A Line In The Shed

[AggieDad]

So I thought that while the coach is in the shop for some maintenance that this would be an ideal time to paint a line down the center of the shed to help guide the parking. With the mirrors sticking out 12 inches on each side making the coach effectively 10'-6" wide, it can be a bit close.

My wife sometimes has problems getting everything lined up just so, and, truth be told, I have come a little close on the right side once or twice myself. We try to get closer on the right to give us plenty of room on the left for the driver's door and the electrical bay.

No problem! This is an easy 1/2 hour job. I will just measure and snap a chalk line and then use any color spray bomb I happen to have in the garage and paint a dashed line. Done!

This will give a nice guideline to watch either through the windshield or using the front camera.

Well, somehow between the idea and the execution, the line in the garage morphed into what looks like it could be traffic control in the middle of Times Square. With the chalk line, lots of masking tape, and all too many spray bombs, I now have a 9" wide swath of paint on the shed floor that is a 3 inch black stripe bordered by 3 inches of yellow stripe on either side!

Did any of you ever take an idea a step or two too far? I am sure (I hope) you have. Please share them so I don't feel the perfect fool.

[glarnold]

Relax. Nobody's "perfect."

[nctox]

This may or may not help, since you've already painted a line down the center of your shed. I had the same need for some guidance for DW to follow when guiding me into the garage. I painted two 2" stripes down one side of the garage floor appx 12" apart where I wanted my driver side front tire to follow. It was easier for DW to keep me within the two lines and stop at my pre-placed chocks.
To answer your last question about taking something too far,,,,Nooooo, not me.

[Selah]

Perfectly "Guy" normal. I have had lots of projects that started out simple and wound up more complicated than the Antikythera Mechanism. You start out with just a simple line. Then you got the idea that it would look better as a dashed line. Hey, why not make it look cool with multiple colors. The next thing you know your thinking, why not take it up the back wall. If I could install some mirrors I could track the exact wheel distance from the line.
Soon you've got 120 hours and $6000.00 invested in what started out as a simple line on the floor.
Yep, perfectly normal.

[Lt46]

Every fire station I have ever worked in or visited had/have a painted line on the floor to assist in backing in. For the city I worked, the street DPW crew using a commercial line painter, would stripe our apparatus bays with a reflective, yellow line. The yellow line extended through the garage door and onto the apron in front of the stations. This allowed the operator to get lined up without having any concern with hitting anything on either side. Generally, once the rear outside tire was aligned with the stripe the operator would back in successfully. There were always the occasion where a new driver would get confused with the mirror view and put the tires on the line rather than aligned with the line ( outside edge of tire to edge of painted line). This usually ended with the side view mirror scraping the garage door opening. Practice cured most all issues with backing.

[AggieDad]

Selah Why didn't I think of mirrors!? Well, I can always add them when I paint the line up the wall.

[gacamp]

Oh I just can't help myself!

Get someone who is not an Aggie to draw the line for you!

From the LSU guy

[FIRE UP]

AggieDad,
Well Sir, you're not alone in this thought process. As LT46 stated, I too have a career in the FD. And, yes, each and every fire station also has/had "lines" painted on the floor to assist in drivers backing into the fire station, without banging into walls and other items (it still happened on occasion)

We just finished moving into a brand new home in Lake Havasu City AZ and, before we moved in, I had the garage floor, both of them, professionally coated with industrial epoxy paint. The color is a white background with, black and gray flakes applied. And, I went one step further. I had them place, at strategic dimensions, TWO yellow lines to assist in entering this RV garage.

One is for backing in and the other is for heading in forward. In either case, the coach is, spot on, dead center, side to side, each and every time, with no ability for failure. I had to do it because my RV garage is 15.5' wide and, I want to be able to open my compartment doors for puttsing around on the coach, while it's in the "barn". And, with those lines there, it gives me 6" of clearance to the walls, when the doors to the compartments on opposite sides are opened at the same time.

In the pictures below, you see the lines. I had them put the epoxy coating down, then install epoxy paint yellow lines and finally, two coats of clear coat, over the lines and entire floor. Now, I can't rub those lines off if I wanted to. After 36 years of driving fire trucks and backing them into the station, I can back into mine at speed and not worry a bit about hitting anything. My tire's on that line, all the way back. The big beast is put into the same exact spot, each and every time.

Don't mind the mess in the garages, it will all be spotless in only a few days 'cause I just finished installing new "Kitchen cabinets" from IKEA. All of what's on the floor, will be in those cabinets. But, you can see the lines as an example of what you may like.
Scott

[AggieDad]

gacamp (the LSU guy) Good shot! And you are right -- never waste an opportunity.

Actually it is my daughter who is the Aggie ('03), and as she always says, "I graduated but Dad is still there." It's true. I'm the one with football season tickets and goes to a variety of other Aggie games throughout the year. The kid is now in Missouri doing lawyerly kinds of things and doesn't get to see the Ags much.

Having said all that, it still doesn't explain or excuse the preposterous, overdone line that is now in my shed.

By the way, if you'll be in Aggieland on Thanksgiving for the A&M-LSU game, let me know and we'll share a brew or a drumstick. Gig 'Em!

[TonyDi]

Nah!! That's not overdoing it.. Overdoing it is putting sequential flashing strobe lights on the floor like they have on the runways at airports.

[KSCRUDE]

No way would I put lines on the floor, on the mirror maybe, no not into that either. I may want to rearrange from time to time. If I don't like where something's parked, I move it.

[wa8yxm]

Humm.. Black and yellow stripes.. Just do not get Stung.

[Hooligan]

TonyDi's on the right track--

[AggieDad]

TonyDi -- Now I have re-do everything. But I don't care, because this is greatness!