Bob Sands / The Indiana Painting Co., Inc.

The holiday season is a busy time for any business. Most business owners don’t want to think about painting during these busy times, but January is coming and with it the gray cold sky and the thought of Spring still a good ways off. January and February are great times to paint. If you are like most retailers or restaurateurs, your business decreases a bit during these months and your employees get bogged down in the post-holiday doldrums. Painting is an affordable way to breathe some life into the atmosphere of your business. We are an experienced commercial painting contractor serving the Indianapolis area and are eager to give your business a new, exciting face lift.

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by Bob Sands

No matter what type of painting you are planning to do, it has the potential to disrupt your operations. A facility manager’s concerns are to keep the operations running smoothly and get the work done at the same time. Our project managers will work closely with you to come up with creative ways to ensure your business stays up and running. Whether it is working night, weekends or phasing your project, we are dedicated to making sure the disruption is minimal and your business looks its best.

No matter who you hire to paint your business, make sure you do the following:

Get their insurance and make sure your company is listed as an additional insured. This will protect you and your business if something should happen.
Make sure you get the scope of work in writing so you know exactly what their understanding of the project is and what materials they will be using. For each material, you should get a Safety Data Sheet and Product Data Sheet to make sure their planned materials won’t have an adverse effect on your employees, customers or business process.
Work with them to come up with a plan to get the work done with minimal interruption. These could possible include:
- What will be the designated work area to stage materials and equipment? Don’t be afraid to ask the contractor to keep their materials and equipment in a storage pod. This will cost extra but can minimize disruption.
- Establish work hours – the most convenient work hours for a contractor are normal work hours. If you have them work during the day will cost your business or customers, ask them to work night. This will normally cost you more, but will undoubtedly be worth the expense.
- Phase the project in a way that makes sense for the work and for your operations. Painting usually involves moving everything away from the walls and removing and reinstalling decor. Make sure you work with the painting contractor to ensure that he can handle the phases in the allotted time frame.
Bring up concerns in a timely manner but don’t punch out the project before the agreed upon time. At the end of every phase, you should have an agreed upon time to “punch out” the project (this is when you examine the work and make a list of deficiencies to fix). A good painting contract will keep short accounts and correct his work as he goes. You will still need to punch out ever phase in a timely manner. Try not to bring up small items daily or your painter will feel like he must address every issue now. This can cause the project to get bogged down in the daily punch out cycle and will undoubtedly extend the time it takes to complete your project.

Follow these basic guidelines and your project has a better chance of running smoothly, finishing on budget and with minimal disruption to the mission-critical areas of your business.

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by Bob Sands

I’ve never been a big 80’s rock fan, but the words “You’re in the Jungle baby, you’re gonna die” always struck me as funny. Having never been to a real jungle, I can only imagine that it is a wonderful and scary place. What strikes me so funny, though, is the thought that most of life is like a jungle full of the amazing, the agonizing, the wonderful and the deadly. Commercial painting is no less so. A year ago, we ventured into the residential market thinking it was a fertile land of plenty where the plow would dive right into the soil and glide through it like butter. Not so. My respect for the residential contractor has deepened immensely. It, too, is a difficult terrain to navigate, but there are many who do it well. While we no longer offer residential services, we are grateful to all those who gave us a chance to learn new things.

Back to the commercial world. I have a friend who refers to much of what we do as being in the “meat market.” We love it – it is what we do best. But it is hard to deny the last few years have been a little tricky. The markets have reached lows never experienced before in my lifetime and they have been so fat that every change order goes unquestioned. We’ve been through both – and lived! This is, after all, the natural cycle of a mostly free market system. And for those that know me know that I am a lifelong proponent of the free market system, but it is not without troubles. Below is a link to a good article that criticizes the competitive bid system of commercial contracting. Competitive bidding is the way to go, but it is in dire need of an overhaul. Enjoy!

http://www.awci.org/media/construction-dimensions/feature-articles/805-the-10-pitfalls-of-competitive-bid-part-1

by Bob Sands

Perhaps the second most important tool is the roller and all its paraphernalia. A complete setup includes the roller pan, frame, cover and pole. All these items make a difference to the quality and cleanliness of your work. You can’t go wrong with the Wooster line of supplies. Below are links to the items we recommend:

Roller cover – 3/8″ merino wool – here on Amazon
Roller frame – here on Amazon
Roller pole – here on Amazon
Roller pan – here on Amazon

Although this recommended set will cost you over $50, all the items are reusable and will produce very good results with less effort and even with lower skill levels. I will go over the benefits of each item.

