going through. Look for peeled or scraped edges, fading colors, or damage due to heavy equipment. By regularly assessing your floor tape, you can identify the culprit(s) that are causing you to change your floor tape. Adopt re-training or switch to a mild cleaning agent that doesn’t compromise the floor tape’s integrity.

5) Use Gentle-Cleaning Agents

When it comes to maintaining floor tapes, treating them with care can go a long way. Switch to a gentle-cleaning agent, as harsh or reactive chemicals may react with the adhesive, causing it to lose its grip and eventually peel off from the floor. Regular cleaning can help you maximize the tape’s visibility, clearing away potential obstructions and closely inspecting signs of wear and tear.

6) Choosing the Right Floor Tape for Different Environments

Not every floor tape is alike, which makes choosing the right one highly essential. A floor tape for a school will not suffice in an industrial setting, where constant pedestrian and machinery traffic is observed. Here are some factors to consider before choosing your floor tape:

Traffic Level: Areas where high traffic is observed should be marked with durable, strong adhesive floor tape.

Visibility Needs: The color of the floor tape varies based on your needs. For safety purposes, bright, vibrant floor tapes are prioritized, while photoluminescent or reflective tapes are preferred for dimly lit areas.

Floor Surface Type: Some floor tapes bond well with smooth surfaces, and are unable to adhere to textured surfaces. Before investing in bulk, test the first piece to ensure it meets your intended needs.

7) Store Floor Tape Properly

Like every product, floor tape too has a shelf life. You may think your tapes are fully functional when they are not being used, however lack of proper care can compromise the backing, adhesion and structure of the floor tape. Here are some floor tape maintenance tips to store them the right way.

1. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight. Instead, store your floor tapes in a dry, cool environment.
2. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Every tape comes with its own set of instructions and maintenance tips, helping you prolong the lifespan of the tape on the shelf.
3. Use tapes in rotation. If you have a set of floor tapes, use the oldest one first when making changes to your floor marking layout.

Avoid These Common Mistakes To Maintain The Durability Of Your Floor Tape

Floor tape maintenance is pretty straightforward with its tips and tricks, but you can get lost in the process. Here are some common mistakes you should avoid

1. Don’t apply over cracks and seams, which can create air pockets, leading to unsightly blisters and bubbles.
2. Too many floor markings can confuse your audience; the best move is to design a simple layout according to universal safety guidelines.
3. Test the floor tape before buying in bulk. Without testing the product, you may later discover that the tape isn’t durable enough.

Find The Right Tape At SafetyTac

Your floor marking needs can change at any time, requiring the need for urgent, reliable floor tape that can withstand the pressure of keeping your facility running. At SafetyTac, we provide long-lasting, quality floor tapes that can withstand heavy forklift traffic, with no curling or peeling at the edges. Beyond durability, our floor tapes are easy to maintain, allowing you to make the most of your marking strategy.