Wheel Stop Installation Tampa | Parking Blocks
Whether you call them wheel stops, parking blocks, tire stops, truck stops, or any other name you might’ve heard growing up, these parking lot fixtures are remarkably useful despite their minimal visual presence in an area. Those looking for Tampa parking block installation need to look no further, as the Central Florida Parking Lot Maintenance crew is ready to help maintain your lot and install wheel stops, parking blocks, or whatever else you might call them.
These relatively simple devices help protect pedestrians, buildings, and other parked cars from injury or damage from unwanted vehicular movement or unaware drivers.
Wheel stops are blocks of concrete or rubber that keep drivers and their vehicles from moving past a fixed point.
By using wheel stops, you can prevent unwanted car wheel movement that causes a vehicle to move accidentally into an area it doesn’t belong. Parking garages, downtown garages, visitor parking lots, and accessible parking spaces all often have them.
Like a speed bump, bollard, or other traffic management devices, wheel stops also help create safer roads and parking areas for people. They make parking boundaries more visible and alert the drivers when parking a vehicle that they can’t move their vehicle further.
The concrete used for wheel stops is precast, which means the concrete is poured into a mold and hardened before being used. Despite its age, concrete remains one of the strongest construction materials. Wheel stops were made first from concrete because that was the first material that made sense.
As a result, concrete is still the most widely-used material for parking blocks. Plastics can be used as an alternative but are not nearly durable enough for commercial use. Rubber stops became concrete's only true competitor after they started being used.
In terms of weight, concrete wheel stops are heavy, weighing over 100 lbs for the smallest option and over 500 lbs for the largest options. This being the case, multiple people are needed to install concrete wheel stops. The installation of concrete wheel stops can be done by using epoxy or rebar pins. It is more durable to use rebar, but a concrete wheel stop is also rather effective even when there is nothing keeping it in place, making epoxy a good alternative.
Do you want an easier-to-use wheel stop for your parking area? You may want to consider rubber parking blocks. As opposed to concrete stops, they are more suitable for harsh and fluctuating conditions. Exposure to UV rays, humidity, and extreme temperatures does not crack or chip them. Moreover, they are painted or taped with reflective materials to stay as visible as possible in the dark.
Concrete wheel stops are recommended for almost all installations. They are still more cost-effective even though they require at least two people to install them. They are heavier, so if they come loose, they are more likely to stay put, lowering the chances of them being stolen.
Though rubber stops are better at withstanding weather and erosion damage, they’re very difficult to repair compared to concrete stops, and the price tag might be offputting for those on a tight budget.
All this being said, concrete will last longer and retain their look for far longer than rubber wheel stops. We only recommend rubber wheel stops in locations with either extreme weather conditions or with limited traffic.
No matter which wheel stop you feel is right for your Tampa parking lot, Central Florida Parking Lot Maintenance is here to help get your traffic moving, and stopping, as intended. Give us a call today for a free site evaluation and estimate.
