Speed bump and hump markings
Kitchener Parking Lot Line Painting Pros paints speed bumps, speed humps and the warning markings in front of them so drivers slow down and pedestrians stop tripping over them. We mark asphalt humps, bolted rubber and recycled plastic bumps, and raised speed tables on plazas, condo lots, school sites and private roads.
Most calls come from condo boards, property managers and school facility staff after a near miss or a scraped bumper. Since 2015 we have finished more than 550 line painting jobs across Waterloo Region, and traffic calming markings are part of many of them.
Speed bump paint wears faster than any other marking on a lot, because every tire strikes it at an angle and every plow blade catches its leading edge. We plan for that with high-contrast yellow, a full film of paint and glass beads where the lot is used after dark.
Our services
We paint three kinds of traffic calming markings: the bump or hump itself, the approach markings that warn drivers before it, and refreshes on bolted rubber or plastic units. Most jobs combine all three in one visit.
Yellow stripes or chevrons painted directly on paved humps, from short plaza bumps to long humps on condo and campus roads.
Cleaning, scuffing and repainting the yellow segments on bolted rubber or recycled plastic bumps, or an honest note when new reflective tape is the better buy.
BUMP or SLOW text and yellow transverse bars painted on the approach, so drivers brake before the bump instead of on it.
The risk
An unmarked speed bump is a trip hazard for pedestrians and a damage claim waiting for the next low car. Faded grey humps blend into the asphalt at dusk, and the first person to find one is often a resident carrying groceries.
Vehicle claims follow the same pattern. A driver who hits a bump they never saw can crack a bumper cover or scrape an oil pan, and the property owner is the one who hears about it.
Winter adds a third problem. Plow operators clearing at night catch the leading edge of a hump they cannot see, which gouges the asphalt, tears up bolted rubber units and leaves the bump bare by spring.
Bright, maintained markings are the cheapest fix for all three. Many Waterloo Region lots also pull removable rubber bumps each November and bolt them back down in April, then have them repainted with the spring restripe.
Know the difference
Speed bumps are short and sharp, speed humps are long and gentle, and speed tables are humps with a flat top. The difference matters for marking because each profile wears differently and reads differently from the driver's seat.
| Type | Typical profile | Typical location | Marking pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed bump | 75 to 150 mm high (3 to 6 in), 0.3 to 0.9 m long (1 to 3 ft) | Plaza drive aisles, condo lots, drive-thru lanes | Yellow diagonal stripes, or solid yellow on very short bumps |
| Speed hump | 75 to 100 mm high (3 to 4 in), about 3.7 m long (12 ft) | Private roads, campus roads, long condo driveways | Yellow chevrons pointing in the direction of travel |
| Speed table | 75 to 100 mm high with a flat top, about 6.7 m long (22 ft) | Mid-block crossings, school drop-off lanes | Chevrons on the ramps, ladder crosswalk on the flat top |
| Rubber or plastic bump | 50 to 75 mm high (2 to 3 in), bolted down in sections | Retrofits, seasonal installs, parking garages | Moulded yellow segments or reflective tape, refreshed with primer and paint |
Speed tables often double as a pedestrian crossing, which is where this service meets our crosswalk and school zone marking service. We paint the ramp markings and the crosswalk bars in the same visit.
Surfaces
Paint bonds well to asphalt and concrete humps and poorly to flexible rubber. That one difference decides whether we paint a bump directly, prime it first, or tell you that replacement tape is the better buy.
Paved humps take the same traffic paint as the rest of the lot. We sweep and blow off the hump, scrape loose paint from the leading edge where plows lift it, and spray a full 15 mil wet film.
From May 1 to October 15 that paint must meet Canada's 150 g/L VOC limit, so it is waterborne acrylic. Our guide to traffic paint types and VOC rules explains why early spring and late fall jobs can use solvent-based alkyd instead.
Rubber flexes under every tire, and ordinary traffic paint cracks off it within weeks. We degrease and scuff the surface, then apply an adhesion primer suited to the bump material before the yellow coat.
Even primed, paint on rubber is a shorter-term fix. If the moulded yellow segments or reflective strips are worn through, replacing the tape or end caps usually outlasts paint, and we say so on the quote.
