Stripe 'N' Seal

Adventures in Playground Striping

2011-09-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

I wear many hats here at Stripe 'N' Seal, one of which is that of an estimator. Mostly I look at plans and bid jobs off of "The Builders Exchange" which is an online plan room. I enjoy bidding jobs this way because it gives me the opportunity to look at jobs all over Northern California without ever having to leave my desk. Earlier this year I began looking at a school project in Mill Valley. This particular job really sparked an interest in me because of the extensive amount of colors and games they were proposing to paint on the playground. I bid the job and we got it! When I got the contract for Old Mill Elementary in the mail I remember feeling excited, anxious and nervous all at once. This was going to be an interesting job!

Most playgrounds that we stripe have between one and three total colors used. Old Mill had a grand total of 12 different colors. It was up to me to pick out the colors for architects approval. I must say, it felt pretty neat to be picking out the colors that the kids would be looking at and playing on for years to come. We had to special order some stencils for the animal court which included an elk, raccoon, fox, squirrel, opossum and the footprints of each. Last week the big day arrived and we started work at the school. I decided to go with our striping crew one day so I could help out and hopefully learn a little something.

We worked at Old Mill a total of three days. The first day was spent laying out the games off of the plans. This is a very tedious task involving a calculator, a tape measure, some chalk and string line. Victor - the striping foreman on the job would measure out the dimensions of the games on the asphalt and then snap in lines using the chalk and string line. I only helped layout a couple of games but I could see how draining it could be, especially if the plans aren't great and the sizes don't match. After that Victor handed me a paint roller and a bucket of green paint and put me to work. I spent 90 % of my time at the school that day painting. I painted the first coat on everything that was green and got the second coat on everything except the compass and one four square. In the process I also ruined a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and a pair of Converse, mine of course. I had a great time helping, learning and seeing what its like for the striping crew. I must say I learned some interesting things and spending the day actually working in the field really made me feel even more proud of where I work and the quality job we do.

The day after my big adventure in playground striping my legs were killing me and my right arm was so sore that I had to use both hands to operate my stapler. I had a blast and it was fun to hear all the people and kids walking by and getting excited about what we were doing. One little boy got so excited he stood at the fence jumping up and down and giggling about how he couldn't wait to get back to school so he could play on a green game - yes, I felt proud. For me this was more than a day at the office, it was an opportunity to learn a little more about our company, a little more about our crew, a little more about what we do and even a little more about myself. If the opportunity ever comes for me to help the striping crew again you can bet I'll take it!

PS - Check out our Facebook page for more photos

Written by: Shaunda McCreary

Before

After

Jump Rope Games laid out with chalk

Completed Jump Rope

Checkerboard

Completed Compass

Four Square with Running Track going through

Maze Game

Number Circle

Tetherball

Shape Circle

8.5' tall Elk

3.5' tall Raccoon

3' tall Opposum

5' tall Coyote

5' tall Fox

CALM DOWN! .....your traffic

2011-07-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

There are many factors that contribute to a safe and highly functional parking lot. Clearly marked stalls ensure drivers know where to go and how to park. Well maintained asphalt free of potholes, protruding tree roots and other possible trip hazards prevent personal injury from trips and falls and minimizes possible damage to vehicles. In parking lots with heavy pedestrian traffic - like shopping centers, and parking lots with children present - like at an apartment complex, it might be necessary to install traffic calming devices to help protect those on foot.

The most common traffic calming device is called a speed bump. Speed bumps are raised features added to the existing asphalt in order to slow traffic and reduce through traffic. Most commonly speed bumps are asphalt but in recent times recycled rubber bumps have become somewhat popular.

Asphalt speed bumps are durable, require very little maintenance and are very effective. Asphalt speed bumps are more expensive than rubber ones because they require a trained crew, like ours, to install. Recycled rubber bumps are relatively inexpensive, easy for any handy person to install, made from recycled materials and easily removed when they are no longer wanted. An important downside to the recycled rubber bumps is that they do require maintenance. They are not as durable as their asphalt counterparts and will break, crack and fade quickly. The fact that they are so easily removed is also a potential problem because any annoyed tenant or resident could remove them if they wanted.