Keep in mind, the roller cover has a few jobs to perform. The first is getting the paint from the bucket to the wall (it must load easily and retain the paint cleanly.) It must distribute the paint across the surface easily and it must leave a reasonably even and smooth texture (stipple). Many painters disagree about the best products on the market, but we prefer the Wooster line for all types of rollers except the merino wool cover.

The wool roller cover is a time-tested applicator. Rollers were invented in the 1940’s and wool was one of the first materials used in making the roller nap. Wool performs well with the new low/no VOC paints, but many manufacturers are recommending microfiber or other synthetic materials instead. Our crew still uses wool for a few reasons. Primarily, they allow us to apply large amounts of paint quickly with very little spatter or flecking. They also apply more paint on the wall resulting in a thicker finish. One drawback is the stipple can be a little heavier if you’re not used to using this type of cover, but stipple isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Another drawback is that wool is often hard to come by since it is a natural product. Roller manufacturers must compete for the wool as it is used in many different products – this is the main reason they are so expensive. The wool cover is very easy to clean too. If you think the stipple might be a problem, I’d recommend the Wooster Micro Plush or Polar Bear. It is worth mentioning that these covers are only recommended for sheens satin and lower. For more glossy finishes, you should stick with the woven rollers like the Wooster Pro Doo-z. These can all be found on Amazon.com.

The roller frames should be heavy duty and should not bend easily. A shaky frame is no fun. Some cheap frames allow the roller cover to slip off too easily. A bent frame will leave ropes and be difficult to level out the paint. A roller that keeps slipping off the frame will lead to excess paint getting in the frame and dripping/flinging all over the wall and work area. Don’t skimp here – a good frame is only about $5 more than a cheap on and will last you a lifetime if cared for properly. When you clean your frame at the end of the job – take care that ALL the paint is removed. This will ensure the cover can be removed easily and the frame operates smoothly.

The pole is not as important as the other items, but a pole should be used when practical. A cheap pole will feel like it is going to all come apart and will make your project more stressful. A good, sturdy pole will give you confidence with your work.

Finally, the bucket or pan. Some painters prefer a five-gallon bucket and screen other prefer a plastic roller bucket like the one we linked to. We use both for different reasons. If we are going the disposable route, the five-gallon bucket works well and will only set you back the price of the screen (about $3) – but you can reuse them if you let them dry our thoroughly. The pan is a little easier to use and slide around the work area. The choice is yours, but we do have a word of warning here. Never use a cheap roller screen (sometimes called a ‘grid’) and try to avoid the cheap roller trays that lay on the floor or tall, narrow roller buckets. These last two types are easy to step on and flip or knock over. The last thing you want is to spend your day cleaning the carpet instead of getting the project done. I would also recommend against buckets with wheels. They make if hard to control the loading of your roller and can lead to unfortunate mishaps (like the kids rolling it down the stairs.)

Painting your home can be a lot of fun if you commit to the right product and tools – enjoy!

by Bob Sands

Where to start? I always like getting the hard part out of the way first so we begin with the brush. The painter has only a few basic tools at his disposal – the brush and the roller being the most obvious. Most DIY folks make the mistake of buying a cheap brush – or even worse, a very hard to use an expensive brush. With most low VOC paints, brush selection is critical. Too firm and your wrist will wear our quickly and the paints will be difficult to apply. Too soft and you can’t get the paint to disperse from the brush to the wall well. Personally, at the age of 41, I like a softer and smaller brush. You won’t get the mileage out of this type, but your wrist will thank you at the end of the day.

