Archive for the ‘Parking Lot Striping’ Category

Waiting in Long Lines?

Friday, September 19th, 2008

What happens when you drive or fly to a huge amusement park like Disney Land or Disney World? You get all excited, get your tickets, and stand in a very, very long line. It can be very annoying to stand in a huge line, especially when you’re excited about something or in a hurry. If you have your parking lot striping done incorrectly, your customers may be standing in a large line waiting and getting frustrated. If, however, you do like the big amusement parks do and hire someone who knows how to do a layout correctly, your customers will be able to drive in, park, and exit without running into any snags.

Having the correct parking lot striping in your lot is just as important as having a beautiful display up in your window. It brings in customers and it helps people to not only find you but to want to return to your store. Instead of hiring a company who just lays down lines and is done with you, make sure you hire a company who is interested in making sure that your parking lot runs smoothly and efficiently.

The Size of Cars and Parking Lot Striping

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Vehicles are getting…well…smaller. Since the gas situation has been going on, more and more people are going to smaller cars. This can present a problem to some businesses. In larger vehicles, it is easier to see the ground because of the way you are up high. Smaller vehicles, however, are closer to the ground, and while both can see the parking lot striping from a distance, those who are sitting up higher can often see what’s right beneath their tires much easier. If you have your parking lot set up in a tricky fashion, you may find that those who have smaller cars now are having a more difficult time figuring out where to go in your parking lot.

You may want to consider not only having your parking lot striping redone, but having signs put up. Signs are easily seen by any size vehicle and are a great way to keep your parking lot organized. When you have a professional change the layout of your parking lot and also have them put in signs you will find that your customers have a much easier time finding their way around, no matter what sized car they drive!

Parking Lot Striping and Accidents

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Have you ever taken the time to grab one of those celebrity tabloids off of the side of a rack at the grocery store? Don’t be ashamed: all of us do it occasionally. These tabloids talk a lot about celebrities getting into car accidents, but it’s not just celebrities who do, it’s regular people. Many of them get into car accidents because they’re not able to see the parking lot striping by a store or because the striping is not done correctly, making it almost impossible to get into the slot that is your space. This is a huge problem especially in California, where space is often limited.

If you have a business in a busy area, you may want to make sure that your parking lot striping is not only done correctly but is up to date. Parking lot striping that has faded and is difficult to see is just as responsible for accidents as having no parking lot striping, so make sure you redo the striping at least twice a year or more. Also, make sure you hire a professional, as doing it yourself may cause more harm than good.

Why You Shouldn’t Do Parking Lot Striping on Your Own

Friday, September 5th, 2008

If you had never built a house before, would you buy the lumber and try to build one yourself? If you’re smart, definitely not. If your car needed a new engine and you’d never put one in before would you try to take yours out and fix it? Again, most definitely not. Why, then, do those who have never striped a parking lot believe that they have the knowledge and ability to create a parking lot design in the blink of an eye? This is a mystery for the ages. If you want your parking lot striping to be done and to be done right, make sure you call an expert.

Parking lot striping is extremely technical. To begin with, each slot needs to be a specific space, which means that you have to know exactly how to lay things out. You also have to make sure that the design is visually appealing and that it flows well for your customers, so that they don’t have to worry about running into something or other. If you’re thinking about getting parking lot striping done, don’t buy a can of spray paint and go at it yourself; call in the experts.

Being Customer Friendly

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Being a good business owner is all about giving your customers what they want. The more user friendly your business is, the happier your clients will be and the more business you will get, allowing you all to benefit. One of the things that many business owners forget to think about when it comes to being customer friendly is their parking lot. Having parking lot striping done on your parking lot a number of times a year is a vital thing, allowing your parking lot to keep looking beautiful throughout the year.

When you own a parking lot that has no striping, or one that has worn down striping, your business looks, well, not as good as it could. If you want to keep your customer happy, and want to keep the business flowing, it is important that you have the lot striped at least twice a year, or maybe even more if you have a great amount of traffic flowing through your lot. The nicer your parking lot and building look, the more your customers will be willing to keep coming back and giving you their business. Having it laid out the right way is important as well.

