How Long Does Parking Lot Paint Take to Dry?
Fresh paint can make your parking lot safer and more attractive. Most parking lots need new paint every two years or when the paint loses more than 25 percent of its original visibility. Since your parking lot is critical to your business, you probably want to have it open to traffic as quickly as possible when you hire a contractor to repaint your lot. In most cases, the paint will be dry to the touch in as little as 30 minutes, but you should not allow vehicles onto the lot for at least one hour. The exact timing will depend on the type of paint, the temperature, the condition of the pavement, the wind speed and the relative humidity. Therefore, although only your parking lot maintenance contractor can supply you with a precise answer, the following information can help you understand how the various factors could affect when you are able to reopen your lot.
What Factors Affect the Drying Time of Parking Lot Paint?
Although several factors can affect the paint’s drying time, it is important to remember that it is often a combination of factors that will influence the speed at which the paint will dry.
• What are the weather conditions? Most paints cannot be applied if the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but some paints only require a minimum temperature of 45 degrees. Relative humidity levels should be below 80 percent, and a light wind can be beneficial. When the temperature is cool, the humidity is high, and the wind is light, the drying time will be longer, especially for water-based paints. The effect exists for oil-based paints, but it is not as significant.
• Is the pavement new? New concrete and asphalt pavement may absorb too much paint, yielding a thinner appearance. To remedy the situation, your contractor will likely apply a second coat of paint. This will provide better results than using a thicker first coat, but it may require you to keep traffic from your lot for a little more time.
• What type of paint do you prefer? The broad categories for most parking lot paints are oil-based and water-based. However, specialty paints exist within each of these two categories. For example, you can choose a fast-drying, a highly reflective or a long-lasting, high-performance paint. There are also cold-applied and hot-applied thermoplastic paints. The type of paint you choose can affect the application time as well as the drying time. Most asphalt contractors prefer to use water-based paints on asphalt pavement and oil-based paints on concrete pavement, but your contractor may have a different recommendation.
• What is the condition of the pavement? Older pavements may require repairs or additional treatments. If you want your contractor to apply seal coat, he will need to do this before using the paint. If you need asphalt patching or crack repairs, he will also need to complete these tasks first.
Alpha Paving is an asphalt paving company and we help our customers spend their asphalt maintenance and paving budgets wisely. We offer an extensive list of services, including seal coat, parking lot striping, concrete work, asphalt paving, and asphalt repairs. We can install an asphalt overlay, construct a new road, repair a street or build a new parking lot. Our clients include apartment complexes, shopping centers, airports, municipalities, restaurants, hospitals, subdivisions, manufacturing facilities, religious institutions, office parks and educational institutions. We deliver exceptional work and superior customer service at affordable prices. You can request a free quote by submitting the online form or calling 512-677-9001.
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