Traffic Paint Removal

The constant updating of paint on roads and highways is a never-ending job that requires a lot of manpower and patience. Before new traffic paint can be put down, old paint has to be removed. There are a number of different ways this can be done, but there are a few that are more commonly used than others.

Clean the Road

• One of the first things that has to be done is to clean the road where the traffic paint will be removed. Due to the nature of automotive roads, lots of dirt and impurities can get worked into the road's material, whether the road is made of asphalt or concrete. These impurities will sink down into the pores of the road and often form a barrier on top of the paint. Remove impurities by spraying water or compressed air on the road.

Power Washer

• Another method of cleansing the surface of a road is to use a power washer. This is a machine that sprays out pressurized water at a much greater velocity than a simple hose would allow. The pressure lets water clean deeper into a road surface's pores to wash out dirt and grit. In many instances, the pressurized water may also wash out part, if not all, of the paint on the road. If this erases the traffic paint completely, then the job is done.

Grinder

• If power washing doesn't remove all of the traffic paint, consider grinding down the road. An industrial grinder, either used by hand or mounted on heavier machinery, rotates and pushes down on a road. As the grinder spins, it grinds away one layer of roadway after another. The goal is to grind down only those layers that have traffic paint in them and leave the other layers of the road intact. Once the paint has been completely removed, new traffic paint can be laid down.