Great parking lots start with a good layer of asphalt. You need a contractor who understands parking lot paving, design, and maintenance so that you can optimize your lot for traffic and longevity.
Spacing
The Angles of Your Spaces
Parking lot angles are usually designed based on the purpose that the parking lot is for. Angles at 90 degrees are harder to turn into and aren’t easy to leave from. But they help maximize space, so they’re great for smaller spots of asphalt and offices where people park for extended periods of time. On the other hand, angles at sharper degrees are easier to park into. But you can lose a few spaces in the process.
Sizing for Your Spaces
The standard public parking space size is 9 by 19 feet. But you can provide smaller or bigger spaces as needed depending on the design of the parking lot. If you don’t expect to utilize all of the space in the lot, bigger spaces can be more welcoming and can be easier to park in. Keep in mind that people don’t always want to pull in between a couple of cars if the spaces are tight, so providing bigger spaces may actually accommodate more cars.
Flow of Traffic
Parking lot best practices make your business more inviting for customers. With a good flow of traffic, you’ll be able to accommodate more cars. It’ll make people more likely to visit your business, because they know it’s easy to get in and out. A good asphalt contractor can help you plan the flow of traffic and lay asphalt in a design that optimizes it.
Extra Asphalt
Depending on the function of your parking lot, you might need other space for customers. You might want a drive-thru, loading area, and ramps that are also made of asphalt. Contractors often have all the tools to handle these different parts of parking lot design. Make sure that any parking lot paving plans take any extra asphalt you need into account.
Maintenance
Contractors that do the parking lot paving will know your parking lot better than anyone else. This means that they can tell you exactly where your parking lot is most susceptible to damage over time. Wind, water, oil, and sunlight will be able to damage the surface.
Asphalt is not as strong as concrete, which means that any amount of cracking should be treated immediately. Repairing cracking as it occurs will help maintain the rest of the asphalt. Potholes should also be repaired immediately to prevent additional chunks of asphalt from pulling up.
Sealcoating is another kind of asphalt maintenance, targeting discoloration and raveling. Raveling is where the binding agent of the parking lot breaks down and the sand and gravel begins to crumble up to the surface. Sealcoating helps protect against weather damage, loose gravel, and discoloration. It can restore brittle asphalt to a softer, cleaner look.
Business Considerations
Timing
If you’re putting in a new parking lot or repaving an old one, you should plan for about 2 weeks where your asphalt isn’t usable for cars. You can drive on it after a few days, but parking on it before 2 weeks have passed can cause damage to the integrity of the asphalt.
This means you’ll want to plan your new parking lot for a time when you can reroute parking. Some companies will do half of the parking lot at once to leave room to park. You can also come up with an alternative plan so that you don’t lose business.
Permits
Especially if you’re putting in a new parking lot, you’ll need permits to dig and pave the area. You’ll need to mark out utilities and make sure you don’t damage city infrastructure. Contractors can help you in Florida—they usually know all the right people to contact, so you don’t have to Google it.