We recently began installing a new type of traffic calming device called rumble bars. Rumble bars are made of high performance thermoplastic material. The material is placed on the asphalt in various patterns based on traffic and use of lot. When a vehicle drives over the rumble bars they produce both an auditory and vibratory signal. The driver both hears and feels the device. These rumble strips easily conform to the surface and are flexible. This added flexibility eliminates the breakage that can be associated with rigid types of traffic calming devices like recycled rubber speed bumps. These rumble bars can be cut to fit any size needed and come in a variety of colors. They are lead free, contain no heavy metals and are non-hazardous. Rumble bars require little maintenance.

If you find that you need some type of traffic calming device to help improve safety and functionality of your parking lot, Stripe 'N' Seal, Inc can help. We will help you find a solution based on your needs, conditions and budget. Whether the appropriate solution is an asphalt speed bump, thermoplastic rumble bars or somewhere in between we are here to help!

Black Rumble Bars on a road

Black Rumble Bars installed on the asphalt

White Rumble Bars

Stripe 'N' Seal LOVES a good "Sticky Situation"

2011-05-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Asphalt is dirty. The tiny rocks and sandy sentiment that builds up in the grooves of your tires eventually ends up in the parking lots of good 'ol Sonoma County. In addition, the flowers and trees that bloom in the landscaping planters gladly share their dirt all over the edges of the parking lot. This is one of the reasons that sealcoat can fail to stick to the surface of your asphalt.

It is important to properly clean all surfaces of the asphalt that require sealer. This can be achieved in most parking lots by using wire brooms, backpack blowers and power sweeping machines. Sometimes, if the asphalt is really dirty it will need to be power washed first. If the crevasses and holes within your asphalt are brown with dust and dirt, then some type of water washing will need to occur in order for the sealcoat to properly bond to or "stick" to the asphalt.

Stripe 'N' Seal takes pride in the word PREPARATION. We strive to clean every square foot of asphalt that is to be sealed, by any means necessary. In order for sealcoat to stick well to your asphalt it needs to be cleaned and prepared properly before hand. Sealcoat that has been applied to dirty asphalt will flake off in pieces. Once the sealer has flaked off it is gone for good, and your maintenance dollars have been wasted. Knowing how to properly prepare your asphalt before it is sealed is key to getting a good, long lasting job. After all, sealcoat can serve its purpose under the right sticky situation!

- Gordon

Using backpack blowers and scrapers to remove debris from the asphalt

Cleaning dirt from cracks in the asphalt

Power broom scrubbing the asphalt and a crew member preparing utility lids

An example of Sealcoat that is flaking up from the asphalt

SHARE THE ROAD SAFELY

2011-05-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

For the last six years or so I have had the opportunity to work near and around a lot of different big trucks. By big I mean trucks that require a Class A or B license to drive. After riding along in these big trucks a few times I have a huge respect for them and their drivers. It takes a lot to maneuver these large, long, heavy trucks and the loads they are pulling. Add traffic, weather, and ever changing road conditions to the mix and I really don't know how they do it! The big truck drivers at Stripe 'N' Seal and Aaron Paving are trained, tested and expected to be safe drivers. For folks like myself that only ever find themselves behind the wheel of a passenger vehicle, there are some things we can do to help the drivers of these big trucks stay safe.

SAFE DRIVING TIPS:

Follow big trucks with caution - Leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the big truck. It is recommended that passenger vehicles keep a distance of 20 car lengths behind the big trucks.
Larger trucks = Larger Blind Spots. Try to stay out of the blind spots - a good rule of thumb is if you can't see the big truck driver's mirrors, they probably can't see you
Always pass a big truck on the left. Don't complete the pass until you can see the healdlights of the big truck in your rear view mirror
Allow big trucks plenty of space to turn safely. Big trucks making right turns will often need to swing to the left first, trucks turning left will often need to swing to the right first.
Don't cut in front of big trucks. The driver is leaving enough room to stop safely. A passenger vehicle going 55 MPH takes about 140' to come to a stop, a big truck going 55 MPH takes 400' to come to a stop
If you are stopped on an incline behind a big truck leave plenty of space between - big trucks can roll backwards up to 20' when accelerating off an inclined stop

Here's a little perspective for you on the size difference between a passenger vehicle (the Subaru) and one of our big trucks pulling an asphalt grinder. Its pretty easy to see why both drivers need to use extreme caution on the road!

