Parking Lot Striping 101

Parking lot striping or line striping in parking lots is a highly important part of parking lot maintenance and paving. If you are clueless about what we mean by parking lot striping, let us simplify it. Have you seen the lines and signs painted on the ground in parking lots? That is what we are talking about.

You must be wondering why we are labeling painting a few lines here and there as an important service. That is because line striping adds to the surface’s aesthetic appeal and helps comply with safety and legal requirements.

Straight Edge Contractors offers a range of expert asphalt and concrete paving solutions to clients in Las Cruces, NM and other cities in Texas. If you need to acquire line striping services for your parking lot, click here to get a free estimate.

Coming back to the topic at hand. If you want to know more about parking lot striping, then have a look at the list below.

Things to know about parking lot striping:

• Line striping defines the space each car should be parked within to avoid car doors from touching; accidents occurring due to no pedestrian crossings and marking for lanes; frustration over not finding the exit; space from getting wasted due to randomized parking; and lawsuits.
• Always double-check the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for parking lots before line striping to ensure full compliance. For example, based on the parking lot’s size, there should be a specific number of accessible stalls present. However, you will be inviting potential lawsuits against you even if your parking lot contains the required number of accessibility spots, but you have failed to highlight them, or your line striping has worn out to the point that drivers can’t distinguish between regular parking spaces and accessibility spots. 
• If you are line striping over fresh asphalt or a seal coat, you need to use a water-borne paint. While on a concrete surface, you need to use chlorinated rubber paint. Most of the time, the best type of paint for restriping is set-fast acrylic water-borne, which needs to be applied at a temperature higher than 45° F.
• For a high-quality marking, apply the paint using an airless striping machine at a minimum wet film thickness of 13 mils.
• Some of the paint will get soaked into a newly-paved surface, so apply two thin coats instead of a thick one because using a generous amount of acrylic latex paint can damage the surface once the paint film shrinks.
• The drying time for the striping is typically 30 minutes, but the surface shouldn’t be open for use for at least an hour, or the paint will be damaged by parking lot traffic.
• Re-striping should be done in an active parking lot every two years, or when the visibility of the paint is reduced by around 75%. Not getting a fresh coat of paint on your striping will result in accidents, violation of ADA guidelines, wrongful parking, and more.

Do you want a reliable paving company that protects your investment by offering matchless work? Opt for Straight Edge Contractors. They provide all-inclusive asphalt and concrete paving services to commercial and residential clients in Las Cruces, NM. Just click here to get a free estimate.

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