There are many reasons to ensure that your stripe parking lot is highly visible, undamaged, neat, and clean. Significant pavement markings can help reduce accidents between vehicles and accidents involving vehicles and a bicyclist or pedestrian. Those who park in your lot can experience less worry about door dings, face fewer distractions when navigating your property, and receive valuable information on where and how to park. In addition, a professional striping service can help you ensure that your lot complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act that relate to accessible parking spaces, aisles, and travel routes. If the stripes and pavement markings in your parking lot have seen better days, you may be wondering whether your contractor can reapply them during the winter months.
Can You Stripe Parking Lots in the Winter?
Can a Contractor Paint Your Parking Lot Stripes and Markings in the Winter?
Unfortunately, the only answer to this question is that it might be possible under certain conditions. Even emergency road striping must sometimes wait until conditions are favorable. As you probably realize, paint needs to dry and cure, which means that it must evaporate its liquid if it is strong, durable, and properly bonded to the surface beneath it. When performing asphalt striping, the first requirement is that the pavement is completely dry. Even if there is no rain on the day of the application, rain that falls the night before, recently melted ice, or a sprinkling of snow could make it unwise to apply painted markings. The second condition is that both the air and ground temperatures must be above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. It is important to remember that there can be a significant difference between the two temperatures. On a sunny day, a new asphalt pavement might reach a ground temperature that is more than 20 degrees warmer than the air temperature.
Conversely, a hard freeze could leave the ground temperature much colder than the air temperature for a day or more. In Central Texas, there will typically be winter days on which the weather conditions for lot striping are met, but it can be more challenging to find those days. Given the rapidity with which Texas weather can change in the winter, it can also be more difficult for your contractor to predict whether the conditions will be suitable on any given day beyond tomorrow.
Can Contractors Apply Thermoplastic Striping in the Winter?
The requirements for thermoplastic line striping and painted pavement striping are similar. The pavement must be dry, and the ground and air temperatures cannot be too cold. Most manufacturers of the thermoplastics that contractors apply with an extruder or a gun state that the ground temperature needs to be at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. However, there are some thermoplastic markings available that arrive from the manufacturer in their final shape. The contractor heats the surface to apply these markings, allowing their application at colder temperatures.
For Superior Painted or Thermoplastic Striping and Marking, Contact Alpha Paving
Alpha Paving offers an extensive range of services, including traditional parking lot striping and marking and thermoplastic pavement striping and marking. Our services include paving, concrete installation, crack repair, parking lot signs, asphalt overlays, parking lot car stops, asphalt milling, speed bump installations, road construction, road striping, street maintenance, and driveway sealcoating. We serve homeowner associations, shopping centers, industrial facilities, airports, religious institutions, retailers, subdivisions, public and private educational institutions, office parks, health care facilities, apartment complexes, restaurants, recreational facilities, and hotels throughout most of Central Texas. We have impeccable references, an exemplary reputation, and a professional, experienced team. For a free quote, you can fill out and submit the online form. If you prefer to call our Round Rock headquarters to speak with one of our knowledgeable representatives, the phone number is 512-677-9001.
