If you have a commercial, business, medical center, or multi-family property, you know that providing a safe parking lot is an essential part of building maintenance. Not only does this mean making sure pot holes and buckled sections of asphalt are repaired, you also want to have clearly marked, accurate lines so those using your lot can park in an orderly manner.
To help you determine when you need to consider getting your parking lot lines repainted, how much to budget, and what the process entails, we’re sharing a comprehensive guide to parking lot striping. With over 50 years of experience in line striping and paving services, we can share the information you need to make an informed decision about your parking lot maintenance.
Understanding Parking Lot Striping
Having clean, highly-visible parking lot spaces marked out provides safe, orderly parking for customers, employees, and visitors to your location. It also is essential to providing handicap-accessible parking spaces to ensure ADA-compliance.
Not only is parking lot line striping important to the functionality of your location, it also improves the appearance. Clean, clear lines that don’t show signs of wear give the exterior of your business or office a fresh look and show that you care about the maintenance and appearance of your building.
Determining When You Need Parking Lot Striping
If you visit your business or commercial location every day, it’s easy to pull into your regular parking spot with ease and go about your day. You’re used to your parking lot so you may not realize it’s past time to have it repainted. However, new visitors may not find it so easy to safely park if the lines are worn down or unclear.
To know if it’s time to get your lot striped, consider these factors and signs:
Sloppy Parking
Most people genuinely follow the parking space dividing lines, ensuring there is adequate space on both sides of the vehicle. However, if you notice that people are parking off-center, even going over the lines, or they are parking over the vertical dividing lines that allow vehicles to park across from one another, chances are, they can’t see the lines clearly.
Ignoring Handicap Parking Spots
If you receive frequent complaints or notice that drivers are parking in spaces reserved for people with disabilities, it may not be that visitors to your business are simply ignoring the ADA-compliance markings. Instead, the blue lines or markings indicating they are for people with disabilities may simply be too worn or faded to see clearly.
Lines Aren’t Visible in Certain Weather
Parking lot lines are supposed to be vibrant and clear against dark pavement so that even in the dark, rain, or foggy conditions, drivers can still see them clearly. Hard Money Property explains how important it is that if drivers can’t make out the lines in the dark, rain, or fog with their headlights on, you need parking lot striping.
If you’re not sure if it’s time to have your parking lot striped, take a look at it with “fresh” eyes, as though you’ve never been to your location before.
- Are the lines clearly marked or are there sections where paint has worn away?
- Can you pull into a space confidently because you can clearly see the lines on three sides of the space?
- Are handicap-accessible spaces highly visible and clearly marked?
When you answer these questions objectively, that will give you a good idea if it’s time to contact a parking lot line striping business for a quote.
Costs of Parking Lot Line Striping
There are several variables related to the cost of line striping your parking lot, including:
- The amount of spaces in the parking lot.
- Whether the lot is being repaved and completely new stripes need to be painted.
- Whether crosswalks, lettering or numbering, and arrows need to be painted.
The average cost to stripe an 18-foot line that’s four inches wide is between $4 and $5, a handicap-accessible spot is around $22 to $35, and arrows are around $10 to $20.
However, most line striping companies have a minimum cost in order to cover the overhead of the project, so even if you only have 8 parking spaces to stripe at $5 a line with two handicap spaces, you would still have to pay a minimum cost, rather than the per-line price. Minimum costs vary greatly, so it’s important to ask that when you’re considering line striping companies.
The Parking Lot Line Striping Process
Once you know it’s time to have your lines striped, and you have a quote, it’s important to know what goes into the process. After all, painting new lines means those spaces won’t be in use, and that may affect your business, employees, patients, or residents.
Preparation Before Line Striping:
Before you have your lines repainted, you want to prepare properly, and this includes:
- Having your lot inspected: Freshly laid stripes won’t last if they are going over buckled, cracked, or damaged paving. Make sure any asphalt repairs are done prior to having lines painted.
- Arrange for alternate parking: If your parking lot line striping is scheduled during business hours or you have 24-hour parking, you’ll need to make arrangements and let your customers, employees, residents, and visitors know what’s going on.
- Cleaning the lot: Having your lot swept of excess dirt, trash, and debris will ensure the paint will bond better and last longer. A pavement contractor or line striping company can help you determine what you need for an optimal application.
- Make sure the lot stays dry: Of course, you can’t control whether it rains or snows, but if you have a landscaping sprinkler system, make sure it’s shut off for 24 hours prior to your scheduled maintenance.
During and After Line Striping
Your parking lot line striping professionals will walk you through the exact process, however, line striping is much faster than you may realize. Typically, your line striping company will rope off the area to prevent traffic, then, using a line striping machine, carefully apply a coat of paint to outline the space. After the lines are marked, any stenciling or arrows will be painted, and ADA-compliant spaces will be clearly marked.
Depending on how many spaces and customization options are in your parking lot, it can often be completed in just a few hours! In fact, when performed on a clear, sunny day, paint can be dry and ready for traffic within about an hour.
Contact Us for Parking Lot Line Striping
At National Pavement, we have decades of line striping experience behind us and serve large and small businesses nationwide, providing them with attractive, safe parking lots. Contact us today to request a quote!