Pavement Striping in West Des Moines, IA

Pavement striping in West Des Moines does not last as long as owners hope. Plows, sand and salt grind paint off all winter, and by spring many lots have stalls nobody can see. Faded lines waste space and confuse drivers. Restriping after the snow season, or right after a sealcoat or overlay, puts the lot back in order.

Accessible parking counts

The Justice Department's restriping guidance says that when a lot is restriped, it must provide accessible spaces under the 2010 ADA Standards. The minimum counts are:

• 1 to 25 total spaces: 1 accessible
• 26 to 50: 2
• 51 to 75: 3
• 76 to 100: 4
• 101 to 150: 5
• 151 to 200: 6
• 201 to 300: 7

At least one of every six accessible spaces must be van-accessible. Spaces and aisles cannot slope more than 1:48 in any direction, so we check the slope where accessible spaces go.

Restripe or redesign

A restripe follows the existing layout. A redesign changes angles, widths or traffic flow, often to add stalls or fix a bottleneck. HomeGuide notes a new layout costs 20 to 50 percent more than restriping existing lines.

What we paint

• Standard and double-line stalls
• Accessible spaces, symbols and aisles
• Arrows and stop bars
• Crosswalks, fire lanes and loading zones
• Curb paint and stenciled numbers

Scheduling

Most lots can be striped early morning, evenings or weekends. After sealcoating, we stripe once the sealer has cured enough to hold paint. Many owners book restriping each spring after sweeping.

Signs

Each accessible space needs a sign with the international symbol of accessibility, mounted with its bottom at least 60 inches above the ground. Van spaces need a van-accessible designation except where a site has four or fewer spaces. We note where signs are missing when we lay out the lot.

Paint durability

Traffic paint wears fastest in drive lanes, at entrances and anywhere plows turn. Lines in parking stalls usually outlast those in the aisles. For lots that see heavy plowing, restriping every spring keeps the layout readable all year, and a fresh coat on a newly sealed surface bonds best.