STATISTICS INVOLVING PASSENGER VEHICLES -vs- BIG TRUCKS

Of multi-vehicle crashes involving big trucks 71% of fatalities are caused by the passenger vehicle

Of fatal collisions involving passenger vehicles and big trucks, 98% of the deaths involve passenger vehicle

Whether you are driving a passenger vehicle or a big truck, drive as safely and as responsibly as possible. If we all look out for each other no matter how big or how small our vehicles are, we decrease our likelihood of becoming a statistic. Drive safe and get home safe! For more tips on driving safely around big trucks go to www.sharetheroadsafely.org


www.sharetheroadsafely.org

Written by: Shaunda

Paving, Preparing, Training

2011-04-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

After a long winter, our crews are finally back to work fulltime. The paving crew has been working at the Oliver's Market on Stony Point Road, and the sealcoat crew is busy getting everything ready to start the season. It's great to hear the sounds of the trucks, equipment and crew members in the yard again. We've hit the point where winter projects are wrapping up and new projects are beginning.

Today we had our OSHA required forklift training. Here at Stripe 'N' Seal & Aaron Paving we train all of our crew members. This year we were able to hold the training at our new facility. Robert Turley with Northbay Lift Truck Certification performed the training and it sounded like the crews had a good time, I'm sure the donuts might have helped! If you find a need for forklift training, we had a really good experience with Robert and you probably will too! Check out his website: http://www.northbaylifttruck.com/

Our very first sealcoat job is on the schedule for this Saturday, weather permitting. We are planning on sealcoating the playground at a local elementary school. Hopefully weather will cooperate and we can get things started. We have nice jobs lined out to start the season and are very excited about what is in store for our company and our clients.

Crew Members Gathering for Forklift Training

Instructor: Robert Turley

Brad (Paving) preparing the forklift for demonstrations

Brad (Sealing/Striping) and Lloyd (Paving)

Waiting for the demonstration

Jose (Paving), Cameron (Yard), Joe (Paving Foreman) & Dan (Paving)

Lloyd (Paving) takes a test drive

Stripe 'N' Seal & Aaron Paving New Logo Design

2011-03-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I finally had the opportunity to get everyone in our office together to talk about our current marketing efforts. I explained why it is important for us to put so much effort into being on the web and finding all of our lost customers. We have thousands of past and present customers whom are very aware of the quality work and awesome services we provide. If you think about just how many asphalt driveways and parking lots there are in Northern CA you'll realize how many MORE thousands of potential customers are out there and don't know about us! Hopefully with are marketing efforts we can change that.

The new website should be live in the next week or two - we're very excited about how much our new site will help explain the in's and out's of asphalt maintenance and why it is so important. I can't say enough good things about the group that helped us design our new site. They were all just awesome ! Easy to work with and they seemed to know what we wanted before we did. If you are in the market for a new logo or website - check out The Boylan Point, you wont be disappointed!

Lastly - our new logo...We wanted something that really showed who we are - approachable, proud, happy and experienced just to name a few. I think we got it right and I hope you think so to!

Whether the weather be good...

2011-02-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

If you are lucky enough to live in or around Sonoma County, you know how blessed we have been the last few weeks with this gorgeous spring-like weather. Ok, so right now its rainy and windy but we were blessed for a while there! This spring like weather kept our phones ringing and our striping crew striping.

Several of our clients have called lately to see if they can get their asphalt sealing (or sealcoating) projects on the schedule. It's important to know that just because we are having warm days, the weather conditions are still extremely problematic for sealing. The long, cold nights and less daylight hours make for less than ideal conditions.

To ensure the most attractive and lasting finish, sealcoat should only be applied when conditions are right. Here are the TOP 5 Conditions that should be met:

Asphalt is completely dry
No rain is forecast for at least 24 hours after anticipated completion date
Ambient temperature is 65 degrees and rising
Sealcoated areas can be assured of getting 6-8 hours of direct sun
No frost or freezing forecast 24 hours after completion

We understand that our clients are eager to get their asphalt maintenance projects taken care of and we are eager to take care of them. However, our foremost concern is to do the best job possible the first time. Adhering to these TOP 5 Conditions helps to ensure our clients get the best job possible. Once April rolls around, the weather conditions will improve and our sealing crews will be back at it full time. If you are anything like me, you probably are having a hard time coping with the fact that it's mid – February already. Time flies and April is surely just around the corner.

