Parking decks & garages · Michigan
A deck is its own job, start to finish.
Low clearance, ramps that never run straight, and stalls that have to be numbered right the first time. I stripe decks for construction crews across Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Why decks are their own job
What makes a deck different to stripe.
On a flat lot you get long straight runs, open sightlines and a machine that can move at a steady speed. A deck gives you none of that, which is why a striper who only does lots will quote one like a lot and then discover the difference on your job.
Clearance decides the machine. Ramps mean most lines are a transition rather than a straight pull. Columns and tight bays mean the layout gets worked around fixed obstacles that were never going to move. And the deck usually has to stay open, so the work happens a level at a time, at night.
None of that is difficult if you have done it. All of it is a surprise if you have not.
What gets marked
Every level, itemized on its own.
Levels are rarely identical, so they are rarely priced identically. You get the breakdown per level rather than one number for the building.
Standard stalls
Straight or angled, to whatever the deck was laid out for.
Numbered stalls
Assigned and permit spaces, laid out to match the register you hold.
ADA stalls
Accessible spaces, access aisles, blockout hatching, current-spec symbol.
Ramps & arrows
Directional arrows and lane marking through ramps and turns.
Pedestrian routes
Crosswalks and walkways from the stalls to the stairs and lifts.
Fire lanes
Pavement and curb marking, plus lettering where the fire marshal wants it.
Level identification
Level and bay numbering, so people can find the car again.
Curbs & islands
Concrete curb, islands and wheel stops, quoted by length.
How it is priced
By the line, per level.
Square footage tells you nothing useful about a deck. A level with sixty open stalls is less work than one with forty crammed between columns, so I count what actually gets painted.
- Stall countPer level, because levels are not copies of each other.
- NumberingIndividually numbered stalls are stencil work, not line work.
- ADA spacesAccess aisles and hatching are far more paint than a standard stall.
- Ramps and turnsTransitions take longer than straight runs and they show if rushed.
- ObstaclesColumns and tight bays slow the layout, which is most of the job.
- Access windowsOvernight or weekend sequencing when levels have to stay open.
Working around you
A level at a time. The deck stays open.
Decks almost never empty out, so I do not ask you to empty one. Work is sequenced level by level or bay by bay, overnight, and each section is back in use before the morning.
Tell me the levels that cannot be shut and the hours you cannot lose. That constraint shapes the sequence, and it is far cheaper to design around at quoting than to discover at two in the morning.
If it rains, you get a call in the morning with a new date. Not a no-show.
Recent deck work
Decks around Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Questions I get about decks
The ones worth asking before you compare quotes.
Can you get a machine into a low-clearance deck?
Yes. Clearance decides which machine goes in, which is one reason I run walk-behinds as well as a rider. A deck with a seven-foot ceiling is a normal job, not a special one.
Do we have to close the whole deck?
No, and you should not have to. Decks get done a level or a bay at a time, usually overnight, so the rest stays open. Tell me which levels cannot be shut and when, and I will sequence around it.
Can you number the stalls to match our register?
Yes. Send me the numbering as you hold it and I will lay it out to match. Getting this wrong is worse than not numbering at all, because a tenant with the wrong number becomes your phone call, not mine.
Is a concrete deck different to an asphalt lot?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before you compare quotes. Concrete takes and holds paint differently to asphalt, the surface needs to be genuinely clean, and it wants the right conditions to cure rather than just a dry hour.
Do you mark the accessible spaces on every level?
I mark what your layout calls for, to the current accessibility symbol, with proper access aisles and blockout hatching. How many spaces you need and where they sit is set by the code your building falls under, so confirm that with your local authority. I am the striper, not your compliance consultant.
How do you price a deck?
By the line, itemized per level, with stencils, numbering and curb work listed separately. You get a breakdown rather than a lump number, which matters on a deck because levels are rarely identical.
Do you work for general contractors?
Most of my deck work arrives that way. If you are running the project and need the striping handled without managing it, that is the arrangement I am set up for.
Nordic Lines LLC
Which deck, and how many levels?
Send me the address and the level count. I can price it without walking it first.
(734) 624-4164Call or text. If I am running a machine, I call back in the morning.