Whether you're planning on repainting your parking lot yourself or hiring a professional company, there are certain conditions that need to be in place to maximize your investment and make sure it will be a long lasting paint job. These conditions will make sure the paint is able to adhere properly and provide optimum durability
A common question property managers a business owners have is how often they need to get their parking lot redone. Well, it kind of depends. If you live in a place that has rough winters than that will take some time off of the life of your lines. It also greatly depends on the amount of traffic you get in your lot. Typically, lines will still need to be redone every 1-2 years or 2-4 years for low traffic parking lots. However, if you follow the advice in this article your lines will remain brighter and unfaded for a longer period of time.
Oil Based Paint
Make sure oil based paint is used. A latex traffic paint has hit the market and the quality of these paints is improving; however, it's still not quite where it needs to be. The benefit of latex paint is that it it easier on the environment. Unfortunately, it can cost more yet only has half the life. It looks like the use of latex paint may be mandated soon. If it already is in your location your paint store will know.
Non-Thinned Paint
Some line painting companies will add paint thinner to their paint which makes it go farther. However, we never add paint thinner to our paint and the result is a thicker application that will last longer. Make sure to ask your local line painting provider if they add paint thinner to their paint.
Clean and Dry Surface
If a layer of dirt or water becomes trapped under the traffic paint when it is applied, it is going to compromise the ability of the paint to adhere to the asphalt surface. If your lot is very dirty you may want to consider getting it power washed. A quality focused line painting company will usually use a broom and blower to clean a lot but if you have any tough sticking grime on your lot than power washing will be necessary. The lot also needs to be dry. Line painters do not work on rainy days!
Conclusion
Make sure you do your due diligence when hiring a line painting company. If you want to be proactive about making sure you get a good line painting service, you need to make sure the traffic paint is applied on a clean and dry surface with non-thinned oil based traffic paint. You can also follow this tips if you're doing it yourself.