Facility Painting – Frequently Asked Questions

Painting facilities has as much to do with solving problems as it does with putting paint on the wall.
When we talk to a facility manager about an upcoming project we get asked the same questions. Will you work weekends or evenings? Is there an extra charge for after hours work? Who will move the furniture? Does the paint smell? Who will handle the clean up?
This blog will attempt to answer the most Frequently Asked Questions but not all questions. Communication with the customer is our policy and a good recipe for a smooth painting project.

Do you Work Evenings and Weekends?

When painting during business hours becomes too difficult, we work during evenings and weekends. With reasonable notice Ecopainting can send a trained commercial painting crew to make this happen. Evening work starts at 5 pm and continues until 1 am. We make sure to complete any work we start and clean up for the night. When your staff starts work in the morning the only thing they notice is the freshly painted walls.

Is Painting at Night More Expensive?

No, the cost to the customer is about the same. However scheduling night work is a little more difficult because it depends on painters’ availability. If the job is smaller than a week long, it might be more expensive. The main reason for that is that a night worker needs to have time off before going back to day shifts. As a result, the painter misses a work day. With a little advanced planning we can work with you to keep the painting cost reasonable.

Kitchen

Do You Paint during Public Holidays?

We very rarely work during Holidays and there are some good reasons for that. The most important reason is that our painters prefer to have the holidays off. Painting is a tough job physically and mentally and we welcome any opportunity for rest. 

Ecopainting painters are employees and not sub contractors. As such, they get 1.5 times their pay when they work during public holidays. This makes painting during the holidays more costly for the customer. There have been some exceptions to this when time was of the essence and painters were available to work. A few years ago we were spraying some ceilings downtown and the paint  was taking longer to dry. We ended up working during the holiday to complete the job and clean up the work area.

Can We Paint the Facility During Business Hours?

We do most of our facility painting during business hours. Paints dry faster and don’t smell much these days. With some advanced planning most of the painting can happen during business hours. A good crew of painters can paint empty offices and boardrooms very fast without inconveniencing the customer much. There are certainly challenges such as painting busy lunchrooms and locker rooms. Washrooms and stairway areas can be scheduled to be painted one at a time. While the majority of the work can be completed during the day, some busy areas are better done during evening hours. There are obviously difficulties when painting daycare centres and medical clinics.

Does the Paint Smell?

Only a few years ago the main problem of painting was the paint itself. Staff and visitors were exposed to paint fumes and some personnel with sensitivities had to stay home during painting. Recent advancements in paint technology solved the smell problem. Zero VOC paints (Volatile Organic Compounds) are durable and virtually odourless. The main paint we use is Benjamin Moore’s Ultraspec 500. Ultraspec 500 has zero VOC, and uses waterbourne colourants which makes it low odour in any colour. Please read our review of Ultra Spec 500. We think it’s the best paint for facility services.

Cleaning after painting

Do the Painters Move the Furniture?

When the furniture is minimal and light, the painters will move it. When painting an office that is heavily furnished, different arrangements should be made. Painters should be spending the majority of their time painting as they are not very efficient movers. We ask the customer to clear the top of desks and empty any bookcases. The top two drawers of filing cabinets must be empty before painters attempt to move them. This is a common request that moving companies make. Moving loaded furniture is a safety hazard and can cause serious injuries to painters.  

What about moving systems furniture?

Facilities with open space use systems furniture for convenience and best use of workspace. Unfortunately most of this furniture is interconnected and very difficult to move. That causes a problem when it’s time to paint the areas behind the furniture. Taking systems furniture apart is not something the painters are qualified to do. This is a task better left for moving professionals.  Office movers have trained technicians that can do this without causing any damage to the furniture.

If the cost of hiring movers is prohibitive moving may not be necessary. The painters can paint what is accessible and visible behind the furniture. This works much better if we use the same as the existing colour. If you have records of the existing colour share them with your contractor. If you don’t have paint records, ask the paint contractor to colour match the existing colour.

Who Does the Cleaning After the Painting?

We clean up all the mess we are responsible for. This starts with taking all protective measures to protect customer property. We cover desks, bookcases and filing cabinets with plastic. We move chairs and smaller furniture out of the immediate area. Carpets and floors are protected with clean drop cloths. Vinyl and carpet baseboards are masked and window blinds are moved and covered. After all this, there may still be some dust on the floor especially if we patched walls and repaired drywall. At the end of every work day we vacuum and clean the work area and pick up our garbage.

Can you work with our janitorial staff? Most buildings have contracts with cleaning and janitorial companies to keep their facility clean. When painters come in they create additional construction waste that interfere with their cleaning routines. The best way to deal with this is to stay proactive and communicate our intent before the project starts. Respecting each other’s work and responsibility goes a long way in minimizing the customer’s inconvenience.

If you have more questions about painting your facility that are not covered in this blog, call us and discuss them with us. We specialize in painting buildings and facilities and are confident that we can address all of your concerns.

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