Parking Lot Striping Makes a Good First Impression

Your parking lot is one of the first things that customers, clients, and visitors see when they enter your facility. The color contrast of a freshly striped lot is attractive and gives the impression that the property owner cares about maintenance.

A well-striped parking area guides people around the lot safely. Crosswalks, loading-zone markings, stop bars, and properly marked pickup areas for customers or vehicle boarding, let pedestrians know where they should walk, when to give right-of-way to traffic, and areas to avoid.
To help preserve or improve the flow of traffic on a parking lot, a professional striping contractor will re-stripe or lay out new markings based on the customer's blueprints or their own design.

Maximize Space!

As a property owner you know that your parking lot is very valuable, usually comprising at least half of your square footage. A Professional Striping Contractor focuses on getting as many cars as possible into your lot to maintain cost-effectiveness. Brand new striping and the right layout will help meet this goal.

Re-striping should be done every one to two years; depending on the amount of traffic and wear and tear from weather and other factors. The process is simple, but must be done by a professional striping contractor for the best results.

First, the empty parking lot must be cleaned and checked for any major damage such as cracks, potholes or sunken areas. A good striping contractor will also check for water damage. Next, chalk lines will be used to ensure the final painted lines will be clean and straight.

The lines have to be as bright as possible. Not only for people who will be parking, but striping also serves to direct lot traffic to ensure safety of drivers and pedestrians. Drivers must easily see where they are supposed to go at all times. Also, having bright yellow speed bumps on your lot, makes it safer for pedestrians as well as drivers.

Generally, the number of parking spaces on the lot is used to determine how many handicapped spaces are required by law. Proper signs must also be displayed on the parking lot as well. Crosswalks, loading zones, and pick-up and drop-off areas should be bright and clear.

A professional striping contractor uses high quality paint and a walk behind style striping machine. The quality of the paint ensures greater life expectancy of the clean look and the striping machine gets the painted lines to be approximately 6 millimeters when dry.

That brings us to the final stage of striping. Barricades are used to keep other drivers from entering the parking lot until it is completely dry. The lines cannot be driven on until the paint has had time to fully dry (at-least 30 minutes).

Striping is a great way to keep a parking lot looking new and professional. Customers always appreciate a well designed and striped parking area. It's the first thing they see when visiting your property, so you want to create a positive overall first impression.

Patriot Striping, Inc. is a full service parking lot Contractor. We are dedicated to bringing our customers unparalleled service, and quality!We understand how difficult it can be to find a Striping Contractor in Santa Clarita that is reliable, prompt, and responsive to their customers needs. These attributes are what Patriot Striping, Inc. is built on! For More Information: Striping Contractor Santa Clarita [http://stripingcontractorsantaclarita.123nrg.com]

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Asphalt Pavement Sealcoating 101

Sealcoating is an important part of not only protecting your asphalt from deterioration, but also keeping your parking lot attractive. Many property managers are familiar with the need to sealcoat their asphalt paving, but have specific questions about the details. Often, their questions are very similar, so we thought it best to compile a list of these frequently asked questions to better help you understand the basics of sealcoating.

My asphalt has surface cracks that keep coming back. What do I do about them?

Before sealcoating it is important to seal any existing cracks. If left a crack is not filled, it will allow water in that can cause damage to the asphalt pavement. If the water penetrates the pores of the surface, or worse, under the asphalt into the base, expensive asphalt repairs will be needed to repair the damage. Even after an asphalt parking lot is sealcoated, if the cracks have not been filled first, this damage can occur.

An important thing to note, if asphalt cracks are filled properly the first time, the crack sealing will last the life of the sealcoating. You should not see cracks coming back!

Should we have our asphalt parking lot sealcoated every year?

No. While many sealcoating companies will try to get you to seal your asphalt annually, this is just to pad their pockets! Sealcoating asphalt too much can lead to many problems. Most property managers don't realize that the first two coats of sealer applied are what actually protect the asphalt. Most of the sealcoating after those initial applications are usually for cosmetic purposes only.

Can we sealcoat our parking lot in hot weather?

