# Horizontal Stripes... 30'in the air



## csbeepee (Jun 29, 2015)

Good evening. 

This is my first post on the site and I need help with a special project... I have been contracted to paint a historical building which has two bands all the way across the top of the building 30 feet up. There are no existing lines and I am finding it difficult to figure out how to make the lines level and straight. The substrate is stucco which is also new to me, so any suggestions for which paint to use would be appreciated as well. 

Thank you for your responses.


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## Lambrecht (Feb 8, 2010)

Post some pics of the building. Can't really help you if we can't see what you have to stripe.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Pics would be nice too. 

Measure 30 feet on either side and snap a chalk line. Score the stucco and paint away


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

On stucco stripes, I'd normally spray, (since tape can bleed through on rough stucco), but 30' in the air provides for a little leeway with accuracy I guess, so maybe just a fatty 2" tape border, then have at er.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

laser level?


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

One problem with "level" is that the building may not be "level". Determine your horizontal lines from the nearest and strongest horizontal architectural elements(s) of the building. 

You want your band to be horizontal relative to the building, NOT the earth, otherwise it will look off-kilter.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

daArch said:


> One problem with "level" is that the building may not be "level". Determine your horizontal lines from the nearest and strongest horizontal architectural elements(s) of the building.
> 
> You want your band to be horizontal relative to the building, NOT the earth, otherwise it will look off-kilter.


That won't work because we don't know what the building looks like


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

daArch said:


> One problem with "level" is that the building may not be "level". Determine your horizontal lines from the nearest and strongest horizontal architectural elements(s) of the building. You want your band to be horizontal relative to the building, NOT the earth, otherwise it will look off-kilter.





journeymanPainter said:


> That won't work because we don't know what the building looks like


Well. Not to speak for DeArch but obviously he misgrammararized, (and got a mess of thanx) what? Yeh the building is gonna be level. The ground will not be. Is what I think he meant to say. So don't make ur 30' marks from the grade. Use the building, And a structure along the lines of the leaning tower of Pisa pulling ur marks from the roofline or windows or something alike won't work, but most buildings are going to be square and level and you can make ur marks off of something on that building, because it is level. While the grade is not.

But what a diverse country, what the heck building is historical? stuccoed?And has vertical graphic lines? I can't picture a building meeting all those criteria, must be a southwest thing? Florida maybe? What is it? 

The OP should put up a pic. We'd all see it right away. Where to put that line. Something is there.


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## Seth The Painter (Jun 24, 2015)

Now I'm interested. 30 feet up should work. Unless it's way off. I doubt it's so uneven that it's really going to matter 30 feet up. These are all valid points about how level the structure is. It would be a huge mistake to just do it without checking. We really need pics to determine.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Oden said:


> Well. Not to speak for DeArch but obviously he misgrammararized, (and got a mess of thanx) what? Yeh the building is gonna be level. The ground will not be. Is what I think he meant to say. So don't make ur 30' marks from the grade. Use the building, And a structure along the lines of the leaning tower of Pisa pulling ur marks from the roofline or windows or something alike won't work, but most buildings are going to be square and level and you can make ur marks off of something on that building, because it is level. While the grade is not.
> 
> But what a diverse country, what the heck building is historical? stuccoed?And has vertical graphic lines? I can't picture a building meeting all those criteria, must be a southwest thing? Florida maybe? What is it?
> 
> The OP should put up a pic. We'd all see it right away. Where to put that line. Something is there.


No, Sir, I did NOT miss-grammer-eyes 

I will bet dollars to donuts (Your dollars, my donuts) that if you put a level on any buliding it is NOT earth level.

It may have been built as close as humanly possible, but foundations do settle.

ask any roofer if they lay their courses earth-level or equi-distance from peak or gutter.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

daArch said:


> No, Sir, I did NOT miss-grammer-eyes
> 
> I will bet dollars to donuts (Your dollars, my donuts) that if you put a level on any buliding it is NOT earth level.
> 
> ...




Earth level?

Equi-distance?



Equi-distance is I guess 'square'

Earth level I dunno. The earth or 'grade' is never gonna be level

And Gough thanks...he piks me apart for a lot less. Haha 😆


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Here's the bldg b.t.w.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Oden said:


> Earth level?
> 
> Equi-distance?
> 
> ...


