Most businesses would find success more elusive if they did not provide a parking lot for their clients, employees, tenants, or guests. However, parking lots need to offer enough spaces, be safe, and comply with all legal requirements. A well-maintained asphalt parking lot can help in all of these ways, and it can also boost your property’s curb appeal.
How Does Maintenance Impact the Number of Spaces in a Parking Lot?
Your parking lot layout has more of an impact on the number of parking spaces you can provide than you might realize. Each space must be wide enough and long enough to allow drivers to exit their vehicles without denting the car in the next space. However, if you make the spaces excessively wide, you cannot provide as many spaces. Similarly, each space needs to be long enough for an entire vehicle without being excessive. The parking angle also has a bearing on how many spaces you can provide. A parking lot maintenance company can assess your current layout, then make suggestions on how to optimize your pavement. The pavement maintenance company can then apply the line striping and pavement markings to execute your new layout. If it has been a number of years since you designed your parking lot, you might want to consider having your contractor assess your layout the next time you stripe your lot. A great layout and professional striping can also help enhance your curb appeal and parking lot safety.
How Does Maintenance Boost Safety in an Asphalt Parking Lot?
When you need a parking lot repair, you should ask your contractor to complete it as soon as possible. Cracks and potholes affect your property’s curb appeal, the life of your pavement, and the safety of everyone who uses your parking lot. Pavement damage is unsightly, but it can also spawn additional damage and shorten the life of your pavement due to water penetration. Furthermore, pedestrians could step in a pothole and twist an ankle, or they could trip on a crack and fall. Cracks and potholes also have the potential to damage bicycles or unseat riders. Deep potholes can even inflict damage on cars. If there are numerous cracks or other types of damage, you might want to consider asking a reputable asphalt company whether it would be advisable and possible to install an overlay. Overlays look and function almost identical to a new pavement, but the cost is much less.
How Might a Parking Lot Maintenance Company Help You Achieve Legal Compliance?
There are numerous provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act that address accessible parking lots. You are probably accustomed to seeing the stripes and markings that identify accessible spaces, but you may be less familiar with some of the other provisions. For example, paving contractors must ensure the proper slope and grade of the pavement in accessible spaces and accessible routes. The pavements must be kept in good repair so that there are no hazards or obstacles present. An experienced pavement maintenance contractor can help you ensure that your parking lot meets all of the requirements to comply with the ADA as well as local ordinances.
How Does Maintenance Help Boost the Curb Appeal?
Well-maintained asphalt parking lots are quite attractive. They present a smooth, unbroken expanse with a luxurious color that provides exceptional contrast to your stripes and markings. To make your parking lot as visually appealing as possible, you want to place the following items on your pavement maintenance checklist.
1. Keep your parking lot clean. Regularly remove trash, oil spills, fallen leaves, grass clippings, and piles of gravel or dirt. This will make your parking lot more enticing, but it also helps preserve the health of your pavement.
2. Ask your parking lot maintenance company to sealcoat your pavement periodically. Sealcoating prevents the sun from bleaching your asphalt’s color, but it also prevents it from drying out your pavement and making it easily damaged.
3. You will need to have your pavement maintenance company repaint your lines and markings after sealcoating. However, if the original visibility of the paint drops below 75%, you should repaint immediately. You should also repaint immediately if the paint blisters, flakes, cracks, or incurs damage.
Black Hawk Paving is a Chicago-based asphalt company and has been serving commercial clients throughout Chicagoland since 1975. Our services include parking lot striping, hot crack sealing and routing, asphalt repair, excavation and site grading, asphalt sealcoating, asphalt paving, concrete flatwork, asphalt fabric, concrete curbing and car stops, asphalt milling and grinding, traffic signage, pavement markings, and sewer repair. We have an exemplary reputation for dependability, craftsmanship, professionalism, service, and integrity. To request a free quote, fill out our online form, or you can email the information to Info@BlackHawkPaving.com. If you prefer to call us, we have three numbers to serve Chicago proper, the northwest suburbs, and the south suburbs; respectively, they are 773-378-2390, 847-240-2560, and 708-479-0400.