Yes, but it must be done using the proper techniques. As you know, asphalt can get very hot, especially in Florida during the summer. Applying sealer when the temperatures are above 90 degrees can cause the sealer to dry too quickly. If this happens it can peel, flake, or get a streaky finish. In order to apply sealcoat in temperatures above 90 degrees, the proper technique is to spray the surface with a light mist of water first. This has a cooling effect on the asphalt. Once the surface temperature has been lowered, the sealer can safely be applied.

A well-paved asphalt paving project can last twenty to forty years if properly maintained. Hiring a reputable paving contractor can save you money in the long run. Not only will you have a parking lot that looks great, the workmanship should last for decades!

Maureen McHale is a web marketing consultant specializing in SEO, content marketing and website design. With more than 20 years of experience, ABC Paving and Sealcoating is Florida's leading paving contractor. For more information about ABC Paving and Sealcoating, visit our website for a free estimate for your asphalt pavement sealcoating needs or call 866-934-7623.

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Asphalt Paving: Striping Your Parking Lot

As you may already know, asphalt paved parking lots do need maintenance from time to time. One known asphalt paving maintenance technique is to have your parking lot re-striped to add a nicer look to existing asphalt paving properties.

The repainting (striping) of an asphalt lot usually takes place every one to two years; it mostly depends on the amount of wear and tear made by people driving on the asphalt paved lots. First, the lot must be cleaned and checked to see if there are any major problems with the lot currently.

As a rule of thumb, the number of parking spaces on the lot will typically designate how many handicapped spaces are required. By using high quality paint when asphalt striping, you will ensure a greater life expectancy of the clean look of your paved lot. The lines have to be as bright as possible for people who will park in between them at a later date. The striping also serves to direct the parking lot traffic to ensure safety of drivers. You want to make it as easy as possible for drivers to see where they are supposed to go at all given times.

Also, by having very bright yellow speed bumps on your asphalt paved parking lot, you make it safer for those who will not be in cars as well. Also, the proper signs must be displayed on the parking lots as well, i.e., crosswalks, loading zone, and handicapped signs. The lines that will be put on the parking lot will first be chalked to ensure a clean straight look when the work is done.

Furthermore, a walk behind style striping machine will be used to get the best painted lines that are approximately 6 millimeters when dry. The lines can not be driven on until the paint has had adequate time to fully dry (at-least 30 minutes).

When the asphalt parking lot has been striped, any debris that is on the lot will be collected and taken away from the property.

The final stage of the asphalt striping is to put up barricades to keep other drivers from entering or exiting your asphalt parking lot. Striping is a great way to keep a parking lot looking new and professional. Costs spent in advance for asphalt striping now will definitely be lower as compared to later. Always take a proactive approach to asphalt paving maintenance. Those who choose not to take good care of their lots will pay the price in the long run. Customers always appreciate a well designed and painted parking lot. It is the first thing that customers see when visiting your property, so it should look great. A freshly striped asphalt parking lot can lead to a positive overall impression of your property.

For more information about asphalt paving services & striping in Los Angeles, California-feel free to call Manhatten Paving Company today @ 310-328-1470, or you can visit our website - http://www.manhattenpaving.com Brett Lane is the Webmaster and SEO professional for Manhatten Paving Company, located in Los Angeles, California. http://www.manhattenpaving.com

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Why It Is Essential To Put Seal Coating On Your Asphalt

There are many benefits to seal coating an asphalt driveway or parking lot. Along with the obvious improvement in appearance that a new, clean surface provides, it protects the asphalt from deterioration.

One of the benefits provided by a new layer of coating is ease of maintenance. Most grime will wash away when it rains. This keeps your driveway looking clean even if you don't go out and scrub it down. During dry spells, just hit it with a hose for the same cleaning effect.

Sealcoating also hides patches, rough areas, small cracks and stains in the underlying asphalt. This makes the driveway or parking lot look much better than it otherwise would. Parking lines and other traffic paint will also stand out more. This is a great benefit for parking lots and commercial driveways.

Coating asphalt protects it from UV rays. The sun's rays normally will increase asphalt's porosity and make it more susceptible to staining and other damage from things like oil and gas spills. By coating it, you help it resist this damage and extend its life.

Finally, coated asphalt is much more water resistant than it otherwise would be. This is very important in climates with a cold winter. Uncoated asphalt can absorb water, which will then freeze and cause cracks when winter comes.

