A popular way to add color to a school’s asphalt playground and show it some love is to paint foursquare, hopscotch and other blacktop  games on the asphalt surface. These and other creative asphalt activities encourage kids to engage in healthy, physical activity and help them acquire social skills.

A  huge USA map like the one below is another way to add color to a playground and teach a little geography at the same time.  A 2nd grade teacher in Michigan — better known to school principals as the Playground Map Guy — thinks every school should have a playground map and has spent his summers painting hundreds of them!

Whatever decorative painting project you choose, make sure you prepare the surface in advance so the paint adheres correctly and doesn’t fade, chip or crack prematurely.

Here’s 5 more tips:

  1. Degrease the Asphalt Surface – Remove any oil or grease stains on the asphalt surface with an environmentally-friendly, commercial grade degreaser.
  2. Fill Cracks — Fill any cracks in the asphalt surface before painting to prevent the cracks from becoming potholes, prevent water from penetrating the sub grade and to extend the life of your paved area.
  3. Thoroughly scrub the surface with water and soap, using large industrial sponges and scrubbers or a pressure washer.
  4. Now that your surface is ready, you can begin to paint with either spray paint or rollers.  If you are painting something decorative, like a school logo or a colorful map, a stencil and spray paint works best.
  5. Consider having a professional asphalt contractor sealcoat your asphalt playground before you apply any decorative paint. Sealcoating will restore the smooth black surface of your playground and more than double the life of your asphalt pavement.

Questions about your school’s playground, parking lot or driveways?  Give us a call at Call (262) 251-5585 for a free, no-obligation assessment.

For the the Menomonee Falls elementary school below, our striping team did the prep work and painted the hopscotch, foursquare and STEP pavement markings.  We subcontracted a pavement artist for the USA map.