Apr142021
Commercial Pressure Washing parking lot striping

While it may not seem like it, parking lot striping is an essential part of running a commercial establishment. Understand the benefits of this service as well as its cost and process below.

 

The Benefits of Parking Lot Striping

When you own a commercial establishment, it can be easy to neglect to maintain your parking lot in favor of other things like interior and exterior property design. But, for many customers, your parking area is one of the first aspects of your business they see. And a poorly maintained parking lot can quickly sour their first impressions.

Apart from appealing more to your customers, though, there are several other benefits of parking lot striping. For one thing, properly striped parking areas keep customers safe and prevent lawsuits. Customers and employees alike use the stripes on the ground as a guide. They look at the lines on the road to navigate through your parking area as well as inform the way they park their cars. When the lines are poorly drawn, it can cause accidents and lead to liability claims.

Striping your parking lot also allows you to designate enough space per vehicle, thereby minimizing the risk of door dings. There are also a number of legal requirements when it comes to striping. This usually involves the visibility and color of the lines as well as the functionality of the signs. Furthermore, you must meet the ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

Beyond that, striping your parking lot with clean and clear lines is simply good for business. It adds to the overall curb appeal of your commercial property, which is a major factor that influences a customer’s decision to patronize your business. Also, enhancing curb appeal helps maintain property values, thereby protecting your investment.

 

When Do You Need to Re-Stripe Your Parking Lot?

parking lot lines painting You already know that painting lines on your parking lot are integral to your commercial property. But, how exactly do you know when it is time for a fresh coat? There is no universal rule as to when you should repaint your parking lot, which means you really need to play it by ear.

One of the signs that indicate it is time for parking lot lines painting is when you notice drivers having a hard time. When drivers find it difficult to steer through your parking area or park their cars because of blurry or faded lines, schedule a repainting right away. Another sign is when drivers start using handicapped spots inappropriately. This suggests that they can no longer see the signage correctly.

Faded lines can also give your parking lot a drab or dingy appearance. Once you start noticing this, make sure to re-stripe your parking area at the soonest. While the timeframe can vary from one commercial establishment to another, it is usually a good idea to re-stripe every one to two years or so.

 

Parking Lot Striping Paint Specifications

A number of factors can contribute to quickly fading lines. Sun exposure is one, and heavy traffic is another. Harsh weather conditions can also speed up the deterioration process of your stripes. While you can’t really control most of these factors, you can control the quality of paint you use.

Contractors use a variety of paints for striping parking lots, with water-based acrylic paints as the most common one — and for good reason. Water-based acrylics offer great visibility thanks to their brightness, but they are also long-lasting. To top it all off, this type of paint is also friendly to the environment.

 

Parking Lot Striping Pricing

The cost of parking lot striping will depend on a few things — the condition of the parking lot, the size of the parking lot, and the magnitude of the job. For instance, a larger parking lot with more spaces will naturally command a higher price than a smaller one with fewer spaces. But, you should expect to pay somewhere between $300 and $700 for the job.

For lots with 30 to 50 spaces, the average cost of re-striping services sits at $425. Some companies charge just $300 for the same job. When working with a brand-new parking lot with no existing stripes, though, prepare to pay $700 or even more. The same goes for lots with more than 50 spaces.

 

The Process of Parking Lot Re-Striping

Although it may seem like a long process, restriping a parking lot actually involves only a few steps. As such, it won’t really affect your business operations. Plus, many companies offer striping services during off-hours to minimize interference. A typical re-striping job consists of the following steps:

 

1. Inspection

The goal of the inspection phase is to assess the condition of your parking lot and identify potential issues. During this time, professional striping technicians will also determine what paint works best with the parking lot surface.

 

2. Pressure Washing

parking lot re-striping It might seem silly, but pressure washing is an important step in the parking lot striping process. Pressure washing eliminates dirt, grease, and other pollutants.

It works as a sort of primer and gets rid of substances that could hinder the new paint from sticking to the old. Any chipped or loose paint washes away, thus preventing rapid aging for the fresh coat.

 

3. Measurement and Layout

This step is optional since most commercial establishments already have an existing layout. For those properties, it is easy to simply follow along the lines. But, for new properties or ones that would like to redesign their layout, planning and taking measurements must take place. This is where parking lot striping layout tools will come in handy.

 

4. Painting

Once you have a layout, the actual painting job will then begin. There are machines that can accomplish this efficiently and accurately. Many companies may also use parking lot striping tape or parking lot striping stencils. Others can do it freehand by simply following the existing lines that have blurred. After striping, time must be allotted to let the paint dry fully.

 

Get Professional Help

Parking lot striping is definitely a must for every commercial property or business. Even the ones that are small and only have a few spaces need this service. Instead of taking a DIY approach, though, it is infinitely better to hire a professional company for the job. Professionals have more experience and access to the resources necessary to stripe parking lots cleanly and clearly. Plus, compared to doing it yourself, hiring a professional service is also much cheaper in the long run.

Washh offers parking lot re-striping services — complete with pressure washing services — to commercial establishments in the Charlotte, NC area. Call us today at 704.321.8000 or contact us online to get a free estimate.

 

RELATED ARTICLES: