Readiness check

Is your crew ready to stripe this lot?

Good striping is decided before the gun moves: the surface you put it on, the material you chose, and the layout you hold to. Skip the clean-dry-cured surface, the weather window, or the code check on accessible spaces and fire lanes, and the line looks sharp the day it goes down, then ghosts, peels, or fails inspection months later when the crew is gone. Run this check against each item and fix the gaps before you mobilize, because a peeled or non-compliant lot costs far more than doing it right once.

1. Is the surface swept, blown clean, dry, and free of oil and dust before any material goes down?Swept and blown clean, oil and fuel spots scrubbed or treated, and confirmed dry with no dew before stripingGiven a quick sweep but grime, dust, or oil spots left in places, or wash water not fully flashed offStriping straight over the surface as-is without cleaning or checking for moisture

2. Has the new asphalt cured enough for permanent striping, or are you laying temporary first?Cure window confirmed with the paving contractor and material manufacturer, or temporary striping planned first with permanent to followGoing off a rough day count with no confirmation from the paver or the manufacturerLaying permanent paint or thermoplastic on a green lot to hit the deadline

3. Have you checked surface and air temperature, humidity, and dew point against the material's limits?Surface thermometer and dew point checked on site, all inside the product's floor with a dry window and surface at least 5 degrees F above dew pointChecked the air temperature only and judged the surface by how it looksNot measured; going by feel and the forecast alone

4. Have you measured the layout in the field and checked accessible count, stall and aisle widths, and fire lanes against current code?Measured in the field off control points and the civil drawings, with accessible count, dimensions, and fire lanes verified against current code and the AHJWorking off the plan or the old ghost lines without re-verifying the accessible spaces and fire lanes against current codeTracing the existing layout as-is with no code check

5. Is the material matched to the traffic, with primer confirmed for thermoplastic on concrete or aged asphalt?Material matched to the wear (longer-life on drive lanes, stop bars, crosswalks), and primer confirmed and planned for thermoplastic on concrete or oxidized asphaltOne material picked for the whole lot, or unsure whether the thermoplastic surface needs a primerThin paint on high-traffic lanes, or thermoplastic on concrete or aged asphalt with no primer

6. Is the glass bead type and rate set, with the dispenser timed to land beads in wet material?Bead type and rate set per the spec, dispenser kept in step with the gun so beads land in wet material at an even rateBeads on the truck but the rate not set or the dispenser timing not checked, risking uneven or loose beadsNo beads, or beads dropped onto material that has already skinned over

7. Is traffic control set and the lot sequenced so traffic stays off the markings until they cure?Cones and barricades set, and the lot sequenced (far side first, cured route always open) so nothing crosses fresh lineArea coned off but no sequencing plan, so a dry path out is not guaranteedNo cones or plan; relying on drivers to avoid the fresh work

8. Will you record the material, conditions, layout, dates, and photos of the finished work?Material and color, surface and cure timing, weather with surface temp and dew point, bead type and rate, layout dimensions, dates, and finished photos all captured to the property and jobA few notes taken but conditions, bead rate, or photos left outNo record kept of what was laid or under what conditions