If you’ve been asked for input on color and design for a commercial painting project in an office space or residence, you may want to recommend something more dramatic to wake up the space. One cool trick to try is shadow lines, which is another name for vertical or horizontal lines that can prove utile as well as decorative. Today we’ll take a look at different shadow line configurations and how these can work for different clients.
Monthly Archives: March 2014
Commercial Painting Upsell: Recommend Anti-Graffiti Coating for Industrial Clients Reply
One great tool to increase your profit margin on a per-client basis is the technique of upselling. We get upsell offers every day – and many of them are highly effective. Would you like to super-size your Big Mac meal? Would you like the large tub of popcorn for just 50¢ more? Would you like to tack on an all-day meal plan with your theme park ticket? Yes, yes and yes, please. Upselling allows you to add value for your clients while increasing your bottom line. It should be a win-win, so you can check out some tips for upselling here. For many commercial painting clients, anti-graffiti coatings are a great upsell.
Special Considerations and Health Issues Painting Doctors’ Offices and Medical Facilities Reply
A new coat of paint is one of the best and most affordable ways to overhaul an office space. If you’re a commercial painter, getting a contract to paint the offices of a dentist or doctor, an entire medical practice or a hospital can be a profitable opportunity, but there are some health concerns to consider, including your choice of paint, whether or not the facility will be in use during your painting project, considerations of air quality and the health of patients who may be exposed to fumes. Here are some things to consider to protect the health of your clients and your clients’ patients.
Glass Coating Chemistry and the Painting the U.S. Space Shuttle Reply
As you might imagine, much of the construction, design, and deployment of NASA’s space shuttle is unique and without precedent. Each implementation of technology in the space program is, quite often, the first time such an implementation has occurred. NASA’s cutting edge research and development also gives scientists a chance to try bold new things in bold new ways. One challenge NASA scientists must address for every object sent into space is how to handle the massive temperature fluctuations between outer-space and the earth’s atmosphere. Just as significant is the substantial heat and surface friction that spacecraft encounter as they re-enter the earth’s atmosphere and temperatures reach nearly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Protecting astronauts, cargo, and the spacecraft themselves is a core objective within NASA’s ranks.
How to Prevent the 3 Most Common Workers’ Compensation Claims for Painters Reply
Those that work in the construction industry, of which commercial painting is a subset for workers’ compensation statistics, are the fifth most likely to suffer on-the-job injuries. When your employees are hurt on the job, although your workers’ compensation insurance will cover their claims so you’re not out of pocket for their bills, frequent claims or one large claim can drive your insurance premiums through the roof and negatively impact your bottom line.
Imperfect Science: Improvements in Corrosion Detection in Professional Painting Reply
“This is bad news, Hal.” The contractor looked up from his plans and walked over. Luke was crouching, inspecting the rivets and bolts at the base of the complex valve system that delivered chemicals from transport trains into the factory. Luke continued, “There’s corrosion all over this system. Normally, that might not be a big deal, but it looks like someone else kept painting over the damage instead of fixing it. Look at this!” Luke ran a magnet over the painted surface. At some points, the magnet held tight to the coating, but at other points, the magnet fell to the floor. Even through the top level looked well-painted and clean, the substrate underneath was telling a different story.
Hal protested, “Come on, Luke. It looks fine from here.” Luke continued his objection: “The metal under the paint is in bad shape and it’s likely getting worse. Maybe it holds up ten more years…or maybe it starts falling apart next week. If you insist on doing the work without addressing the underlying problem, then I suggest you find another painter. I’m not doing it.”
Using Video-Based Visual Social Media to Promote Your Painting Business Reply
In part one of this two-part piece, we looked at how painting companies can use image-based social media to show off their work to encourage new business. But if a picture paints a thousand words, a short video can create a book’s worth of promotional value. Videos are huge right now. The originator and still reigning king of web video, YouTube, sees one billion unique visitors each month and 100 hours of video uploaded every minute.
Using Image-Based Social Media to Promote Your Painting Business Reply
Last month we took a look at how you can and should use social media to promote your commercial painting business. We focused on Yelp, Facebook and GooglePlus, and touched a little on Instagram and YouTube. But today we’re going to dig deep into visual social media and visual content as a means to market your services. Painting services very naturally lend themselves to visual media because clients will naturally want to know how your work looks. Providing would-be customers with this visual evidence is bound to drum up more business once they see the impressive results of your work!
A Quick & Cost-Effective Alternative: Practical Differences Between Staining & Painting Reply
My wife and I chose a concrete patio for the backyard instead of a wood deck. I figured that the wood would need replacing sooner than the concrete and with plans to have children one day, a place where they could ride bikes and draw chalk art seemed like the right decision. The contractor we chose worked all day to finish the job. They prepped the site, framed the patio, added fill-dirt, and poured the concrete. Long after the sun set, JR was smoothing out the concrete while one colleague held a flashlight and the other gathered up the mess from the day. JR’s team prodded amazing service from start to finish and the resulting concrete patio looks great to this day.
As JR was leaving that night, I asked if he had any suggestions as to how I should paint the patio. I told him we wanted a color that fit well with the brick and stone on the house. He quickly said, “Have you considered staining the patio? It won’t cost as much and the texture and tone of the concrete should come through. I think that would look a lot better than covering it with paint.” I took his advice and a week later I stained our new patio, and JR was right – it looked great. More…
Protect Yourself and Your Workers – 3 Major Health Concerns for Commercial Painters 1
Every business owner has stresses to deal with and commercial painting bosses are no exception. You are responsible for selling your services, ordering supplies, scheduling employees, paying them and, most importantly, keeping you and your employees safe on the job. This goes beyond making sure your equipment is sturdy and well-maintained and that your painters have the right tools to do their job safely. One of your most critical roles is to be aware of the health risks you may expose workers to and to protect them as much as possible. Today we’ll look at three major health concerns (beyond falls and accidents) that put commercial painters at risk.
BYK-Gardner Laboratories Blog 