Archive for August, 2007

Curb painting in different states

Monday, August 27th, 2007

Curb painting is not as straightforward a job as is sounds. In fact, some states do not even allow curb painting as a professional profit-making business outside of the states themselves; that is to say, some states specify routine curb painting by government officials only on a specified rotational business contracts. Such a service may or may not be free of charge to the concerned parties. Not all states restrict the curb painting business. By contracting individuals or companies to carry about curb painting on a contractual basis, other states are able to get the job efficiently done without paying for it themselves.

One of the reasons why few states hold such a tight leash on the curb painting industry is so that they would be able to monitor the type and quality of paints used. Independent contractors may resort to such attempts as using low or cheap quality paints which would not last a long time so that they would get contracts sooner to re-do the same job again with additional pay. By removing the choice of the independent contractor entirely, one is able to control both the quality of job obtained and the efficiency with which it is obtained, both with respect to money and time.

What Not To Do When Getting Your Parking Lot Painted

Monday, August 27th, 2007

A number of people have boarded the parking lot striping and painting bandwagon due to the easy set up and low investment required for getting into the business. However, a number of them are extremely unprofessional, and have started a business with the sole aim of fleecing and fooling their customers. In case you are planning to get your parking lot painted, then here are a number of tips about the things that you should NOT do:
• Do not pay for raw material quoted to you in terms of units required. You want your parking lot striped, so ask for a quotation for the total price of the complete job, since it is unlikely that you will know how many gallons of paint, adhesive and sealers etcetra would actually be required for the whole job.
• Do not hire people whose equipment does not look exactly sound or professional. If you do not know what exactly a parking lot striping firm’s machinery should look like, check out a few reputable web sites in order to get a clear idea.
• Do not hire somebody who is doing your job at half the normal price. After all, how can somebody do a regular job for half the regular price? If you still want to go ahead, make sure that you check and cross check credentials and references.

Parking lot painting is multi-purposed

Sunday, August 26th, 2007

The painting in a parking lot generally speaks volumes to the driver or passenger as they first enter the parking lot. In addition the first impression that the parking lot painting imprints on the visitor, the parking lot painting also serves other functions for the person driving into the parking lot.

Normally entrance lines and arrows would indicate to the driver the directions that he or she should follow. Often times parkway entrances are one-way, and the person coming in for the first time may be ignorant of the fact if the arrows were not there to impart some form of instruction. Arrows would also be able to guide the driver out of the parking lot to an exit that he or she may not have been aware of. So while many people do often disregard the writings on the wall so to speak, they do in fact serve a purpose to the driver who may be in unfamiliar territories.

Additionally, the parking lot painting instructs us as to where we are allowed to park and where is off-limits to us. In the grocery parking lot for instance, there would be paintings indication loading bays and no parking zones. Even disability zones are normally painted different to the rest of the parking zones for quick and easy differentiation.

Evaluating the need for traffic sign installation

Saturday, August 25th, 2007

The installation of a traffic sign in a specified area should be a practical one. Traffic signs are primarily used to guide the motorist safely towards his destination. Often the request for a traffic sign installation has to be verified for its practicality and its suitability before it can be agreed whether or not the traffic sign installation is to be approved.

You might find therefore that while your neighbor may be complaining endlessly for a safety crossing traffic sign installation outside his or her home, it is a number of factors which would be considered to determine whether or not this request is a justifiable one.

In considering the request, one of the biggest influences is the number of requests received and by the number of people who wish for the traffic sign installation. If the same person applied over and over the request may more likely go unheeded as opposed to an entire community making the same request.

The risk factors must also be considered for the area – what has been the accident incidence recently and how would the traffic sign help in such a case? Are there other alternatives besides a traffic sign installation? One would also agree that landmarks nearby would influence the decision – after all, with a traffic light nearby there should be no need to install a traffic sign which says caution or slow down.

Parking Lot Striping Tips

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007

Parking lot striping is a booming business and there are hundreds of companies that have jumped into the parking lot painting bandwagon in the recent past. While painting parking lots involves no intricate knowledge of rocket science, the people you hire for painting your lot should still have their basics clear before they mark your lot. A good and properly marked parking lot is not just the result of using good quality paint and a neat hand, and depends majorly on how well the specifications for laying out a lot have been adhered to.

Apart from making sure that you hire people who know all the specific parking lot striping specifications, you should also acquaint yourself with lot striping basics so that you can check how well the paint job is coming up and ensure that it lasts long. While laying out parking stalls, make sure that the stalls are at least ten feet wide in order to keep cars parked side by side from nicking each other. Try to avoid striping on top of bad or loose asphalt patches, as the paint will not adhere to these areas well. The same applies to patches with a lot of oil spills.

Automation of the parking lot striping process

Monday, August 20th, 2007

A few years back it was common habit to see road workers tediously drawing in the outline of the lines that separated the parking spots in a lot. In fact, even today we still see workers using this same practice to mark parking lots. But parking lot striping has evolved too like every other type of job we do. No longer does it have to be as tedious a job as it was even a few years back. No longer would you have to carefully measure the lines before you could proceed to paint them. And even better, no longer would you have to redo a job because of poor quality painting techniques.

A neat parking lot is as important as having a well designed parking lot. So the last thing that we would wish to see is fuzzy lines or curvy lines where nice solid lines should have been. Automated machines have now taken the place of the laborer on his knees in the sweltering heat tediously painting a strip. Instead, these machines are easily rolled along and the strips are automatically sprayed painted with the exact desired width that you want. Clean lines and a faster job is what parking lot striping is all about now.

The Perfect Sign

Friday, August 17th, 2007

Traffic sign installation is not an easy job. There are reputed registered firms, which undertake the task of installing the traffic sign. Normally, the local county administration is in charge of installing the traffic sign. However, on occasions, the county hands over the responsibility of installing the traffic signs to agencies an firms specializing in this type of work.

These firms can also be hired to install traffic signs in private residential neighborhoods and business offices. It is good to have traffic signage installed in the area since it will regulate traffic apart from ensuring smooth movement of vehicles. Some of the traffic signage that have to installed include no parking zones, tow away zones, crossing for pedestrians, school zone, hospital zone, speed limit indicator, road speed breaker for vehicles and many others.

The road sign is normally displayed on wooden or tin plates. These road signs are available in the local auto market. If you are using individual signage in the neighborhood, they can be purchased from the local market. However, if you intend to install the road signage in bulk, it will be better to invite bids from interested firms. The road sign installation and maintenance can be handed over to the agency concerned for a specified period of time.