Effective parking solutions to support your business.

Your parking lot is one of the most important parts of your property. It’s a good way to attract customers when it’s well maintained. Good parking lots tell people you know how to manage your business well and that you care about customers. A poorly kept parking lot could mean poor business. It is one of a common business practice to maintain your parking space in an efficient way.

If it gets damaged or becomes too dirty, it could become unsafe for customers.

Common issues with parking lots include:

Potholes:

Potholes are deep, curved holes on asphalt or concrete pavement. They cost the average motorist hundreds of dollars every year due to travel delays, operating costs, and accident costs. Even high profile vehicles can get leveled by potholes. These form when the top and bottom layer of the concrete can’t support the weight of traffic on it, creating a hole.

The culprit is often rain or snow melt, which seeps into the concrete through possible cracks. When this happens, the trapped moisture slowly degrades the sub base and pavement, weakening both layers significantly.

Cracks:

Cracks are inevitable, whether you’re using concrete or asphalt for your parking lot pavement. It’s caused by fluctuating temperatures, constant and heavy traffic, and moisture. This problem opens the doors to other issues for your parking lot floor.

Standing water:

Every time it rains or snows, and it gets onto your parking lot floor, there’s a chance that standing water can form on them. Standing water happens when water has nowhere to go, creating a pond on the concrete and asphalt. These puddles are filled with disease-causing bacteria.

Plus, they can also degrade the concrete slowly. Degradation happens faster if there are any cracks on the pavement.

Faded paint:

The paint on your parking lot pavement guides drivers on where they should go to enter and exit your premises, as well as where they should park their cars. Wear, tear, and time can cause the paint to crack and eventually fade.

You need to fix pavement problems straight away to avoid the risks to your business. Here are some maintenance strategies to apply:

Do regular inspections:

The earlier you can spot a problem in your parking lot pavement, the easier it is to repair them. Inspect your parking lot at least once a month to keep track of cracks, potholes, and possible areas of standing water on the pavement.

When you spot these issues, get them repaired immediately before they start doing major damage to your concrete or asphalt.

Patch up small issues:

Some pavement problems don’t really require the help of professionals. Small cracks can easily be repaired by anyone. You can fill it using a caulking gun. Just make sure the crack is free of any debris and moisture before filling it in. Paint chips are easy to deal with, too.

Just make sure to use the same brand and variation of reflective road marking paint that your contractor uses.

Get potholes spray patched:

Damaged potholes expose your pavement’s subfloor to more moisture. Get it cleaned and repaired by professionals. They’ll heat up the asphalt and add patch it up with a new batch of aggregate. This process can also be done on cracks on the pavement.

Get the drainage system fixed:

Drainage problems can be caused by potholes and cracks catching the water that passes through them. If you’ve eliminated these issues and there’s still standing water on your property, it’s time to call a plumber to find out what’s wrong with your drainage system. They’ll make sure your pipes and filters are free of debris and your catch basin works correctly.

If the problem persists, you may need to get help from a pavement contractor to slope your parking lot floors so that gravity can help the rain water make its way to the drainage holes.

Keep the parking lot clean:

Dirt and grime build up not only makes your parking lot look dirty and unprofessional, it can also degrade the concrete. This is especially true if the stains come from oil and gasoline drippings, as they can eat away at the chemicals that bind concrete and asphalt.

Sweep the parking lot and scrub the stains and grime away.

Don’t forget to seal:

If you want you concrete and asphalt to last a lifetime, you need to get it sealed. Sealant provides a protective layer against ultraviolet rays, moisture, and wear from every day traffic. With sealant, your pavement reduces the chances of problems that need expensive repairs.

Your parking lot is the first thing customers see and interact with when pulling up to your place of business. As such it should be clean and safe. Use these maintenance tips to keep your pavement in the best shape possible.