Hand Placement of Sealcoat Material - Sealcoat Placing Machine shown in the background

New Website coming soon!

2011-01-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months we have put many hours into developing our web presence. We interviewed several local web designers, all with great things to bring to the table. Ultimately we decided to go with Boylan Point Agency, and its a decison we have been very happy with. Thousands of pictures have been reviewed, new content has been written and our first round of design proofs are done. Needless to say, we are very excited to see the finished product.

Boylan Point Agency is also very gifted in logo design. You may be familiar with the logo's of the North Coast Builders Exchange and the Northern California Engineering Contractors Association. Well, these were designed by Boylan Point. We have enlisted their help in creating our new logo as well.

Creating a LinkedIn account and a Facebook page are the next steps we are taking to get our name on the web. Everyone that works here likes what they do and who they do it with. We are a team and know that this increased web presence will create many great opportunities for this team to succeed. We know we are the best and we want the rest of Northern California to know this too!

Our Paving Crew

Put that pothole in timeout!

2010-12-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

The other morning as I was driving to work with my daughters, an unexpected pothole came out of nowhere and almost ran me off the road. I hit that thing so hard that the books my three year old was holding in her lap broke free and hit the back of my seat. She immediately screamed "WHAT WAS THAT!" I told her, that was a big pothole. Her reply - "Put that pothole in timeout - he made my books fall and that's not nice!" That got me thinking - she was right - potholes really aren't nice.

How exactly do we get these potholes? As the sun heats up the asphalt it will start to dry out the oils and binders, which hold the asphalt together. When the asphalt reaches a critical level of dryness it becomes less flexible and more brittle. The weight of the cars driving over the asphalt will cause it to start to crack. When the rain comes the water enters these little cracks and they begin to fill with water. The water and continued traffic will cause the cracks to keep getting bigger and bigger. Once the cracks are just the right size it really doesn’t take much more than the vibration from the traffic to break pieces loose, causing a pothole.

There are many problems potholes can create, other than early morning irritation for a toddler. Swerving into an adjoining lane or to the shoulder to avoid a pothole can cause a serious accident. What if someone in that adjoining lane is doing the same thing? Not to mention the wear and tear on your vehicle. Potholes can easily damage the underside of your car; destroy your suspension and alignment, wreck your tires etc. I drove by this same pothole a day later and there parked on the side of the road was a poor stranded motorist with 2 flat driver side tires – these are the same tires I hit the darn pothole with. I wonder what this motorist thinks of potholes about now?

Bottom line – the risk for potholes in parking lots and driveways can be greatly reduced just by performing the right asphalt maintenance at the right time. Sealing your asphalt with an asphalt based sealer can help it retain those important oils and binders, making it much more difficult for Mr. Sun to wreak havoc on it. If you have a pothole get it fixed as soon as possible or you could be paying for more than a pothole - you could be paying for new tires, an alignment, and higher insurance premiums from an accident. This particular pothole cost me the incessant questioning of a three year old on why potholes are so mean, maybe you wont be so lucky.

Written by: Shaunda

Asphalt Maintenance Blog - Up and Running!

2010-12-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Stripe 'N' Seal, Inc and Aaron Paving has been located in Santa Rosa, CA since 1971. We are very fortunate and proud to be located in beautiful Sonoma County! We specialize in everything asphalt/blacktop related. From asphalt paving to sealing to striping we are your one call does it all contractor. We work mainly in Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties but do venture out further for projects that are a good fit for us and our customers.

With the rainy season here and our outdoor time limited, we thought this might be a good time to start working on our web presence. We are very excited to be revising our current website, marketing materials and are even working on a new logo. Starting a blog seemed like the next logical step seeing as how we have lots of information about asphalt to share and well, we are just THAT passionate about paving that we want to make everyone else passionate about it too! We hope to give you lots of tips, tricks and ideas on how to care for your asphalt driveways and parking lots and how to get the most out of your asphalt investment.