After dark
Glass beads make speed bump stripes shine back at headlights, which matters on any lot used after dark. We drop Type 1 glass beads into the wet yellow paint so they sink partway in and lock in place as it dries.
Beads are worth adding at condo entrances, hotel lots, campus roads and any lot where the pole lights are far apart. They go down in the same pass as the paint, so they add little time to the job.
Beads wear away with the paint, so they do not replace a regular repaint. On a hump that is plowed all winter, expect most of the shine to be gone by the following spring.
Our process
Most speed bump jobs are done in one short visit, one lane at a time. Each lane reopens 30 to 60 minutes after the last coat on a summer day.
We set cones and caution tape around the bump and keep the other lane or a detour open. Condo residents get a printable notice to post 72 hours ahead.
We sweep and power blow the bump, scrape flaking paint from its edges and degrease oil drips. Rubber bumps are scuffed so the primer can grip.
Rubber and plastic units get an adhesion primer. New asphalt humps wait about 30 days before final paint so the asphalt oils can cure.
We chalk the stripe or chevron spacing and spray yellow traffic paint at 15 mils wet, dropping glass beads while it is wet if you ordered them. Approach text and bars go down in the same visit.
Paint is dry to the touch in 10 to 15 minutes and drivable in 30 to 60 minutes, or up to 2 hours when it is cool or humid. You get before and after photos the same day.
Pricing
Painting a speed bump costs $40 to $90 per bump before HST, paint only. Where a bump falls in that range depends on its length and width, how much scraping or priming it needs, and whether approach markings go with it.
Speed bumps are usually added to a lot restripe, but they can be booked alone; a stand-alone visit falls under our $450 minimum charge. Our line painting price guide lists every rate in one place.
| Item | Typical price before HST |
|---|---|
| Speed bump or hump, stripes or chevrons | $40 to $90 per bump |
| BUMP, SLOW or arrow stencil on the approach | $20 to $45 each |
| Stand-alone visit for a few bumps | $450 minimum charge |
| Bumps added to a full parking lot restripe | Per-bump rate, no extra minimum |
Glass beads and rubber primer appear as separate lines on the quote, so you can see what each adds. Night and weekend work usually carries no surcharge in season.
Why us
Condo boards call us because speed bump marking is a small job that many contractors will not schedule quickly. We do it in a single visit, often with the spring restripe, and handle the resident notices for you.
Bumps, approach text and a touch-up of faded stop bars are finished in one trip, with each lane closed for about an hour.
A handful of bumps on a townhouse road still gets a written quote, with the $450 minimum stated upfront rather than found on the invoice.
We supply a printable notice to post 72 hours ahead and work on weekdays while most residents are away.
WSIB clearance, a certificate of insurance naming the condo corporation, and a 1-year labour warranty against peeling caused by our application.
We mark speed bumps across Waterloo Region, from the townhouse roads covered by our parking lot line painting service in Waterloo to the plazas served by our Cambridge line painting crews. Bumps can also be added to an annual spring restripe plan so they never go a season unpainted.
FAQ
These are the questions condo boards and property managers ask most about speed bump painting.
Speed bumps should be painted yellow. Yellow contrasts with black asphalt, grey concrete and white stall lines, so drivers read it as a hazard rather than a parking line, and a black border can sharpen it on pale concrete.
No, we paint and mark speed bumps but do not install them. Asphalt humps are built by paving contractors and rubber bumps are bolted down by paving or site maintenance crews, and we mark them once they are in.
New asphalt humps should wait about 30 days before final paint so the asphalt oils cure.
Most speed bump markings need repainting every year. Tires hit the stripes in the same spot thousands of times and plows catch the leading edge all winter, so bumps wear out faster than stall lines.
Our guide to how often parking lot lines need repainting covers the rest of the lot.
Outdoor speed bumps are painted from roughly May to October, when air and pavement are 10 C and rising and no rain is due for at least 4 hours. Bumps inside underground garages can be painted year-round through our parking garage line painting service.
Free quote
Send us a photo or satellite screenshot showing where your speed bumps are, and tell us whether they are asphalt, rubber or plastic. We reply with a written per-bump quote within one business day.