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I always use red chalk on my subfloors since it is permenant and takes rain. I’ve seen a few white pole barns with “red girt lines” that are pushing 20 years old.
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I've always laid out walls with the red chalk and used blue for new. I do however use the orange chalk for laying out roofs, when shingling, it really shows up on black tar paper. Clear laquer in a spray can works great to protect snapped lines from moisture.
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we had a fun discussion today. When laying out walls we always start with red and if having to make a change switch to blue. I had been taught if it is blue it is new. this led to other topics and am curious what you all think the other colors are for. We have a good idea.
*Josh, those are the only two colors I've ever encountered in [my limited experience in tile] construction, and your "blue is new" is the way we did it laying tile. I'm very fortunate in having worked with a fine craftsman--don't think there was more than twice the blue powder came into play.
*Ever snap a blue line on fresh concrete? Where'd it go? Red is the most permanent color I know, white and yellow are easier to see. But blue is easier to see on drywall and light colored surfaces. What's your idea?
*My chalkbox is filled with flourescent orange chalk. Shows up pretty good just about anywhere.
*When snapping lines for framing we use a chalk box filled with mortar color, usually Spanish red or something similar. That stuff is real permanent. For every thing else we use red chalk and for those oh so rare mistakes we too use the "blue for new" chalk.
*Tried White on tarpaper once. Figured white would show up best on black. Not so. Couldn't see a thing.I will use white on an area where I don't want a permanent stain. It's hard to see but comes off easier than red or blue.
*I was under the impression that blue was temporary, and red was permenant.
*Yep Ron, thats right. Think that was a topic in a FHB "whats the difference" column once. We made the mistake of using red to chalk the purlins on the metal wall of our shop to keep the screws nice and straight. That was four years of wind, sun and rain ago, they are still almost as bright as the day we snapped them.Chuck
*I always use red chalk on my subfloors since it is permenant and takes rain. I've seen a few white pole barns with "red girt lines" that are pushing 20 years old.
*The only people I ever saw use white chalk were some carpet layers. Ed. Williams
*Here red is used for permanent or any work to be covered up. Blue is for finish work or anything to be painted. (doesn't bleed) Like Ed, I've mostly seen white used by carpet layers. And the flourescent colors are either for guys who work at night or a marketing ploy to sell more chalk. :) (kind of like those brightly colored utility knives, come on now, does anyone still have a plain ole gray stanley) HaHaAs for the blue is new, I'd never heard it before, but that's probably because we don't make mistakes here in the midwest. ;)
*interesting what we all think/ Here is what we were told by an old timer (85 year old union man). We all agree for red and blue. White is also used for finish work as well as carpets and linno. The florescents are for the utility guys in a comercial setting when they are trying to lay out lines in channels to represent who all is in the channel. He thought but could not rember if it was orange for electric and green for gas. He also used concrete or mortatr color instead of chaulk. As far as water proofing. If we have to lay lines and the deck is dry and rain is coming we spray them with clear varnish or the likes.Never found anything that worked good in the rain or on decks (floors etc) that were already wet.
*I just saw an ad in a trade mag for black chalk. ?
*White chalk works well for snapping the courses on a cedar shingle job. Even the blue chalk will leave a stain on white cedar if enough of it spews out of the box.The only time I use red is for laying out wall locations. Cut-off lines and other temporary lines are blue. Don't let the inexperienced helper get ahold of the red chalk or you might be looking at that red line in the wrong spot for a long time. Scott
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Hey Tim, that's a great tip.
Red does stain, while blue tends to come off.
I'll never forget my first boss, my mentor. He was fanatical about snapping lines. But he was also lousy at it. Don't ask me how anyone can be lousy at snapping lines...just take my word for it. It would be nothing to see six red lines snapped about 1" thick and five of them crossed off.
Anyways, Bill decided to switch to black cement stain. It worked wonderful except for one minor detail, when Bill would be snapping lines, he'd overfill his box, and the stuff would soon be all over everything. And I mean everything. If it was a red chalk day, his face would be red. But the black chalk days were the best. He'd have a face that would enter him into the NAACP!
Anyways, I hate chalking any lines especially since the quality of the chalk today is very poor. Last year, I found an old bottle of red that was left over from the early eighties. It snaps a clear dark line just as sure as death and taxes. I call it my majic chalk, and won't let anyone near it.
I might go pick up some black cement dye just for old times sake.
blue