Stripeing Parking Lots

donb1959

I have the opportunity to bid on stripeing a large parking lot, I have already painted the exterior of the building, so I feel good about the chance to win this bid.....however, I've never done stripeing, I have no idea how labor intensive it is, nor how much matierial it takes.

I believe I can rent a stripeing machine. I drove the lot to get an idea of how big it is, and up and down rows it's about 2/3 of a mile, there are arrows,disabled icons,etc that have to be striped as well. All the lines are there, so I will simple be repainting the stripes. Anyone that has any advice on this type of thing I could use the input, thanks.

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slickshift

Wow are you sure you want to do this?
My Bro-in-law is an asphalt sealer and does this
I've helped him out before
It's really a different ball game (than painting)
There's stuff you have to know about traffic flow, zoning, parking spaces, angles...
I couldn't tell you what specifically, I'm just a worker bee with him
I just noticed there's a lot of stuff, at least in this state, that you have to know and lot's of rules you have to go by

slickshift

You need the stencils for these
Current up-to-date ones, and know what your state requires for them

donb1959

All the lines are already there, I will be re-stripeing them. It's a funeral home thats been there for years.

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kenvest

striping isn't as easy at it looks.....at least in this application you should have some time to let the paint dry before people will be driving all over it so you could get the slower drying products which are easier to work with. the real trick is getting all your lines straight and the same length. it's all technique and if you don't do it right, they're ain't no fixin it!!!

you can make templates out of luan but thats time consuming and you'll find that stencils aren't cheap.

do yourself a favor, sub it out and make a few bucks on the top! you can paint all the curbs and wheel stops but let someone with the technique do the striping.

slickshift

I spent some time on the machine, but not much
Mostly he did it, and I'm the painter lol

The point is, it's different....and not as easy as it looks, and small mistakes look huge

If he was doing a lot where the previous lines were laid badly, or not up to current spec, he had to re-do them
At a FH maybe it's not a big deal, but a retail store, if he didn't do them to "code" and they were having fender-benders in the lot, it could come down to him and his liability

The icons and there placement had to be up to current specs too
I know he had to redo a few that weren't
....which brings up another point

As a sealcoater, if he messed up, he could re-seal it and do it over again
PITA, but do-able
You won't have that option

Bob Kovacs

The guys who do striping/re-striping day in and day out have it down to a science, and can do it much faster and cheaper than you ever could. By the time you drive to the rental yard, buy the materials, and figure out what you're doing, a striping service will be 3/4 of the way down the lot.

This isn't something you should bother with unless you plan on making it a full-time gig with a dedicated crew.

BTW- the striping companies charge by the parking space- not by the "size" of the lot. Here in NJ I can get a lot re-striped for around $7-8 per space, max.

Bob

theman

Don
a LOT of good advise on this post, check with local building inspector, in NY a new code came out in 2003 when you are restripeing a lot it must meet these guide lines. one in particular parking for handicap vans with a space in between and a sign "no parking" between the spaces

Glasshousebltr

I'm confused...it seems if you can dance, then I'm sure you can strip, but I can't figure where the machine plays a part.

Bob

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kenvest

your competition, around here anyway, will be the parking lot sweepers who specialize in shopping center maintenance such as light bulbs, pressure washing, some painting, concrete repair and potholes...property managers typically like these guys because they are on the property on a daily (almost) basis and, if they're sharp, will do a good job of taking care of the place. they won't be the cheapest guys in town but its the ease of doing business that makes them attractive.

good luck....