The effect that office painting has on productivity has been discussed and researched extensively. The consensus is that color and color coordination influences the office workers’ mood. Additionally, a well maintained, and freshly painted facility is a better place to work and visit. When client visit for sales meetings, they always associate the condition and feel of the facility with the brand. Office maintenance expenses are the accountants favorite cost cutting suggestion but at what cost? Surprisingly, commercial painting is relatively inexpensive and brings tremendous value to a company. With just a little planning around the life-cycle of the paint job, painting is the best maintenance for your money.
Finding The right Painting Contractor
Applying the paint to the wall is only one part of the whole experience. The choice of the painting contractor is central to the success of the project. When soliciting Requests For Proposals it is advisable to pre-qualify the contractors as much as possible.
- Who are they, how long are they in the business, are they a well managed company?
- How experienced are they with your type of project?
- Ask to see their commercial client list and insist on insurance documentation.
- Are they knowledgeable with the latest developments in coatings and paints?
- When meeting them, will they pay attention to your needs or will they just try to sell you a paint job? Without listening to the customer’s “pain” you can’t find a solution.
- Who will move the furniture? Will they protect it along with your floor?
- Can they do the work after hours or weekends? Do they have their own uniformed employees or do they use sub-contractors?
Getting the right answers to these questions goes a long way in finding the right contractor. Keep in mind that documentation and proof is always better than a promise.
The workmanship of the Painters
When budgets are very tight, it can be very tempting to choose the most inexpensive paint job. A paint job can in fact be very cheap if sufficient prep work is not used by the painters and shortcuts are being taken to accommodate that. To make the paint job last longer, the following should be the absolute minimum preparation work expected:
- Holes and cracks should be filled and spot-primed.
- Gaps in woodwork caulked.
- Surfaces should be sanded.
- Glossy surfaces should be sanded or primed for proper adhesion.
- Surfaces in cafeteria and bathroom walls may need washing before painting.
The Quality of Paint and Coatings
Every paint manufacturer has at least one paint line specifically made for the commercial sector. Commercial paint is good value and should be able to perform well in most situations. The following suggestions can help with keeping the cost of paint low without compromising quality:
- Low end flat paint is not durable and should only be used in areas where wear and tear is not a factor. It’s an inexpensive choice for storage rooms, closets, server rooms and archive rooms.
- Inexpensive flat paint is ideal for painting t-bar ceiling tiles.
- The most popular finish is eggshell and its the best compromise for the majority of the rooms. Most commercial paint lines have a good eggshell that’s durable enough to withstand everyday use. Eggshell is not that glossy and works well with most office colour schemes.
- Do not skimp on the gloss where it is needed. Designers and colour professionals don’t like glossy paints but in a commercial facility the life-cycle of the paint has precedence. Glossy paints such as semigloss or satin work great for busy areas. These areas are washrooms, locker rooms or food prep areas in cafeterias.
- If you have to upgrade the paint, buy more expensive paint for the doors and trim. This is where the paint needs to be very durable. Trim and doors get accidentally scratched in a busy office environment. Peeling paint of office doors is a common problem we deal with. Luckily you don’t need a lot of paint for trim so we suggest buying the best paint possible. Recent advancements on coating technologies have resulted in very durable waterbourne enamels. The best paints are practically odourless.
Your experience with Ecopainting
Not every painter has the experience to deal with office renovations. Many can do a good job but dealing with the intricacies of an active workplace is not easy. Painting the office should not inconvenience the staff and should not affect their work. This is where the choice of a painting contractors makes the biggest difference. Ecopainting has been painting office space in Toronto for 20 years. We can paint at night, during the weekend, whatever it takes to minimize the inconvenience. And let’s not forget what our environmental policies mean to your indoor pollution. Zero VOC paints and our eco-friendly painting practices make us the perfect office painting contractor.
Contact us at 416 733-7767 to book an appointment and don’t forget to ask for our extensive customer list . Along with providing you an estimate, we can discuss your office paint maintenance needs.
Blog updated March 5th 2017.