New business owners sometimes underestimate the maintenance and upkeep required to keep their business running optimally. Rent, employee wages, taxes, and product inventory are obvious, but not many people go into business planning on how often restriping a parking lot is required. After all, it’s just a place to store the cars.
Right?
Why Restriping a Parking Lot is Important
In reality, parking lot striping is the unsung hero of drivers everywhere. It offers lots of obvious and not-so-obvious benefits, but these are two of the biggest.
Striping keeps people safe
Parking lot striping introduces clarity wherever vehicles operate. The white, yellow, and blue paints tell drivers where to go, what part of the pathway belongs to them, and where pedestrians may be. When your striping begins to fade, this clarity disappears. Confusion on streets and in parking lots makes conditions risky for drivers and downright dangerous for pedestrians.
Every street, garage, and parking lot are different. The conditions that affect your lot could be different from those that affect your neighbor’s.
Looks matter when restriping a parking lot
Another important reason to maintain your parking lot’s striping is that looks matter to customers. A study about store appearance revealed that:
- 86% of customers develop a negative opinion based on dirty floors
- 74% of customers develop a negative opinion based on dustiness
- 68% of customers develop a negative opinion based on window smudges
If parking lot appearance is even half as important to customers as those other criteria, then it’s too significant to let deteriorate.
So…How Often Should I Stripe a Parking Lot?
Okay, so it’s important – but the question remains: how often should you restripe your parking lot?
The answer? It depends.
Every street, garage, and parking lot is different. The conditions that affect your lot could be different from those that affect your neighbor’s. Generally, there are three factors that determine when is the right time to restripe.
Traffic
Not all businesses are the same, and not all experience the same traffic levels in their parking lots. (Think about it: the King of Prussia Mall is always going to get more traffic than the four-table Mexican restaurant up the street!)
If you get heavy vehicle traffic in your lot, then you need annual restriping to keep the lines bright, safe, and visually pleasing. If your lot receives only a few office employees each week, then you might be able to last a full 24 months.
Weather
The Tri-State area has every type of weather. From sub-freezing snow drifts to high-humidity scorchers, your parking lot experiences the same wild weather that you do.
Tree cover and good irrigation can protect your striping from constant sunlight, excessive heat, precipitation, and rainwater runoff – all of which do damage. After any particularly rough season, it’s a good idea to do a visual inspection of your entire lot. There’s no need to wait for springtime weather, either. We can stripe under any dry conditions above freezing.
Redesign & Noncompliance
Any time you want to change the traffic patterns or purpose of your parking lot, you’ll also need to restripe. Adding or removing parking spots, changing their orientation, or adding a drive-thru all require restriping.
You may also need to restripe to keep up with changes to local, state, or federal laws pertaining to parking lots, garages, and general accessibility. (Check out our post about compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act!)
Not Sure Whether Your Lot is Ready for New Stripes?
We know that parking lot maintenance wasn’t something you studied up on in school. Timing your restriping to maximize effectiveness and minimize cost takes practice.
Luckily, we’re pretty good at it. If you’re unsure whether your parking lot or garage is ready for new stripes, call Quick Lot to schedule a free consultation and estimate.
