Your parking lot is the first thing your customers notice when they visit your place of business. We can all agree that first impressions are important, and a well-maintained parking lot lets your customers know that you consider every detail. Parking lot maintenance isn’t just a necessary task; it’s a reflection of the way you do business. Keeping your striping and other markings in top form help boost favorable opinion of your place of business.

Take a look at the overall appearance of your parking lot markings. Have they been worn down by vehicles, harsh weather, or excess salting? Are they faded and dull, making it difficult to see divisions between stalls or impairing lot navigation? Ideally, striping should be maintained every 18-24 months or when the pavement marking is visibly reduced to around 75% of the original appearance. This regular care ensures that markings are clear, making your parking lot easy to navigate for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Our staff can determine whether your parking lot complies with regulations, and we can work with you to redesign if necessary. For more information on parking lot compliance, you can take a look at our post and download our white paper.

Another reason you may be considering parking lot striping is to enhance the layout of your space and maximize efficiency. Making sure you have as many spaces as possible improves the cost-effectiveness of your lot and invites more customers to your location. When your parking lot works efficiently, with clear directional arrows for the flow of traffic and attractive spaces, you boost customer opinion and create a safer lot.

Improving safety for pedestrians is part of creating a more efficient parking lot. The addition of clearly marked crosswalks, loading zones, stop bars and pick up areas reduces the number of accidents occurring and demonstrates your dedication to customer safety. These markings indicate to your customers the right way to navigate your lot and can save you money by lowering the number of collisions on your property.

To ensure the best quality end result, our crews will prepare your lot for striping, including removing debris and old striping if necessary to create a clean finish. Read more for a closer look at what goes into parking lot striping.

Nestled just north of the Tennessee valley, with the Appalachian Mountains not too far away to the east, Nashville gets its fair share of unpredictable weather. From excessive heat and humidity to freezing winters and the occasional snowfall, Nashville asphalt has to endure the worst of what summer and winter have to offer.

One would think Nasvhille’s in-land location would shelter it from the unpredictable weather effects from the coastal areas and mountain ranges, but that assumption is incorrect. Nashville gets its fair share of unpredictable weather.

With average summer temps in the high eighties and nearly six inches of monthly rainfall in the spring, asphalt in Nashville is subjected to excessive heat and/or moisture nearly every day of the year.

Excess moisture from wet weather can erode nearly any physical structure, but it’s especially damaging to asphalt pavement and concrete. What’s more, damage sustained from inclement weather is not always obvious.

Moisture from rain seeps into your asphalt’s porous surface, degrading the structural integrity of the slab. Don’t forget freezing weather. Once the thermometer drops below 30°F, the moisture trapped inside the slab freezes and expands, resulting in stress fractures and cracks in your pavement.

When asphalt pavement is exposed to the heat and humidity of a Nashville summer, it becomes susceptible to cracking, fading, stress fractures, and soft spots.

Asphalt absorbs heat. When subjected to persistently high temperatures, the asphalt surface can soften and its form can become distorted, causing it to heat up faster and unevenly in portions. The fluctuation can cause the rigid asphalt slab to curl, leading to stress fractures on the surface and tensile stress fractures at the bottom of the slab.

Unfortunately, the Nashville heat is not the only concern when it comes to protecting your asphalt in the summer. Ultra violet rays are incredibly damaging to your asphalt. UV Rays increase the rate of surface deterioration, weakening the bonds between the asphalt components and causing your asphalt to fade to a dull grey.

The effects of heat, UV rays, and moisture of your asphalt can be damaging, but let’s not forget the effects of regular wear and tear. Consistent, heavy use can eat away at the structural integrity of your asphalt, but you can protect your asphalt from any damage with regular preventive maintenance and by sealcoating cracks as soon as they appear.

Sealcoating – Extends the life of your asphalt jet-black finish and wards off the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays.

