How Thicker Paint Reduces Costs in Professional Painting Reply

by • Additives & Instruments

“It needs another coat. Don’t you think? Definitely needs another…”

Andrew’s voice trailed off.  He and his partner Edgar were reviewing an interior paint job they thought they had completed. They had painted dark walls with a primer and two coats of beige paint. Andrew trusted his eyes and they were telling him that even with the second coat, the previous color was coming through just enough that he couldn’t overlook it. Edgar knew they would be late for the next job, but his partner was right. They got back to work, added a third coat, and once the paint was dry, both they and their client were satisfied. But did it have to be this way? Was there another way that would have been less time consuming and would have kept them on track for the second job? As it turns out, there was.

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Four Marketing Efforts That Can Help Your Paint Business Stand Out in a Crowd 1

by • Marketing and Business for Paint Professionals • Tags: , , ,

Running a paint business and marketing your services can be quite a challenge. There are so many details to attend to, not just in finishing jobs, but also in landing new clients and making sure your entire enterprise is headed in the right direction.   But for all the complications in owning and operating a paint business, is there anything you would rather be doing?

Even if your paint business is your dream job, you still must face challenges inherent in all business operations. One of the most difficult issues at hand is distinguishing yourself from the competition in a meaningful way. Sure, you’d like to think that the quality of your work will set you apart from other painters. But that kind of reputation can take time to build up and pay dividends. Here are four ways to enhance your paint business and marketing efforts that have minimal cost but can provide huge dividends.

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Spray, Brush or Roll? New Developments Mean New Advantages in Paint Sprayer Technology 1

by • Rise of the Machines

The three primary ways paint is applied to a surface are with rollers, brushes, or spray technology. While each form of application brings its own benefits – as well as it’s own disadvantages – many professional painters do not yet fully realize the variety of options available to them for painting.  Some remain stuck in old habits that are inefficient while others simply haven’t been exposed to new products and technologies that have greatly expanded the paint professional’s repertoire.

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Light It Up! Paint Light Booths and the Modern Professional Painter Reply

by • Additives & Instruments • Tags: , , ,

Everyone knows that different light sources produce different spectrums of color. Some LEDs produce a cold, white light that seems more appropriate for a factory floor or warehouse than a kitchen. Incandescent lightning often produces a softer, golden glow that may make dens and living rooms more comfortable to sit in. Sunlight looks different then artificial light, and some lights are bright and direct while others are muted but cover a large area. As such, it should come as no secret or surprise that different paint colors and glosses can look substantially different depending on the light source shining upon them.

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Chemistry Corner: Ultraviolet Radiation and Industrial Paint Reply

by • Chemistry Corner • Tags: , , ,

Most people who aren’t professional painters think discolored paint is an eyesore. Whether it be on an old car driving by or a warehouse they pass on the way to work, cracked and faded paint often leads to people wondering, “Why don’t they repaint that building?” or “That car sure could use a fresh coat of paint.” Most people don’t stop to think about it beyond the noticeable appearance of the item, but professional painters know better. They realize that while aesthetic appearance is important, faded paint is actually an indicator of a bigger problem: the surface below is being irreparably damaged by harmful ultraviolet rays.

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5 Ways to Increase Paint Color Match Accuracy Before Every Job 1

by • Tips and Tools

“That doesn’t look right.”

“No, it sure doesn’t.”

Janet, an interior designer, was talking to Bill, her paint contractor, about a new coat that had been applied to a client’s living room.

“I know the paint can says they are the same color-mix, and both are eggshell finish. But it looks…off.”

Bill nodded in agreement. It wasn’t that the color was wrong, or that the paints weren’t both eggshell finish. Rather, one paint looked a little duller than the other.

“What do we do?” asked Janet.

“We may have to repaint the whole room.  I don’t know if its the paint or just that the older paint has dulled over time due to sunlight or…something.  But this isn’t the kind of paint work that I can stand beside.”

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Paint Business and Marketing: Financing Larger Paint Jobs and Maintaining Vendor Relations Reply

by • Marketing and Business for Paint Professionals

In many businesses, owners and operators often say that receiving a larger than normal order for work is a “good problem to have.”  The thinking is that if you book a big job that is outside of your ability to perform, you will find a way to succeed regardless. But that kind of thinking only delays the inevitable for a few moments. True, a large paint job can be very profitable for your paint business, but only if you find a way to complete it to the client’s wishes. Finding more painters or being able to finance materials can often be an insurmountable challenge. While the temptation may be great to ask the client for prepayment or to pay for the materials used, both of these options are unappealing. If you have to request that your client cover costs before the work begins, then you may be signaling to them that you are in over your head.

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Rise of the Machines: Protecting Your Business from Paint Automation Reply

by • Rise of the Machines

As we’ve discussed before, paint automation is becoming more and more present in professional paint work.  As new developments in robotics and programming emerge, more and more paint work is being performed by sophisticated robots and machines instead of individual painters. And as with most technology, the cost of utilizing robots for these processes is declining at an accelerating rate. That said, not all types of commercial painting can be handled by a machine and not all clients are prepared to embrace automation for work.

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Best Practices Never Go Out of Style: Why Professional Painters Still Need Drawdown Cards 1

by • Tips and Tools

I was going to write about some of the different gages available to paint professionals today, but an experience over the weekend made me change direction. I was at a well-known home improvement and building store on Saturday. A team of painters wearing matching clothes – including a company logo – appeared to be ordering a VERY large quantity of paint for what I can only assume was an equally large job. Best I could gather, the job had been booked in a hurry and this store was the best (or only) place to acquire such a large amount of paint on the weekend.  The workers were gathering materials quickly and urging the two employees behind the paint counter to work as quickly as possible.

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