Your business’s parking lot serves two main purposes. First, there’s the obvious use as an essential place for your customers and visitors to park, shipping trucks to safely maneuver in, etc. However, it’s also the first thing customers experience, and it’s akin to “curb appeal” in residential homes. It’s what makes the first impression and sets the tone for what customers should expect.
If your parking lot isn’t kept in tip-top shape, it can become a hazard, a costly expense to fix, and even a detriment to your business because it looks unprofessional.
Since this is such a crucial and misunderstood part of the business world, we have 7 tips to help with maintaining a commercial parking lot and avoiding those issues.
Let’s get started.
1: Cleanliness is Key
First and foremost, cleanliness is essential, and this is another two-part reason.
Keeping your parking lot clean is the first step to making it look professional. Customers or B2B connections pulling into a parking lot with dirt and oil everywhere, trash, and other glaring issues are going to immediately think that’s how you operate your business. In contrast, when they arrive and the parking lot is well-managed and clean, that creates a positive impression before they even enter your business.
This is a lot like the last time you did a run of interviews. Think of the applicants who arrived without much effort put into looking professional, and those who groomed, wore an appropriate outfit, and handled their initial impression well. You probably hired someone from the latter group. Customers look at your parking lot the same way.
However, it also has a functional impact. Messy parking lots can produce hazards for customers. Things like runaway carts can hit cars, trash can cause people to slip, etc. Excessive buildup of leaking car fluids, dirt, grime, and other issues can also cause premature damage to the asphalt.
This requires minimal effort to maintain. A broom, power washer, and about an hour of manpower, and you can keep your parking lot looking brand-new.
2: Seal the Parking Lot
You’ll have a much easier time maintaining your parking lot and avoiding costly repairs if you have it properly sealed. Sealant prevents things such as oil leaks, excessive rain, and other problems from seeping into the concrete and getting underneath it, causing cracks, etc. It even helps protect the parking lot from UV rays that degrade the asphalt a lot faster when it is unprotected.
This should be done every 3 years. The seal coating will wear off, develop unprotected spots, etc. in that amount of time, and you have to keep it fully sealed to prevent issues.
3: Invest in Drainage Systems
The worst enemy of a commercial parking lot is excessive liquid. This mostly comes from rain and snow, but in general, liquid and asphalt don’t mix. If left to sit, it will work its way into cracks, swell the ground, shift the ground layer around, and generally cause your parking lot to fall apart in a short amount of time.
The way to avoid this is by having high-quality catch basins and drainage systems installed. These divert most of the water in a more methodical way to keep it from causing any serious damage. However, the drainage system needs to be adequate for the amount of rain and snow your business is going to get on average.
4: Invest in Proper Lighting
Investing in proper lighting for your parking lot is another two-fold tip. Properly lighting your parking lot provides a safe and professional environment for your nighttime customers, but it also helps prevent serious problems such as cars hitting infrastructural items in your parking lot, making potholes worse by driving right into them, etc.
5: Restripe Your Commercial Parking Lot
Striping your parking lot is standard practice, and it’s what maintains order. Everyone knows where to drive, where to stop for pedestrians, and where to park efficiently, and overall, it’s how you make your parking lot a smooth and safe place for your customers.
Unfortunately, the paint stripes and markers wear off relatively quickly. Beyond 2 years, the lines fade or disappear, and that orderly space you created slowly turns into a mess. Plus, it doesn’t look professional because it’s obviously not taken care of.
Every 2 years have your parking lot restriped, and that’s not a problem.
6: Get the Parking Lot Inspected
Professional inspections are crucial. You can tell a parking lot needs work when you start seeing noticeable cracks and potholes, but the truth is, it’s already too late at that point. Unseen damage is likely affecting the entire parking lot before you notice those signs.
However, having a professional service do an annual inspection can catch damage and essential needs well before that point. This saves you money in the long run, too. You can catch problems such as cracks early and have them repaired, including crack filling, while the costs are minimal. If you wait, you end up paying a lot more to fix bigger issues.
7: Build a Lasting Relationship with a Top-Quality Service
If you follow all the tips we’ve listed so far, you won’t need to hire a professional service frequently, but you’ll still need one you can trust to do the job right. Whether that job is a basic inspection or a full-blown parking lot replacement.
The best way to do this is to find a high-quality service in your area that you can trust, and then build a lasting relationship with them. When you need an annual inspection, restriping services, repairs, or anything else, you have one partner you can trust, and you immediately know who to call.
Who to Call for Commercial Parking Lot Services?
When it comes to maintaining your commercial parking lot, trust is paramount. In Charlotte, North Carolina, that’s where Barnes Asphalt shines.
With three decades of expertise, we’ve been the go-to choice for businesses in the area, providing top-notch asphalt services in North Carolina. Our commitment to quality ensures that your parking lot remains in prime condition. Whether it’s routine maintenance or specialized repairs, Barnes Asphalt has you covered.
Rely on our experienced team to deliver exceptional results every time. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive range of services and discover why Barnes Asphalt is the trusted name in asphalt maintenance and repair.