The benefits of regular parking lot maintenance go well beyond aesthetics. A well-kept parking lot offers both financial and physical perks for many property managers. Preventative maintenance can patch unsightly cracks and create a nice, clean surface.
Learn more about how routine parking lot maintenance can enhance any commercial lot.
Why Is Parking Lot Maintenance Important?
Regular parking lot maintenance can accomplish many goals that emergency maintenance does not. Some of these include:
1. Enhance Curb Appeal
Cleaning, patching cracks and potholes and removing debris creates a more inviting space. From the outside, a maintained lot elevates the appearance of the entire location. General curb appeal can increase the reputation of the property you manage and create a pleasing aesthetic for passersby.
2. Prevent Accidents and Potential Liabilities
Parking lots with cracks and potholes are harmful to drive over, as they wear down a vehicle’s suspension. They also pose a trip hazard, which can lead to serious injuries. Maintenance checks can find cracks before they spread and create a flat, clean surface that is safe to walk and drive on.
3. Maximize the Property for More Spaces
Parking on cracked or caved-in asphalt can be challenging. Navigating potholes and cracks is time-consuming and unappealing to most guests. If you start losing space to damages, you may have to close the property you maintain for repairs.
Regularly taking care of the lot you manage can help catch minor issues before they impact the lot. Open space provides plenty of parking room for property guests and employees. You can maintain your day-to-day functions and save time overall with regular, simple maintenance checks.
4. Reduce Overall Maintenance and Repair Costs
If you are a maintenance manager, cutting costs is a common goal. You can budget for minor repairs and checkups easier by scheduling regular maintenance appointments at intervals. Emergency maintenance can cost more upfront, so preventing emergency repairs is ideal for any property you manage.
5. Stay up to Date With ADA Compliance
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations accommodate people with disabilities. Specific ADA standards apply to parking lots, such as the ratio of designated accessible spots to other parking areas. Regular ADA compliance checks will account for any changes to the regulations so you can prevent violations.
Taking care of the parking lot you maintain enhances the overall property value. Regular parking lot maintenance occurs as frequently as needed. ToriTom Services provides all the benefits of regular parking lot maintenance and more.
How to Maintain an Asphalt Parking Lot
With the promise of numerous financial, aesthetic and accommodation benefits mentioned above, you might be wondering how to get started on your list of parking lot repairs and maintenance tasks. Taking care of a parking lot involves frequent check-ins to ensure asphalt conditions stay manageable.
Follow the upcoming parking lot maintenance plan to maintain an asphalt parking lot and reap the benefits for your managed space.
1. Sealcoat Every Other Year
Sealcoating an asphalt parking lot is vital to maintaining a sleek and healthy-looking space for renters and visitors. Asphalt can naturally fade over time from the sun’s rays hitting the surface, driving, aging cracks and the occasional pothole. Although preventing these damages may seem challenging since they are unpredictable, sealcoating can help you stay ahead of an aging parking lot.
Sealing the parking lot’s surface with a thick, tarry layer adds numerous benefits to your managed spaces. When professionals sealcoat the entire parking lot every other year, they are extending the pavement’s life span, reducing maintenance costs, improving curb appeal and eliminating safety concerns for renters and visitors.
2. Repair Cracks Frequently
Cracks in an asphalt parking lot can appear out of nowhere. Whether pavement is aging or frequent use is wearing down the surface, cracks are vital to fix right away to avoid damaging visitors’ vehicles.
Minor cracks in the asphalt are no cause for alarm, but you should still plan to repair these areas as quickly as possible. To avoid minor cracks growing in size, opt for a patching job to cover these damages. Patching allows trained professionals to cut out the impacted area and fill the crack with new asphalt. Replacing the damaged pavement with this new material is quick and easy, so renters can use the parking lot as soon as possible.
Repairing major cracks in the asphalt typically calls for pavement replacement to avoid further damage to the surface and others driving through the parking lot regularly.
3. Repaint Striping as Needed
Paint naturally fades over time, similar to the aging process of asphalt pavement. When renters or other visitors to your managed properties use striping to park, walk through the parking lot and find spaces for accessible parking designations, it is vital to keep paint looking fresh.
There are several benefits to repainting striping in parking lots when you notice significant fading. With a new coat of durable paint, your managed spaces will have improved traffic flow and efficiency, increasing tenant satisfaction, staying up-to-date on ADA compliance and encouraging a longer paint life span. This simple step of repainting striping makes every visit to your location satisfactory for your clients.
How Often Should You Reseal a Parking Lot?
To increase the life span of a parking lot, we recommend regularly resealing asphalt every two to three years with the help of a trusted team of professionals. A new layer of sealcoating every other year saves on the cost of repairing potholes and cracks while revitalizing the parking lot’s appearance.
The life span of an asphalt parking lot can fluctuate based on your location, common weather conditions, average visitors each day and other factors that are typically out of your control. Luckily, prioritizing resealing asphalt in a parking lot maintenance plan can keep pavement looking brand-new with each new layer of sealcoat.
Hire ToriTom Services for Parking Lot Maintenance
ToriTom Services is a trusted commercial property maintenance company that provides asphalt and concrete maintenance services. We provide services such as parking lot striping, patching and ADA compliance checks. Our maintenance plans are a great choice to keep parking lots in good shape with regular appointments.
We offer free on-site evaluations and estimates to help you find the ideal maintenance plan for your property. For more information, contact us online today to speak with an expert or schedule a free, no-obligation estimate.