Football Field

Hey guys, has anyone ever striped a football field? I was approached by a local high school about taking care of theirs, starting in the fall of 2015. It sounds like they're supplying the paint, and likely the stencils as well. My only expenses will be labor and fuel. For those that have done this, can you give me a general idea of what you charge for something like this? I know everyone's overhead is different, but I'd like to have an idea before I quote it. Again, my overhead will be extremely low. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Never striped a football field but striped a rugby pitch gratis many times back when I played - couple of observations from the old days: Suggest using string lines so the lines show up nice and straight - trying to retrace an old partially visible line can be tricky and hard to correct - crooked yard lines would look bad from the bleachers. Ask if they supply the labor to move the string lines / stencils - this greatly reduces your time. Stuff happens, can you get a back up machine in case something is wrong with yours, its Friday morning and the field needs striped that evening. When I striped the pitch I had an old Kelly I had to push, it wasn't bad on a dry / smooth field, tough on a wet field and a real pain if the field had dried out after a match was played in mud - ask if they are going to roll the field if this happens otherwise your machine will take a beating.

I have not done one either but if you are going to be doing it a lot instead of stringing a line you may want to think about a laser that would turn it into a one man job.

I have done a few and everything DB mentioned is something to consider. One big item to find out is whether the field has to be layed out from scratch or can you use the old markings for accurate measurements. To get a base price, use your normal rates for new striping or restriping even though you are using their paint. Compute the total linear footage and plug in your per foot rates. Add in several hours for having to switch to their paint, extra time for painting larger stencils, and increased time for striping since you will probably be going slower on grass than you would be on pavement. If it is new layout, get two helpers. A laser may help for the yard lines but keep in mind a lot of fields have crown on them so a laser may not work in day light hours. On the side lines its tough to see the laser on the target 120 yards away. Plus if the field is at all rough, that laser will be bouncing all over the place. It really isn't that hard to do if you have striped for awhile. I would definitely go for it.

IS sent you a PM. Check it out and contact me if desired. Also, an experienced striper once told me, "Get the job, then figure out how to do it". That applies here. Good luck.