How Often Should Your Parking Lot Be Restriped?
Depending on your location and climate, how often you restripe the parking lot at your commercial or industrial property can vary significantly. But, if you’re located in Charlotte where the winters don’t tend to bring a lot of snow, a good rule of thumb is to restripe your parking lot every 18 to 24 months. How long you can go between restriping also depends on traffic volume and frequency, as well as paint type and quality.
Here’s an insider tip: Seal coat and repaint your parking lot at the same time. Both are necessary to maintain the asphalt and protect it from the elements, and seal coating will cover up any existing stripes and require you to restripe the parking lot anyway. It will always be more cost-efficient and time-saving to knock both out at once.
Benefits of Restriping Your Parking Lot
Improved Appearance
The first benefit of restriping your parking lot is purely aesthetic—fresh stripes with vibrant colors will always look better than faded and chipped paint. It’s an easy way to improve the curb appeal of your business and make a great first impression on your customers.
Affordable Update
Compared to most business costs, restriping your parking lot is a relatively inexpensive project. That makes it one of the most economical and budget-friendly ways to make your business more appealing to customers & tenants. So, if you’ve been trying to think of a way to make your business more attractive without totally overhauling it, start with your parking lot.
Better Organization
Freshly striped parking lots are often well-organized parking lots. Just like stripes on the road, stripes in your parking lot provide a clear demarcation for where parking spots are located, as well as turning and driving lanes.
Maximized Parking Space
Reorganizing and restriping your parking lot is a simple way to get more out of the space. Your painting contractor can help you with the layout and suggest changes to maximize parking efficiency—which means more customers for you!
Customer Satisfaction
Though it might seem like a strange concept, your parking lot is part of the service you offer to your customers. A freshly restriped parking lot shows them that you care about their experience at your business and that you strive to provide the best. Restriping your parking lot is an easy way to set the tone and get off on the right foot.
Reduced Liability
A freshly restriped parking lot is a safer parking lot. In contrast, faded lines aren’t always easy to see, which could mean more accidents where your unclear striping and signage are at fault. Striping and signage indicate where pedestrians can walk, who has the right of way, what areas to avoid, and where vehicles must stop. If faded lines make any of these areas difficult to see, that could cause confusion and result in accidents. Visible, well-defined lines will lower your risk of liabilities.
Fire Code Compliance
Charlotte fire codes require that there be a designated fire lane in case of emergency, which means that the lane should be indicated with the correct signs, curb markings, and pavement markings. Restriping your parking lot ensures that you are compliant with local fire codes.
ADA Compliance
The Americans With Disabilities Act has certain requirements for parking lot stripes. Depending on how many parking spaces your lot can accommodate, a certain percentage of those must have accessible parking spaces for cars and wider spaces for vans. Restriping can help you indicate the spaces clearly and keep you compliant with the law.
Restripe Your Parking Lot Every 18 to 24 Months
There are many benefits of restriping your parking lot regularly, from improving curb appeal and customer satisfaction to reducing your liability and remaining compliant with local codes and federal laws. If the stripes in your parking lot are fading, chipping, or are difficult to see, it’s time to schedule your restriping consultation.
Reach out to the team at A&K Painting to learn more and get started!