Maintaining a fresh, polished and professional look inside and outside of your building is vital to attracting new customers. People are far more likely to enter a building with a nice exterior over one that has a cracked facade, and are much more likely to trust the quality of products or services from a company with a clean and “put together” interior.
For this reason, a fresh coat of paint is the ultimate “go to” facelift for maintaining a prosperous and frequently visited business.
Though it seems simple (and it can be), there are some key guidelines to follow when planning a new commercial painting project to ensure it’s success!
Here are some tips avoid some common mistakes and pitfalls, and get the most out of your new paint job:
Hire a reputable, certified professional
This is critical. You want to do lots of research, and hire someone that is fully certified. Anybody can walk into a hardware store, buy some paint and brushes, and call themselves a painter. You want to make sure that the person you hire has experience. Check with their previous clients and ask around to other businesses who have been impressed with their painters.
Insurance, insurance, insurance
If you spend thousands of dollars on a vehicle, you purchase insurance in case something happens to it, right? How about your home? Your belongings? This paint job is going to last for years, and it most likely won’t be cheap. Doesn’t it make sense to ensure that it is protected?
You want your painter to have liability insurance, which protects your property. They also need to have worker’s compensation insurance. If they don’t, and an employee is injured on your premises, you could be responsible for their medical bills.
Check references
Customer reviews are invaluable here. The internet is a wonderful resource for looking up opinions about paint companies. Bear in mind that most of the testimonials on the painters actual website are generally cherry picked by the company. They are selected to make that painter look good. You need to find other venues for your research. A good practice is to Google “lafayette commercial painter reviews” or “baton rouge commercial painter reviews” (or wherever you are located). People will often blog, yelp or post on things like yellow pages and Angie’s list.
Let your painters do their jobs
When it comes to these types of paint jobs, it would benefit you to learn a little bit about your building. That way, when the painter asks if you have Stucco or brick, your answer isn’t, “Huh?” That puts more work on them, which results in a higher cost for you. They know what they’re doing, so trusting them and knowing about your building will help them to help you. Let them make the suggestions on type of paint, how many coats etc. If you’re hiring a reputable and trustworthy company, they’ve got the expertise to know exactly what you need!
And thought price comparisons are always a great idea, when it comes to things like commercial painting, the cheaper option is often not the best option – and in many cases can have you paying more in the long run.
Consider your investment overall, invest in quality paint and certified painting contractors to ensure that your project is completed safely, successfully and that the work is guaranteed for the agreed upon amount of time.