Spring will be here before you know it. At this time of year in particular, many business owners begin to plan how they’ll do what’s needed to keep up with the appearance of the workplace. Whether it’s your inside reception area, your business offices, your storage/warehouse area, or the exterior of your workplace, it’s important to keep your facility well maintained and appealing to your clients or customers. The same holds true for your parking lot! That pavement goes through wear and tear all year long from vehicle traffic, but the winter months can take an even greater toll. Here are a few tips for how to help your parking lot recover from the harsh winter weather and prepare it for the business year ahead.
- Clean the parking lot. You can either do this yourself or hire a professional cleaning company to handle the task for you. If possible, go with professional cleaners. They have the equipment needed to complete in a short period of time what might otherwise take you many hours, particularly if you have a large parking lot. Especially over the winter, leaves and other plant debris can collect around storm drains, gutters and curbs. All this debris needs to be removed and the surface needs to be cleaned as well. You should have your parking area cleaned on a regular basis, but it’s especially important at this time of year since it will allow you to take a closer look at the paved surface and decide if repair work needs to be done.
- Check for damage to the pavement. Look for cracks and sunken areas. Potholes are particularly common after months of winter weather, so make note of those as well. You may also see areas where grass or weeds are coming up in cracks and along the edges of the pavement. Make a list of needed repairs. Remember to also inspect your striping and any markings on the pavement to check for wear and to be sure they’re still clearly visible. If the striping needs to be repainted, include that on your repair list as well.
- Contact your paving contractor. Ask a local paving contractor to provide an estimate of the repair work that needs to be done. Any reputable paving contractor will agree to visit your site, assess the amount of work involved, and provide an estimate free of charge. Remember to ask your contractor whether or not the surface needs to be seal coated and, if it does, to include that in the estimate. Seal coating may not be required every year, but it will need to be done periodically, and it’s an excellent way to protect the surface.
- Schedule the work to be done at a convenient time. Repairs and/or seal coating and restriping should be done when it will cause the least disruption possible for your business, so schedule it for a day when you’re closed, if possible.
As you tackle your list of spring cleaning chores around your place of business, don’t forget your parking lot! When it comes to attracting customers, your parking area provides that all-important first impression.