If you’re a new business owner with a physical location, you have a variety of items to get ready for your clients, including a parking area. Seems a simple enough task until you realize you have to make perfect straight lines.
We prepared a guide for you to learn everything about how to paint parking lot lines for your business lot. By the end of this article, you will know how to get high-quality painted parking lot lines that will last for years to come.
Before You Start Painting
Preparation is crucial. Before you begin painting your parking lines, you should ensure the parking area has a solid base. Property managers will need the space thoroughly clear of dirt and debris; you can accomplish this by sweeping with a broom or gas-powered blower.
Depending on if your surface has cracks, you may need to complete some asphalt maintenance. If you sealcoat the parking area, it will be protected from the elements and give it a great finish to make your parking lines stand out.
Equipment For Parking Lines
While there are a couple ways to go about the project, you will need some tools regardless.
- Chalk to mark where your painted lines will go
- A measuring tape to keep things nice and precise
- High-quality traffic paint
- Traffic cones and caution tape to mark off the area
- Various parking area stencils
The project will require one more tool, depending on the method you choose. If you want to do parking lot lines yourself, you will need a four-inch paint roller. If you require a bit more guidance, a piece of line striping equipment.
The Type of Paints You’ll Need
As mentioned above, you will need high-quality traffic paint to complete your painted parking lot. There are few brands out there that can get the job done, but here is what you should be on the lookout for when choosing the right type of paints for parking lot striping.
- Contains low volatile organic compound (VOC) and follows Clean Air Act regulations
- Equipped for your local weather conditions
- A balance between price and longevity of the paint
How to Get Perfect Painted Lines
The key to perfectly painted lines is precise measurements. Utilize a tape measure or any other kind of measuring device to get consistent and efficient measurements for cars. The standard size for a North American parking space is 8.5 to 9 feet wide by 18 feet long, and you will need about 14 to 24 feet for one or two cars to drive in the parking rows.
Take your time with measurements, especially if you are doing this by hand. Speaking of, you will also need to use your four-inch roller to paint each parking lot line, and it is highly important you wear a respirator to protect your lungs against toxic fumes. The latter is also true if you are using a parking lot striper.
Don’t forget other essential painted parts of your parking area. You will need white paint for most of your project, but you will also need blue colored paint and a stencil to indicate handicap parking spots. Get other stencils if your business has paid reserved spots or any other kind of important marker to communicate to drivers using your parking lot.
Surfaces You Should Paint On
This point will be fairly short, but it is an important factor nonetheless. For a painted parking lot, you should work on any asphalt or concrete surface, and the concrete and asphalt maintenance should be in order before you begin, as mentioned previously.
A parking area made of gravel will be difficult to work with since you have to frequently replicate your painted lines. For gravel lots, you should consider getting markers instead of painting.
Let the Pros Take Care of It
By now, you should have a good idea of how to paint parking lot lines from how much it will cost you to getting the right equipment and materials and how much labor will be needed. If you still choose to do the work yourself, we wish you luck in completing the project successfully.
However, if you feel this DIY project is a bit beyond your scope, you can let the professionals handle all the work for you. If you’re in the Houston area, Pro Painters is the leading residential and commercial painting company, and we have been proudly serving the city for over 20 years.
Our painters use only dependable, brand-name materials, and we utilize a variety of techniques to consistently provide innovative looks, superior quality, and outstanding customer satisfaction. You can learn more about our history and why we’re a trusted company. When you’re ready to paint, we’ll provide you with a free estimate, so call the Pros today.