Cracksealing – Halts the spread of existing cracks and increases the overall lifespan of your pavement. Prevents water and debris from accumulating within the cracks of your asphalt surface.

Pavement Marking – Parking lot re-stripping replaces faded parking stripes to restore the visual aesthetic to your parking lot.

Infrared Repair – Infrared light is used to heat a specific area of pavement enabling our crew to focus on a specific area of pavement, instead of removing and replacing large sections. Ideal for critical repairs, depressions, trip hazards, potholes, and rough surfaces in drive lanes.

The only thing we can say for certain about the weather in Nashville is that it will certainly remain unpredictable. There is no telling what sort of climate fluctuations could unfold between this season and the next. That’s why it’s essential to protect your asphalt today, because the longer you wait to protect your asphalt, the harder it will be to repair it.

The good news is we have been very fortunate in the Mid-Atlantic to have received a mild weather pattern for most of the beginning of winter.  The bad news is long range forecasts project colder Arctic air and increased moisture moving into the region after January 15, 2016.

Most people in the Delaware Valley this morning woke up to ice in areas of standing water.  

Historically I see a large influx of work orders prior to the beginning of winter for pothole repairs, catch basin repairs and remediation of areas of standing water.  In addition, prior to the first forecasted snow storm we see an increase in work orders with time is of the essence notations and other priority codes.  I have noticed this year some Property / Facility Managers may be delaying repairs due to the mild weather waiting to see if winter is going to be all it is hyped to be this year with El-Nino.  I feel this approach is risky for several reasons:

1.) With the winter season comes reduced work days, higher material costs and risking to complete the work in marginal weather which will result in an inferior completed project

2.) When temperatures fall below freezing, it makes it difficult to complete same day / next day emergency repairs because the asphalt plant may not be operating on the specific day the repair NEEDS to be made

3.) If the temperatures are too cold to obtain hot mix asphalt we are forced to use cold patch (Temporary solution once the business end of a snow plow runs over it) and will require two mobilizations to come back a second time for the permanent repair thereby adding a second mobilization cost

4.) Liability & Contributory Negligence:  If a tenant constantly emails you about the large puddle out front which they politely remind you is a skating rink in the winter- once someone slips & falls and you find yourself in a deposition being questioned by the Plaintiff's Attorney- once the Attorney slides the copy of the emails in front of you  marked Exhibit K and asks the dreaded question of when you were first made aware of the situation it will be GAME OVER.

The picture above shows ice formation from groundwater coming up through cracks in the asphalt parking lot

Groundwater Issues / Underground Water:

Groundwater issues lead to black ice issues anytime the temperatures fall below freezing.  

Groundwater issues (Hydrostatic Pressure) are caused by the Geology under your asphalt parking lot or concrete sidewalk- it is impossible to prevent- however, it is able to be corrected.  Hydrostatic pressure is caused by the groundwater being forced to the surface and then finding its way out of the ground through the path of least resistance- typically- cracks in the asphalt / concrete or through landscape islands.  

Groundwater can be easily directed away from the surface and into a storm sewer or culvert area.  

Please see our blog:

Average Cost To Remediate Underground Water Issues In An Asphalt Parking Lot / Concrete Sidewalk:

The average cost ranges between $35.00 - $60.00 per lineal foot depending on disposal costs of excavated sub-grade, depth, length, difficulty tie-ing into storm sewer / culvert and restoration involved (asphalt / concrete patch back, mulch, topsoil, grass seed etc.)

Please contact me (1-877-349-2774) if you are in need of groundwater remediation under your asphalt parking lots or concrete sidewalks.  

www.fixapshalt.com provides groundwater remediation solutions to:

Shopping Centers * Industrial Parks * Multi-Family (Apartments, Townhouses, Condominiums) * Healthcare * Office Buildings & Corporate Campus's     National Accounts (Big, Small & Medium Box Retail Stores)

We service New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania (Delaware Valley), Delaware & Northern Maryland