Line Striping & What Baking a Cake Have in Common

Line Striping in the world of asphalt is also known as pavement marking, Re-Striping & simply Striping. It, like baking a cake, is applied to the surface once you have laid down a nice foundation. I know that might sound like a stretch right off the bat but let’s take a few seconds to compare the two.

First and Foremost, a great paving job can be completely ruined if your parking lot is incorrectly marked. It’s the “icing on the cake” portion of the job.   It would be like baking a phenomenal strawberry short cake and then putting basil pesto icing on the top of it. Not only is that a violation in all cuisines, it would undoubtedly ruin the entire cake. The only way you could possibly save it would be to take a knife and very carefully remove it from the places it was applied. So imagine just having a perfect sealcoating job done on your parking lot and then had it striped completely wrong. Just like the cake, you would have a huge problem.

That is why it is essential to pay attention to the following points for the next time you take a look at your parking lot.

Your parking lot has to be properly marked. Not only is your lot being judged by your customers and potential clients, more importantly it is required by Law. All States have code enforcers who check parking lots and issue fines if the lot is not meeting code. Each state also has their own set of rules and laws of how a lot should be striped. Make sure the contractor you choose has the specifications provided by the state prior to sealing your lot.

It is also dangerous and could lead to a lawsuit to not have the lot properly marked as it will lead to confusion to the people driving on it.  It is critical to properly re-stripe the lot as it keeps your property looking its best, but also preserves a safe and functional business environment.

Re-striping becomes necessary when the paint starts to degrade from being exposed over time to water, oil, lubricants and the sun. When the parking lot is located in a high traffic area, you may need to re-stripe your parking lot on a yearly basis. If not, re-striping should be done every other year.

The best plan of action is to keep an eye on your parking lot and to not ignore or put off re-striping the lot. When you notice that the arrows pointing your customers in the right direction are hard to see, you should proactively seek to find a qualified contractor to stripe the lot. You may notice that old lines are showing through the seal coat. This means that it is time to sealcoat and then re-stripe the parking lot as well.

So here’s the kicker to this blog post. When you call/email us for a free estimate today, make sure to mention “icing on the cake”, we will make sure to bring you a free cake to our first meeting 🙂 !