How often does a parking lot need restriping?
Usually every one to three years, and always immediately after sealcoating because the coating covers the old lines. Traffic volume and snowplough activity drive the interval more than age does.
Line striping and layout
Striping is the cheapest visible improvement you can make to a commercial property, and the one most likely to be non-compliant. Restriping "as existing" repeats whatever layout was there, including ADA stalls that no longer meet standard — so a restripe is the moment to check the layout rather than copy it.
What the job includes
- Stall layout and count, either as existing or reset
- Fire lanes and no-parking zones
- ADA stalls and access aisles laid out to current standards, with correct signage positions noted
- Directional arrows, stop bars and crosswalks
- Wheel stop and bollard marking where present
When you need it
- Lines faded enough that drivers park inaccurately or lose stalls
- Immediately after any sealcoating — the coating covers the old lines
- When a tenant mix change alters how the lot is used
- When you are not certain the ADA stalls and access aisles meet current standard
How it runs
Step 1
Measure the existing layout
Stall count, dimensions, aisle widths, ADA provision. This is where non-compliance surfaces.
Step 2
Agree the layout
As existing, or corrected. A reset can often recover stalls as well as fix compliance.
Step 3
Lay out and stripe
Snapped and measured rather than eyeballed, then painted.
Step 4
Cure
Keep traffic off the fresh lines until they have set — usually a matter of hours, weather depending.
Specifications
- Application
- After sealcoating has cured, never before
- Cold weather
- Runs outside sealcoating season
- Layout
- As existing, or reset to current standards
- ADA
- Stall dimensions and access aisles checked, not assumed
Where
Delaware County, Pennsylvania — Brookhaven, Aston, Media, Springfield, Ridley Park, Swarthmore, Wallingford, Nether Providence and the surrounding townships. Chester County by arrangement.
Owner-operated by Sean McCullough, serving Delaware County since 2016 — 10 years.
Questions about line striping
Can striping be done in cold weather?
Yes, within limits — striping is not bound by the 50°F sealcoating threshold, so it runs well outside sealcoating season. Surface must be dry and clean.
Should ADA stalls be restriped exactly as they were?
Not automatically. Standards have changed, and lots striped years ago often have access aisles that are too narrow or stalls in the wrong location relative to the entrance. A restripe is the cheapest opportunity you will get to correct it.