Repairing asphalt can be very expensive. The high price comes from the combination of labor and the cost of the material itself. Asphalt prices change with the cost of oil, so the cost of repairs rise in tandem with oil's march to ever-higher price levels. It is much cheaper to coat a driveway and prevent damage from ever occurring than it is to ignore your driveway and have to fix it later.

Once you've decided to sealcoat your driveway or parking lot, you will need to determine whether you want to do the job yourself or hire a service. Doing the job yourself is cheaper but requires some work. Here is a quick overview of what it takes to do it yourself.

First, the pavement will need to be cleaned. This begins with simple sweeping. You will also need to dig any loose asphalt, gravel or other debris out of the surface. Power washing is likely the easiest way to dislodge the particles. You will also need to cut down any weeds that are growing over or through the surface.

If you used a cleaning method other than power washing, you will now need to scrub the surface with a driveway cleaning solution. This will allow the coating to adhere to the asphalt.

If there are any cracks or potholes, you need to fix them before coating the driveway. Narrow cracks can be filled with semi-liquid filler, while larger ones will need asphalt cold patch. Cold patch is a grainy substance sold in cans or bags.

Potholes will need to be prepared before repair. This generally involves smoothing them out and undercutting the edges to provide a good anchor point for the filler material. Filler can be hot or cold. Most hardware-store fillers will work fine for the light load of a residential driveway.

Actually sealing the asphalt is next. Mix the coating according to the instructions on the package. Then apply it with a rented sprayer or use a pole-mounted trowel to spread it evenly over the surface. Make sure you choose a dry day with no rain predicted so that the coating will have a chance to properly cure.

Of course, there is a much easier way to get seal coating onto your driveway or parking lot: contact a qualified service and watch them do all of this work for you. When they're done, write the check and enjoy looking at the perfect results.

It may seem like a mundane thing to think about until you have to pay for it! The investment you make as a home owner or a business owner regarding your parking lot or driveway all of a sudden becomes pretty important when you have to get your wallet out. Understand your options and why sealcoating can save you a ton of money! Click here >> Sealcoating Dayton Ohio

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Parking Lot Striping and Maintenance Increases Customer Safety

In business, it is important to always put your best foot forward, and that step can start with fresh parking lot striping. Fresh paint provides a good first impression for arriving customers. Faded and cracked lines, potholes, and crumbling chocks are not only an eyesore, but can also be a safety hazard as well. To ensure customers can park their cars with ease and navigate the car park without any confusion, regular maintenance is crucial.

Clear parking lot striping will not only help visitors navigate easily, but well-planned spacing can also help maximize a small area, squeezing in extra spots for cars so that you don't unintentionally lose business. Most car parks are also required by local regulations to meet certain codes which include a specific number of designated handicap spaces for disabled individuals (how many will depend on the location and size of the area). These will require an extra wide border to be clearly marked, allowing for room to remove wheelchairs or other necessary mobility devices. Codes may also require specific stenciling and marked fire lanes.

If the area is jointly operated by several businesses, it can be helpful to designate specific spots directly in front of doors exclusively to one shop. This is particularly useful for quick-stop stores located next to businesses with longer transactions such as restaurants or movie theaters. Keeping a few spaces free and marked for fifteen minutes or less is another way to keep traffic flowing, turning away fewer customers during peak periods. Spaces can be stencil-painted and bordered in a different color to distinguish it from others.

Proper parking lot striping is also a valuable safety tool that can help you cut back on collisions, slip and falls, or other potential hazards. In addition to keeping the paint fresh and direction arrows clear to improve traffic flow, consider re-paving the entire car park if it is extremely damaged. Large holes and cracks can not only damage vehicles, but people can fall and hurt themselves. And if it happened on your property, you may have a lawsuit on your hands. Smashed chocks are another common problem that is often overlooked. Chocks are the bumpers located between spaces or in front of sidewalks to prevent vehicles from moving too far. Over time, the constant stress from car bumps, or even just a single hard hit can result in them cracking and shifting. The rubble left behind can be dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists.

Parking lot striping professionals generally offer several other benefits in addition to their painting skills. Included in their services are often a cleaning of the area using power washing to lift and blast away long-standing grime, a basic warranty covering unexpected fading or stains for the first few months or longer, and help re-planning the area if needed. Most paints are fast-drying, so you won't have to worry about closing off the area for long. Always choose a company that is licensed, experienced, and fully insured so that you will receive quality work that you can depend on.