I almost hate to do this but...oh, who am I kidding.... No, Oden, equidistant is NOT "square". In this case, it's parallel. If your roofer is running his courses square to the ridge or gutter, one thing is clear: you need a different roofer.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Gough said:


> I almost hate to do this but...oh, who am I kidding.... No, Oden, equidistant is NOT "square". In this case, it's parallel. If your roofer is running his courses square to the ridge or gutter, one thing is clear: you need a different roofer.


 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/square

17- to make straight, level, or even. 
Among a half dozen other definitions in there
Nobody says equidistant. Too many syllables maybe for most. 
Lol


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Oden said:


> http://www.thefreedictionary.com/square
> 
> 17- to make straight, level, or even.
> Among a half dozen other definitions in there
> ...


You had to go all the way down there to find a definition to match your argument??

You passed by several that read, "at a right angle" or similar:jester:


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Oden said:


> http://www.thefreedictionary.com/square
> 
> 17- to make straight, level, or even.
> Among a half dozen other definitions in there
> ...


That's the interesting part about working in a college town. I've been on crews where nobody had less than a Master's Degree.

It certainly does impact the topics of discussion. I've only been involved in one Ford/Chevy debate in 48 years...and that was when I had to spend the day with a crew of floor guys


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Oden said:


> Here's the bldg b.t.w.


So could them scholars make a straight and level line on this
Without a laser or a level even
I can no sweat. With just a chalk line. And a T square, or anything square, a box, a book, whatever, Make a plumb line. Square to that and Ur level. One mark. For height. In the middle of the wall, that's it. Just need somebody to hold and move the other end of the line for me while I'm at the plum mark and not debate with me why. Lol

That high? Depending how wide the stripe is. You really don't need two lines to make the stripe. Make one in the center. Run ur tape with a hand masker 1" tape and 9" paper however far from that line and stay square to it. The hand masker and the 9" is rigid enuff to tend to run straight, so within as much as even a foot away from that line, which would make you a 2' wide line, it's not a problem really to free hand it and stay square to the line and make ur stripe. 

Counterintuitive but bigger is easier.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

This that is


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

But not on this. Level would not look correct here. This would want a square line. Not level. The line would be as slanted out of level as is the building to look correct.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Oden said:


> Earth level?
> 
> Equi-distance?
> 
> ...


apologies for the non-traditional nomenclature. I understand these things better than I can verbalize 'em.


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## csbeepee (Jun 29, 2015)

Sorry I've been absent here... Thank you all for the valid points and guidance. I will post pics as soon as I can. The project is not starting until Mid November.

We are in Central Oregon. I suppose it is not a "Historical Repaint" to the T, but it is a historical building which they are modernizing... Not quite sure why they picked the scheme the did. Originally the building was brick. Somewhere along the line they stucco'd it. 

Thanks again.


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## csbeepee (Jun 29, 2015)

Only image I have at the moment is this conceptual drawing of the changes. The lines I am concerned with are at 15 and 30 ft shown here.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

There's all kinda square features to take off of on there. The windows. The roof and parapit, the awning. All kinda stuff.


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## racx (May 2, 2015)

I looks like it there maybe a break or design change in the stucco. Are you using a lift?


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## radio11 (Aug 14, 2015)

Oden said:


> Well. Not to speak for DeArch but obviously he misgrammararized, (and got a mess of thanx) what? Yeh the building is gonna be level. The ground will not be. Is what I think he meant to say. So don't make ur 30' marks from the grade. Use the building, And a structure along the lines of the leaning tower of Pisa pulling ur marks from the roofline or windows or something alike won't work, but most buildings are going to be square and level and you can make ur marks off of something on that building, because it is level. While the grade is not.
> 
> But what a diverse country, what the heck building is historical? stuccoed?And has vertical graphic lines? I can't picture a building meeting all those criteria, must be a southwest thing? Florida maybe? What is it?
> 
> The OP should put up a pic. We'd all see it right away. Where to put that line. Something is there.



Agreed about the starting point. Get 30' line from the bottom, but measure down and make working lines from the top (eave, parapet, etc.) depending on structure type. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## csbeepee (Jun 29, 2015)

********UPDATE:

Once we finally got up in the air, we found that there was a natural line to go off for the upper bands. We are using Loxon XP. No lifts are being utilized. We ran through the columns and upper bands in two days. GC wants to hold off and make sure his color choices were what he really wanted and we finally got the go ahead to continue. We will be finishing up the project this Spring.

The only band we will have to free-hand, will be the belly-band 15' from ground level. We should have no issue tackling this one with lasers and/or chalk lines.


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