A good consumer grade brush is the Wooster Silver Tip. I personally use the 2 1/2″ angle sash. It is a good, all-purpose brush that will serve you well for most painting you do around the house. These brushes will run you about $9 each and will not last more than a few projects as the soft bristle are made to “wear” as you use it (the theory is that this keeps the tip sharp as you use it.) It works well enough that this painter with over 20 years of experience uses them when he paints. You’ll be amazed at how much skill is in the brush!

Now a note about cutting in. A good painter can cut an average bedroom wall area – ceiling, base, door casing, windows, etc. – in about 30 minutes or so. This only achieved through much practice. As an amateur, I would double to triple this time. Below are some of the tips I can offer you:

Don’t look at the end of brush where you are cutting – focus just slightly ahead and trust your hand and brush to find the line. There are both biological and psychological reasons this technique works. When I was a kid looking at the stars at night with my dad, he told me to look just to the side of where I wanted to see the stars and sure enough, they would appear all around where I was looking, but not where I was focusing. Also, this keeps you from getting obsessed with the cut line. Remember typing class in high school – our teacher would slam the book closed if he caught you looking at the paper in the typewriter instead of at the paper we were transcribing.

Don’t overload or underload the brush. Too much paint and you will have a hard time getting it all evened out. Too little paint and you will have a hard time getting a good, solid line. When you load the brush, just dip the bottom 1/3 of the bristles into the paint and gently smack the end against the sided of the can a few times. If the paint strings or drips out of the can – too much. If you are left frustrated because you can’t get a good 2 to 3 feet of line – too little. This takes practice and patience. Be a student up front and find a comfortable medium. Once you get this down, it will be second nature to you.

Keep your brush clean and wet. You may need to clean your brush midway in the job. If you feel the brush is getting too unruly, just stop and clean it. Make sure you spin it out and let it dry before reusing it, though – the last thing you want is a drippy, wet and messy brush! If you must quit for any amount of time keep the wet end in paint or wrap it in plastic. Do not let the tip dry out, this will make the brush hard to use until you clean it or it may even make your brush unusable altogether.

Remember to have fun – painting can be fun if you set aside the time and make yourself knowledgeable about your work. If you find yourself in too deep, there is no shame in giving us a call. We finish up DIY projects all the time!

by Bob Sands

The photo is of a bad paint job at a business in downtown Indianapolis. We were hired to make it right.

At some point in life, everyone wants something repainted. The next, inevitable question is should I do the work myself. Consider the following to help make that decision?

Do I have the time and skills required to complete the painting project in the allotted time? There is nothing that turns your customers off more than an incomplete or poorly executed paint job. We’ve all seen the wall paint slopped all over the edge of the ceiling grid or roller bumps on ceiling tiles or the terrible cut-in job on the baseboards. If you don’t possess the skills to complete the project quickly and professionally, I would have a reputable painting contractor do the work – your customers will thank you!
Do I have the appropriate tools for the painting work? The expense of painting tools is minimal but if this is a one-off project it may be best to save your money on the tools and spend it on the contractor. A good set of paint tools can cost $100. Not to mention the ladders to paint the stairwells or the drop clothes to protect the floors. Sometimes it makes good sense to have a professional painting contractor complete the project.
If something goes wrong, do I have insurance to cover it? It is time well spent asking your insurance agent if you have coverage in case something happens. If you or an employee get injured falling off a ladder or get paint on a customer’s belongings, you want to make sure you are protected from the loss.

A skilled painting contractor should be able to finish your project quickly, professionally and safely. Hiring a reputable painting contractor is often money well spent and will give your customers a good impression of your business.

Author: Bob Sands

The Case for a Paint Job

Can you paint my business without disrupting it?

The Competitive Bid Commodities Market

What type of roller cover should I use?

What type of paint brush should I use?

Should I paint my own business?

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