7 Tips for Saving Money on Parking Lot Maintenance

While many property owners dread the costs involved, there are some easy ways to get affordable parking lot maintenance in Barrie and other nearby locales. The truth is, cities like Barrie or even Toronto are more susceptible to pavement damage due to the heavy amount of rain- and snowfall that can occur in some of the colder, wetter seasons. Parking lot maintenance costs can be quite high, but that is usually only when severe damage has been done and the pavement has been neglected for too long. Staying on top of parking lot maintenance will keep your costs low and your pavement in good shape.

Here are some simple tips for saving money on parking lot maintenance.

Don’t Wait – Be Proactive

When it comes to parking lot maintenance, the longer you wait, the more it will cost. When sinkholes or other major causes of damage occur, the repairs can cost thousands (or, in truly extreme cases, hundreds of thousands to millions) of dollars to fix. Fortunately, these damages typically take years of neglect to occur.

Do not wait for your parking lot to fall into disrepair. Regular parking lot maintenance is affordable and will extend the life of your pavement, allowing you to stop major damage from occurring and reduce the need for truly costly repairs. Fix problems when they are small, and have routine maintenance performed regularly.

Use Sealcoating

When your lot is extensively damaged, repaving it can be incredibly costly. Asphalt sealing, on the other hand, is often just as effective and also costs less. Sealcoating allows you to resurface your pavement and stop damage from occurring. With sealcoating, a layer of asphalt is laid over your pavement and fills in cracks.

While cracks may not appear to be a big problem, they are one of the major causes of severe pavement damage. During rain- and snowfall, water will seep into the cracks and degrade the pavement beneath the surface. Fixing this type of damage requires extensive repair using machines and expensive amounts of pavement. Sealcoating prevents this from happening, and it can be done quickly and for little cost. Make parking lot paving a regular routine for your property.

Make Necessary Adjustments

One neglected cause of damage on parking lots is physical wear and tear from cars and traffic. Using line marking and parking curbs can help direct vehicles and people on your lot and prevent them from putting a high amount of pressure on spots susceptible to damage. As well, parking curbs and line marking can help prevent accidents, for which you could be liable as the owner of the property. Avoid an expensive payout by making simple, cheap adjustments to your lot.

Keep Your Parking Lot Clean

The best parking lot maintenance tip is to keep it as clean as possible. Sweep away any leaves and other debris that find their way onto your property. Pressure wash your parking lot about one to two times per year. Typically, the best time to do it is once in the spring, before dust settles in the summer, and once in the fall before winter precipitation makes it impossible. Pressure washing your parking lot before winter will prevent snow and ice from intermingling with any previous debris that might have collected on it in the preceding months. Parking lot cleaning on a regular basis will help to prevent any serious damages from occurring which will keep maintenance costs relatively low and protect your investment.

Repair All Cracks Immediately.

It is important to repair all cracks—even seemingly minor ones—because if left untreated, they all have the potential to expand. As time goes on and the cracks grow bigger, they will be more difficult and expensive to repair. Crack filling is quite possibly one of the most important forms of proper asphalt maintenance because it will prevent further damage from occurring. Cracks can be detrimental to the foundation of your parking lot because they attract a great deal of debris and precipitation, which will eventually erode your parking lot from beneath the surface. With regular use, your parking lot becomes increasingly susceptible to damages. As the property owner, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone who uses your parking lot.

Make Sure All Signs and Parking Spaces Are Clearly Marked

Striping, parking lot cleaning, and seal coating are all excellent ways to ensure that parking spaces and no parking zones are clearly marked. This will help to reduce confusion and chaos for motorists and pedestrians alike who use your parking lot on a regular basis. It is especially important to ensure that all signs are clearly marked in the winter when everything is typically covered in a blanket of snow and visibility is severely reduced. Make sure you have clear, concise, and easily visible yellow or orange signs marking all important notices and speed bumps so that motorists and pedestrians can easily identify them and navigate through your parking lot.

Clean Oil Stains Immediately

Oil leaks are an inevitable occurrence in any parking lot, whether it is indoors or outdoors. The fact is that you do not always have control over who uses your parking lot and there is no way of predicting what kinds of maintenance issues their cars might have. There are many excellent homemade tips and tricks for removing oil stains that will end up saving you a great deal of money and you can use them over and over again. For the best results, make sure you clean the oil stain immediately.

You can pour granulated kitty litter on the stain and let it sit for a while. The kitty litter should soak up a great deal of the liquid. You can also use a strong grease-cutting and high-concentrate laundry detergent. Let it sit for a while, then scrub it with a hard-bristled broom or brush, and rinse it off. As long as you work swiftly to remove the stain and clean the spot, removing it should be fairly easy, and it will keep your parking lot looking clean and fresh.

Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. has over 20 years of experience in asphalt paving and repairs. We offer an industry-leading seven-year structural warranty and we stand behind the quality and durability of our services, ensuring that they will last. For a free consultation, please call our number 416-410-3705 or if you’re in Toronto, 416-410-3705.