For dependable parking lot maintenance there is a local company you can contact. For information about their services, go to www.articlesrx.com.

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Asphalt Seal Coating is Important

Asphalt seal coating is important because although asphalt has great waterproofing and adhesive properties, it also has some rather serious flaws that relate to its chemical makeup which provides easy access to weather, salts, and chemicals that destroy the asphalt molecules. As these molecules are destroyed, asphalt will lose much of its original properties, such as waterproofing and binding. The first visual sign of this is a change in color from black to brown to gray. As asphalt is a byproduct of petroleum distillation processes, it is easily dissolved by the many other products that are also derived from petroleum. This is because these individual items come from the same source, and therefore have a natural affinity for each other and will try to rejoin when put together again. Therefore, oil and gasoline both work to easily dissolve asphalt, which contains many very similar chemicals.

This problem is normally only seen in off-street, low traffic pavements such as driveways or minor streets; places where the oil and gasoline have a chance to sit and soak in. Asphalt seal coating can resist these other substances and keep these chemicals from interacting, therefore extending the life of the asphalt and preventing the need for excessive, expensive repairs and patching. If your asphalt does need to be repaired, however, be sure to do it quickly as no seal coating can protect the asphalt from water and other elements once the surface itself is cracked. Although once a crack appears, they do tend to come back, it's still worth it to patch and fill them as it's much cheaper to do this than to re-lay an entire driveway or parking lot.

Contrary to popular belief, however, your asphalt does not need to be re-coated yearly. Re-coating too often can actually cause problems, such as peeling at around the ten year mark. You should also be very, very careful with who you choose to lay your asphalt seal coating. As consumers in generally are not very educated about the process, many unscrupulous types are taking advantage of them. Common practices include diluting the sealant to the point of being completely ineffective. Be sure that whoever you hire is local, in your phone book, and happy to show you his insurance certificates. If they're from out of state, it's probably safer to just turn them away. After all, who are you going to call if something goes wrong?

We are a full service commercial Parking Lot maintenance company located in Daytona Beach, FL. We are centrally located on the east coast of Florida allowing us to provide seal coating services, crack sealing services, line striping, parking lot marking, ADA compliant parking lot products such as wheel stops, detectable warning mats, speed bumps, warning signs & rubber curbs to Daytona Beach, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Deland, Deltona, Palm Coast, Ormond Beach - Volusia County - Flagler County For more info about Parking Lot Marking or pavement crack sealing services & parking lot repair, please call 386-868-2704 or visit Parkin Markin http://www.AsphaltSealCoatingPro.com

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The Importance of Sealcoating

Surprisingly, many home owners, property owners, and maintenance workers know very little about the important aspect of sealcoating.

Sealcoating is a general term used to describe applying a top coating, or protectant coating of material over an existing asphalt pavement. Asphalt pavement is made up of rock, sand, gravel, and a binding agent to hold it all together. The binding agent is a by-product of the distillation process of certain types of crude oil. As asphalt ages and this by-product breaks down, unfortunately it loses its ability to bind, or hold together. Maintaining this binder is paramount in pavement maintenance. As one would expect, without it, the asphalt will begin to break down. The most common causes of binder degradation are rain, ultraviolet rays from the sun, and chemicals such as antifreeze and car oil.

As asphalt ages and loses this binder, the pavement will start to degrade. When this process begins, a very common warning symptom is piles of small rocks and sand congregating in the low areas in pavement.

To reduce this harmful process from ruining pavement from rain, many people choose to apply a protective layer, or a seal coat, over the pavement to extend the life of the parking lot or driveway and also to prevent degradation. Additionally, when sealcoating products are applied to manufacturers' specifications, they provide a slip resistant surface with a deep satin black finish which beautifies the parking lot or driveway.

Sealcoating materials are typically either coal-based products or acrylic based emulsions. The sealcoat material is in a liquid-water based formulation of one of the above emulsions, then mixed with water, silica sand, polymer additives, and other fillers and solids to create the final product. The sealcoat can then be applied by several different methods: by brush, spray method, or by squeegee. The process should be performed by a professional.

