Line marking in cold stores and chill areas
Cold stores and chill areas are one of the hardest environments to mark a floor, and it's exactly where good marking matters most fast moving forklifts, racking, pick faces and pedestrian routes, all in sub zero conditions. Conventional paint simply won't cure in the cold. Here's how it's solved.
Conventional floor paints and epoxies need above freezing conditions to cure, so in a cold store or chill area they won't set which is why marking these floors has traditionally meant shutting the facility down and letting it warm up, at huge cost. UV-cured RapidShield marking cures on contact with a UV lamp rather than by drying, so it can be applied in a working freezer down to minus 26 degrees Celsius, and it cures in about 30 seconds with no solvent odour. That means a cold store or chill area can be marked while it stays cold and operational, with the floor trafficable almost immediately, and the marking is durable against constant cold and forklift traffic.
Why cold defeats conventional marking
Paints and epoxies cure by drying or chemically reacting, and both processes need warmth and time. In a cold store at minus 20-something degrees, they simply won't cure the marking never sets. The traditional workaround has been drastic: shut the cold store down, remove the stock, let the space warm up to allow marking and curing, then bring it back down to temperature. For a working cold store that can mean days of lost operation and a big cost, which is why marking often gets neglected until the floor is unsafe.
UV-cured marking down to minus 26
UV-cured marking works completely differently. RapidShield cures when a UV lamp passes over it, not by drying in the air, so temperature isn't the barrier it can be applied in a working freezer down to minus 26 degrees Celsius. The coating cures in about 30 seconds under the lamp, with no solvents and no odour, which also matters in an enclosed, food related environment. This is the capability that makes marking a cold store practical rather than a major shutdown.
No shutdown, no thaw-out
- The facility stays cold: no warming up and re-cooling.
- No need to clear stock and lose days of operation.
- The floor is trafficable almost immediately after marking.
- Marking can be phased around picking and traffic to keep the store running.
The saving isn't just convenience avoiding a multi-day cold store shutdown is often the difference between marking the floor and living with worn, unsafe lines.
Durable in the cold
Cold store floors take relentless forklift traffic in a harsh environment, so the marking has to last. RapidShield is durable rated for years of vehicle and footfall use and stays legible in constant cold, in any colour needed for aisles, racking bays, pedestrian routes and hazard zones. UV Line Marking is the only UV line marking specialist in Ireland and marks cold stores and chill areas nationwide. See marking a food facility without shutting it down for the wider food-sector case, and hygiene and cleandown for durability under cleaning.
Where a cold store forms part of a food business's cold chain, temperature control and traceability are also a regulatory requirement see the FSAI's guidance on cold chain management for the wider food safety context around storage areas like these.
Frequently asked questions
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Can you line mark a cold store without shutting it down?
Yes, with UV-cured marking. Because RapidShield cures under a UV lamp rather than by drying, it can be applied in a working freezer down to minus 26 degrees Celsius and cures in about 30 seconds, so the cold store stays cold and operational avoiding the days-long shutdown and thaw-out that paint would require. -
Why doesn't paint work in a cold store?
Paints and epoxies cure by drying or chemical reaction, which need warmth and time. In a sub-zero cold store they won't cure, so the marking never sets. That's why marking a cold store with paint traditionally means shutting it down and warming it up first, at significant cost. -
How is UV line marking applied in freezing temperatures?
It cures on contact with a UV lamp rather than by drying, so temperature isn't the barrier. RapidShield can be applied down to minus 26 degrees Celsius in a working freezer, curing in about 30 seconds with no solvent odour, and the floor is trafficable almost immediately.
Mark it once, with UV Line Marking
UV Line Marking is the only UV line marking specialist in Ireland, a division of Arkomax. Our RapidShield UV cured coating cures in about 30 seconds with no solvent odour, so cold stores and food facilities can be marked around operations instead of shut down for days.
It works in freezers down to minus 26 degrees, resists washdown chemicals, and comes in any colour. Talk to us about marking your temperature-controlled or hygiene-critical facility.