Ecopainting is a Commercial Painting company specializing in repainting and maintenance coatings for facility managers. We are often asked to quote, and have painted for numerous public and private educational institutions. Our client list includes higher learning institutions such as Ryerson University, Trebas Institute, Humber and Seneca College. This summer we were contacted to paint the campus of The Story Arts Centre of Centennial College.
The Story Arts Centre of Centennial College is located in Central East York. Specifically at the intersection of Carlaw and Mortimer Avenue. The campus opened in 1994 as the School of Communications, Media and Design. The building was initially meant for the Toronto Teachers’ College. Now it specializes in creative communication programs such as advertising and digital animation. Some people know the building as the location of the Canadian TV series Degrassi High of the early 1990s. When we were awarded the project, we were too happy to add Centennial College to our long list of commercial clients.
The Scope of Work.
The scope of work included painting the main walls, ceilings, doors and frames, columns, railing, radiators and lockers. After some discussion about the colour scheme, the customer decided to use a white for the walls and ceilings and two tones of gray for the accents and trim. The colours were from Dulux and Benjamin Moore and the products were from Dulux.
The Lockers were to be painted with an electrostatic paint system. Electrostatic painting is a process in which the paint is electrically-charged and sprayed on a grounded substrate. By using this application, the overspray is minimized and the surface finish is superior. This is as close as a painter can get to a factory finish. Yet because of minimal overspray, the ability to paint metal substrates on-site makes this economical.
Challenges of Painting an Educational Facility.
Durability of paint and detailed prep work. There are thousands of students using the common areas of the school. All surfaces take a beating every year. Stains need to be washed, holes and cracks need repairs and patching. After all the necessary prep work, durable coating are used to protect the surfaces again for the next year.
Indoor Air Pollution. Years ago alkyd paints were used because of their durability. Today’s durable paints have low or zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). The low odour and quick drying of these paints allows facility managers to paint their school more often.
The products we used.
The walls and ceiling were painted with Lifemaster from Dulux. This is a durable line of paint with zero odour and no VOC.
The radiators, columns, railing and other trim required a more durable solution. The existing coating was oil based. We used a high performance bonding primer – XIM UMA (Urethane Modified Acrylic). The finish coats were again from Dulux, their Waterborne Alkyd Melamine. We are sure that after curing this system will withstand the daily wear and tear from thousands of students.
The Students’ Lockers were power sanded, dusted and thoroughly washed before painting. A two part epoxy coating system was applied electrostatically. With very little overspray and fast drying and curing times, the smell of the paint was minimized.
If your school or facility needs painting, contact us and we will meet with you to provide you a detailed proposal based on your needs. We paint all education facilities from daycare and kindergarten, public and private schools, college and university campuses.
The Ecopainting staff is trained in our own systems to deliver superior work and impeccable service. We carry five million Liability Insurance and WSIB Coverage. Our painters have all necessary training and certifications they need to perform their job safely. Everyone is uniformed, polite and professional.