How To Paint A Parking Space

collage of decorated senior parking spots

At loftier schools across the country, senior parking spots have become as much near expressing yourself artistically as they are a place to park your motorcar during the school day. The senior tradition of decorating personal parking spots in the school parking lot gives students an opportunity to flex their artistic muscles and celebrate the kickoff of senior year. So we've outlined some nuts similar materials and what to bring to decorate your spot plus offered some inspiration and senior parking spot ideas.

(This mail may contain affiliate links. This means that if you brand a purchase by using ane of the affiliate links provided in this commodity, then I volition get a small commission at no extra expense to you. You tin can read our full disclosure policy here ).

Paint or Chalk?

Some schools let the students to actually paint their spots, while others restrict the students to sidewalk chalk to create their designs.

painted senior parking spot Admittedly, painted parking spots look astonishing. They're bright and vibrant, and in some parts of the country will final most of the school yr. Schools that allow paint to decorate parking spaces ordinarily give specific instructions well-nigh distance of the paint from the parking lines and the blazon of pigment that tin be used – commonly water-based exterior all-weather paint.

The downsides to painted spots are the toll of the paint and supplies (split with friends when possible), and the permanence of the design if you make a mistake. Painters tape could be your best friend if you're painting your spot and may even be required to cover the parking lines.

Using chalk to decorate your parking spot won't be every bit dramatic, but information technology'south less expensive and a little less of a adventure on the school's part since the designs will likely exist washed away with the get-go good pelting. If you'll be creating your pattern with chalk, don't underestimate just how much chalk you'll need – the answer is A LOT. But a mega pack of colored chalk on Amazon is nether $fifteen and then it'southward withal fairly inexpensive. If your school allows it, spray chalk is useful for covering large areas with a single color.

collage of parking spots decorated with chalk

Senior Parking Spot Ideas

Many schools require that students submit the design for their senior parking spot to the school assistants or PTA for blessing before the event. Several loftier schools, like Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, VA instruct their seniors to "think of the infinite equally a t-shirt they would habiliment to school, so the artwork needs to meet wearing apparel code approval".

We've created a Senior Parking Spot Info Parcel and Blueprint Class Template that you tin asking for costless . It's a bones Microsoft Word certificate that includes a page for all of the details and guidelines and a second page that students can employ to submit their blueprint for approval. Simply request the template, then download information technology and customize it for your schoolhouse. You can save the document as a pdf file and distribute it to the seniors via email.

graphic offer for parking spot packet download

Even if you lot don't accept to submit your design alee of time, you'll probably want to give it some thought before the day your decorate. Your parking spot is a giant bare sheet (typical parking spots are approximately eight.5 to 9 feet broad by nigh 18 anxiety long) and every bit long as yous follow the content guidelines provided by your school, this is an opportunity to show off your creative skills, share what you're all about, and allow your personality shine. Some popular sources of design inspiration are listed beneath or check out our Pinterest lath for tons of awesome parking spot design ideas.

Actress-curricular activities & hobbies
Favorite quote
College plans
Favorite music
Favorite moving-picture show, testify or character
Favorite book
Video games
Design trends
Retro aesthetic

senior parking spot with a minion painted on it

What to Bring When You Decorate Your Spot

Obviously you're going to demand painting supplies or tons of sidewalk chalk to decorate your parking spot. A few other things will come in handy and make the project both easier and more fun:

Broom, rake and/or leaf blower to clear debris from your spot
Lawn chairs and a awning for shade if you're decorating during the day
Painters tape to comprehend parking lines or section off your space to assist scale your design
Towel or gardeners cushion to sit or kneel on while decorating
Hula hoop for cartoon large circles
Trash bag for clean upwards
Camera for pictures
Water and snacks – it takes longer than you think!
Bluetooth speaker

Fundraising With Busy Parking Spots

Information technology's adequately easy to turn the senior tradition of decorating senior parking spots into a fundraiser to support other senior activities like senior breakfast, prom, awards nights and graduation events. For the opportunity to paint or chalk their senior parking spot, the senior activities committee or PTSA tin can simply charge a fee to students who want to participate. The money is nerveless to fund future senior events, or at some schools it's used to fund higher scholarships.

parking spot design with bart simpson A couple of years ago, the grade of 2020 at Landstown High School did just that. They launched a "paint your parking space" fundraiser to support senior activities similar prom and senior day. Students paid a premium for the opportunity to personalize their senior parking spots and raised over $1200.

Senior Parking Spot Pattern Contest

To promote participation and boost school spirit, you tin can award prizes for the best parking spots. Continue the prizes unproblematic similar gifts cards to Starbucks or a favorite dejeuner spot near school. Or, you can offer a full or fractional refund of the parking or participation fee to the winners.

Spark creativity by awarding prizes for different categories like:

Most school spirit
Funniest
Nigh creative
Most creative
Best collaboration (for seniors who pattern across multiple spots)
Best retro design

The senior tradition of decorating parking spots continues to grow in popularity with more and more schools in the Triangle and beyond celebrating their seniors with this fun and expressive effect. If your school paints parking spots and mail service a picture of your senior parking spot design this year, tag TriangleSeniorYear - we would love to see your creativity and may feature your design on our Instagram story.