Why Dealership Striping Is a Density and Display Problem
A car dealership lot does marketing and operations at the same time. Inventory is the product, so the striping has to pack as many vehicles as possible into the display area while still presenting them attractively — and at the same time keep customer parking, the service drive, and transporter deliveries clearly separated. Few commercial lots juggle this many distinct functions on one piece of asphalt, and the layout directly affects both how many cars you can show and how smoothly the operation runs.
Tualatin dealerships sit along the Tualatin-Sherwood Road corridor and the I-5 frontage near the Nyberg retail district in Washington County — high-visibility ground where freeway and commuter traffic see your inventory daily. That street exposure is part of the value, so crisp, orderly display-row striping doubles as roadside marketing.
The Striping Elements a Dealership Lot Needs
Display-Row vs Customer vs Service-Drive Segmentation
The lot has three jobs that can't blur together: display inventory, customer parking, and the service drive. Striping defines each zone so customers know where to park, salespeople know the inventory grid, and service traffic has its own clear path to the bays. Painted boundaries prevent customers parking in display rows or service cars blocking the showroom front.
Inventory-Density Angled Striping
Display rows are usually striped at an angle to maximize the number of vehicles visible from the road and to make pulling cars in and out for test drives easy. The angle and spacing are an optimization — tighter packs more inventory, but too tight and porters can't move cars without bumping mirrors.
ADA Showroom Path
Customer accessible stalls belong on the shortest level path to the showroom entrance, with a striped access aisle and continuous path of travel. On a sprawling dealership lot, that route has to stay clear of the display grid and service traffic.
Transporter Unload Lane
New inventory arrives on car-carrier transporters that need a defined, striped staging lane where they can unload safely without blocking the showroom, the service drive, or the busy public road. A painted keep-clear unload zone makes those deliveries routine.
Test-Drive Return Arrows
Directional arrows guiding test-drive returns back to a logical drop point keep customer-driven vehicles flowing predictably through a lot full of parked inventory and pedestrians.
What Dealership Striping Costs in Tualatin
Industry baseline ranges shown below. Actual costs vary with surface condition, paint type, layout complexity, and current market pricing — and frequently run higher than baselines.
Per-Space Restriping
| Lot Size | Spaces | Industry Baseline Range | Per Space (Baseline) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small lot | 40–80 spaces | $500–$900 | $2.75–$5.50 |
| Medium lot | 80–150 spaces | $850–$1,600 | $2.50–$5.00 |
| Large display lot | 150–300 spaces | $1,500–$3,000 | $2.25–$4.75 |
Specialty Markings
| Element | Industry Baseline Range |
|---|---|
| Directional / test-drive arrows (each) | $25–$50 |
| Zone-boundary and lane striping (per LF) | $0.20–$0.50 |
| Transporter / keep-clear staging striping | priced per linear foot |
| ADA-compliant space (complete) | $200–$350 per space |
| ADA access aisle marking | $75–$150 each |
| ADA signage (post + sign) | $150–$250 each |
Factors That Affect Your Cost
Surface condition. A large dealership lot has a lot of square footage, and any of it needing crack filling, oil-spot treatment, or old-paint removal before striping adds to the base cost. Service-drive areas tend to show oil staining first.
Paint durability. Standard latex lasts 12 to 24 months. The service drive and main customer aisles wear fastest, so some dealerships upgrade those paths while keeping standard paint on slower-moving display rows.
Layout complexity. Angled display grids, multiple zones, a transporter lane, and test-drive routing make a dealership lot one of the more complex layouts there is, which adds significant layout and labor time.
Timing. The Willamette Valley striping season runs late spring through early fall. Because the lot is full of inventory, the work is sequenced section by section so cars can be shuffled rather than the whole lot closed.
What a Contractor Can't See Until Work Begins
The service-drive area frequently hides oil-saturated asphalt that won't hold paint without prep. Old display-row layouts under faded paint may be flaking and need grinding. And on a large lot, drainage patterns that wash fresh lines aren't always obvious until paint goes down. A site assessment is the only reliable way to scope a lot this size accurately.
When to Restripe Your Tualatin Dealership Lot
Restripe when display rows or customer lines fade past clear visibility, when the inventory grid gets ragged, when ADA markings blur, or after sealcoating. Because the lot is the showroom's roadside first impression, many dealerships restripe on a tighter cosmetic schedule. See parking lot striping in Tualatin for the broader local picture.
Get Your Tualatin Dealership Striping Quote
Cojo Excavation & Asphalt provides free, no-obligation striping estimates for Tualatin dealerships, with section-by-section scheduling that keeps inventory on display. We measure the lot, evaluate the surface, and deliver a transparent quote with no hidden fees.
Request a free striping estimate — we respond within 24 hours. View our completed projects or learn about our professional striping services.