To properly maintain the pavement at a home or business, a sealcoating maintenance program must be in place. Maintenance will more than double the life of the asphalt, saving the owner hundreds of dollars down the line and making the property look fresh and appealing. Repairing asphalt pavement after it has begun to degrade is expensive, so it is sensible to protect the pavement by sealcoating before any long term damage occurs for only pennies per square foot.

Applying this protectant every two to three years will certainly extend the life of asphalt pavement for a minimal cost compared to replacement or repair. When applied correctly by a professional contractor, sealcoating prevents oxidation, stops weather damage, and beautifies property.

Kemith Nichols is the owner of Exterior Maintenance Service, specializing in Nashville parking lot striping and asphalt seal coating. EMS offers Eco-friendly seal coating options and unmatched service and expertise in Middle Tennessee.

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Why Choose Vaca Vet Striping?

Over 30+ years of experience. Licensed, bonded and insured.

Sealcoating is economical to install and highly cost-effective to use. Sealcoat costs pennies per square foot compared to the dollars needed to repair or replace damaged asphalt.

With one application, existing pavement becomes more eye-appealing with a uniform black color and a non-skid texture. A new, dark surface and clean appearance means increased property value, marketing potential, and buyer acceptance.

When used as part of a preventive maintenance plan, seal coating dramatically extends the life of asphalt pavement – saving you money over the long-term.

Benefits of Sealcoating a Parking Lot

Cracks and potholes are inevitable when dealing with asphalt pavement; however, neglecting to seal coat your facilities asphalt pavement can lead to an accelerated cracking and pothole situation reducing the pavements service life.

Dry weather and freezing weather, although freezing temperatures is not usually a big problem here in Florida, can have a degrading effect on asphalt pavement. Other environmental issues such as tree roots, vehicle traffic, gas, oil, sand, and litter also work to crack and damage asphalt. Properly maintained parking lots, those that receive regular sweeping service, crack filling, pothole repair and sealcoating, are prone to outlast those parking areas that are left to "fend for themselves" against these elements.

The Benefits

There are many benefits to sealcoating, such as:

· Minimize Repair - Sealcoating minimizes the need for asphalt repairs.
· Weatherize - Sealcoating helps weatherize asphalt and stops weather damage.
· Limit Oxidation - Sealcoating prevents the oxidation of asphalt.
· Curb Appeal - Sealcoating improves the look of asphalt pavement.
· Damage Resistant - Sealcoating helps asphalt resists damage from gas, oil, and salt.

Ask the Professionals

Pavement contractors bear the burden of pavement maintenance for most commercial facilities. They provide a range of services from crack filing, to resurfacing, pothole repair, and other types of asphalt repairs. But, one of the most important duties that paving contractors perform is sealcoating.

With proper and timely application, sealcoating completed on a regular basis, hand-in-hand with crack filing, and asphalt repair, can extend pavement life past the post where the cost to benefit ratio of added pavement life exceeds the cost of conducting the maintenance itself!

A properly installed, high-quality sealcoating product will protect your parking lots' asphalt from fuel, oil, weather and traffic wear. If asphalt is not property seal coated or, not sealed at all, cracks can start forming in the asphalt, which can then lead to potholes. Depending on your environment, most asphalt pavement should be seal coated every two to three years. For the best results, sealcoating should only be done by a professional paving and sealcoating company.

Cost of Sealcoating

Asphalt pavement sealing costs are determined by more than just a calculated method based on square footage. There are many variables to determine the cost of sealcoating such as: number of cracks to be filled, potholes to be repaired, number of coats needed, and how much hand work is needed. Ask your paving contractor to come out to your commercial facility to inspect the area to be seal coated and to give you a free quote.

Maureen McHale is a marketing consultant located in Longwood, Florida. With more than 20 years of experience, ABC Paving and Sealcoating is Florida's leading paving contractor. Services include: asphalt paving, asphalt repairs and prevention, pothole repairs, sealcoating, line striping and marking, thermoplastic, crack filing, signs and safety devices, concrete sidewalks, concrete curbs and site preparation. For more information about ABC Paving and Sealcoating, visit our website for a free estimate for your paving and sealcoating needs or call 866-934-7623.

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