2 questions

I'm paying $8.08 a gallon for 5's of Hotline latex, but no where near .40/lf for restripe or .65 for new lay out.

I'm paying 8.80 gal h.l.

James, please don't take this the wrong way but if you need to be with your wife 24/7, I can't imagine how you think striping parking lots is a good choice for a career or business. This business requires that you be able to commit to the business at almost any time with a fluxuating daily schedule. If you have somehow found out how to make this a business where you can dictate when you will or won't work and still keep customers and grow the business, I'd really like to meet you and buy you lunch.

paint them with galvanized paint

Ken, I know you're all about efficiency and all, but I can open a lid and mix in a splash of toluene and mix my paint in less than five minutes. Plus, if you're doing as you say, you're machine has to sit for five minutes while mixing. Why not have your helper mix the paint while you're striping, like I do? Set it on the back of the trailer and you're ready for a pit stop. That's five more minutes of striping. Is it not? I'm not one to push my methods on anyone, just stating the obvious.

You're the man Randy. While everyone else is hung up on how they can possibly get 40 cents/ foot for restripes you're wondering how James in his unfortunate personal situation could possibly run a striping company. That's more of a mistery to me also.

Because it is mixing while I'm driving back over to the work area. A Lazyliner is more beneficial than a helper and it isn't on the payroll.

Maybe that's why I keep reading about paint that won't atomize properly and so forth. I have to agree with dbarnett on this one. A little extra effort up front to make sure the paint is at the right consistency to spray is well worth it! (Not to mention the excessive wear and tear on the pump by making your machine do the mixing too)! I also firmly believe in choosing a quality paint and sticking with it. I've never used anything but Aexcel and have never had a single problem. My machines really like it too! I think it's as hard for the paint to get used to you (and your machine) as it is for you to get used to the paint!

I know Ken says that he doesn't work nights. So this may not be relative to him, But, for the other 95% of you guys that do, I'm sorry to say, that ESPECIALLY in Texas, like right now, when the temperature can fluctuate as much as 30+ degrees in a matter of hours. If you don't know how to mix your paint to the appropriate viscosity, you will NEVER get an acceptable stripe. I've seen it from guys who have been in the business as long as I have. Stop at the Blockbuster video in Keller, Texas (local guys). It looks to me, like it was striped with a LL3000 at about 40 degrees...thick, wavy edges, thin streaks. Sadly, it was striped at least a year ago and you can still see the lousy work. All they had to do was thin their paint a little. I met a guy about two months ago, who uses the same paint as I do. Initially, I thought his work looked alright(in the dark). But after stopping at many of his jobs recently, I've seen this very problem. I know you can push your pressure up and force that paint through the gun, but your not going to get a decent looking stripe in my book. I hear many derogatory remarks about guys who thin their paint/product. This is a really cut and dry argument with me. If you're doing it, just to stretch your paint and save a little money. I have a problem with that . If you're doing it to improve the results/quality of your work, I think it's ethical. When you're spraying latex, you could really save some money. But when you're paying $6-$10 a gallon for toluene like me, there's not really any other reason to do it(than quality purposes). I've had people tell me I'm too picky, but notice, I'm not ashamed to use my last name for my business. If you see bad work on a property I maintain, it was there before I took it over and the customer doesn't want to pay to correct the situation. I would say that's my opinion, but It's based on my personal experience from about 400+ jobs a year. So there has to be some truth to my statements.

Oh yeah, and as far as Linedrivers go. Ken, I love mine.....but I've never seen it sweep/blow a lot, paint handicap squares , do stencil work, direct traffic, dig post holes, carry fire lane/arrow stencils, lift concrete wheel stops, run a hammer drill...pressure washer....striper...scarifier or any other piece of equipment, at least without someone in the seat. That's my very problem at the moment. I've got plenty of equipment but only one quality helper. I could buy a dozen more linedrivers and it wouldn't help without someone to run them. Man, that must be one big lot, if it takes five minutes to drive back to where you ran out of paint!

I agree 100% about the unnecessary cost of adding expensive solvent to the paint. Thinning the paint to make it go farther is pretty sensless. Reducing pressure, striping faster or using a smaller tip has the same result. Our philosophy on productivity is to have a fully stocked truck and trailer with only one person. But, with two Lazyliners always in the trailer (one for back-up). I'd rather have two people going two directions instead of four people going two directions. Sure, a two person crew can get the job done faster, but not twice as fast when the Lazyliners are in the equation. With the exception of large jobs that have mostly firelane, two people ARE the most productive because of stencil moving. Whatever works for you is the right way to do it.