Is Your Traffic Flowing?

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

If you’ve got a parking garage, or a parking lot, it is important to ask yourself one question, “is my traffic flowing?” In order to make it easy to understand how the flow of traffic can affect your business, think about a great amusement park ride. It used to be that you would have to stand in line, completely still, for a half hour at a time or more. Now, however, the lines are longer, but they are continually moving, winding around until you eventually get to the entrance. This has made people feel as though they’re actually getting somewhere, when the wait time may be exactly the same as it was before. Because you’re moving, however, you have much more tolerance.

Parking lot striping is an important aspect of parking lots and garages. Parking lot striping can affect the flow of your parking lot or garage immensely, and may cause you to have frustrated customers if the flow is now done correctly. In order to get your parking lot flowing right, make sure you have an experienced professional look over the lot to see exactly what can be changed.

Should You?

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Some business owners and garage managers believe that it would be more cost effective to purchase the machines necessary to do parking lot striping than it would be to hire out to a professional company. In reality, however, it is actually more expensive to buy a machine than it is to hire a parking lot striping company for a number of reasons.

• Hiring out guarantees that the work will be done the right way and on time. As long as you sign a contract, you’ll get the best work done for your money.

• Like all machines, parking lot striping machines break down, and fixing it can cost a great deal of money.

• If you don’t know how to stripe a parking lot, and have never done it before, you may find yourself causing more damage to your parking lot than good!

Thousands of businesses have tried to do parking lot striping by themselves and have found that it is almost always better to hire a company to do the work for you. If you try to do the work by yourself, you’ll most likely find that your parking lot will be destroyed.

Which Type of Design?

Monday, August 11th, 2008

You’ve got your parking lot ready to be re-marked, and you’re simply planning on calling your parking lot striping company and asking them to lay down the same lines that were there before, but is this truly a good idea? There are a number of different designs that you can do for your parking lot, and the striping doesn’t necessarily have to look the same every time. In fact, you may find yourself wanting to change things up simply to give your parking lot a new look.

One thing you can do to make your parking lot look a little nicer is to switch from horizontal parking spaces to diagonal ones. Diagonal parking spaces are much nicer looking and are much easier for your clients and customers to drive into. The only problem, however, is that they don’t fit the same amount of cars in your parking lot. This could be a problem if you have a large volume of people at the same time. If, however, you’ve got a little leeway, changing the design can be a great way to make the parking lot look fresher.

The Importance of Pedestrians

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

When you’re designing your parking lot striping, you may be mostly focused on getting enough room for your drivers, but what about the pedestrians? There are tons of pedestrians you have to think about, from those who are walking in from other stores, to those who are trying to get into your business from the parking lot. None of these people should ever be in danger of being run over, and it is up to you and your parking lot striping company to ensure that they remain safe at all times.

Before you set up your parking lot striping, make sure that you will have a specific entry point that you would like your customers to enter into. If you do not have one point, customers can get confused as to where the door is and may wander around for awhile. Make it clear where your entryway is so that your parking lot striping company can focus on directing foot traffic into your store that way. Next, make sure that you have access not only from the parking lot, but from the street as well, helping to bring wandering pedestrians into your store as well as driving customers.

What Happens During Parking Lot Striping

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Parking lot striping is essential for most parking lots, but many people actually have no idea what the process is that the parking lot striping company has to go through when they’re paving the parking lot. Here are the basic steps involved in striping a parking lot.

1. Come up with a design. The design is one of the key elements necessary to get a good parking lot. You and your designer will work together to figure out how to maximize space as well as esthetic beauty.

2. Clean off the parking lot. There can be absolutely no debris on the parking lot when the striping is done or it will be ruined completely. Some companies use special solvents to clean the lot, while others use highly sensitive mechanical sweepers to do so.

3. Take off the old striping. Some companies leave the old striping on. For a good and lasting seal, it is important to take all of the old paint off, or as much of it as is possible to remove.

4. Paint the new stripes. This is actually one of the fastest parts of the process.

5. Seal the new stripes. Sealing is the best way to ensure that the stripes remain on the pavement for a long time.