5 Prep Tips For Successful Commercial Exterior Painting
Repainting the exterior of your commercial building requires a bit of pre-work planning if you want to ensure a smooth and attractive job. The following tips can help you prep for the painting crew.
1. Manage Landscaping
Landscaping can interfere with a good exterior paint job. If shrubs and border beds are growing right up against the wall, it makes it difficult for a painter to put on an even coating behind all the plants. Dense plants can also create a moist environment between themselves and the wall, which can affect the drying and final finish of the paint. Schedule your landscapers to come in and trim back or tie up plants prior to painting so that they won't interfere.
2. Remove Signage
It's a bad idea to leave signage up on exterior walls. Although your painters may be able to skillfully paint around signs mounted on the wall, you may run into problems later. For example, if you must replace the signs in a few years and the new signs are the exact same dimensions, there will be a visible color difference on the wall that is revealed. Plan for a thorough job by first removing the signs before painting begins.
3. Schedule Pressure Washing
Paint adheres better and the coating will be more even if the exterior walls are clean. Schedule a full pressure washing, as this won't just remove dirt and grime but it can also rinse away peeling and damaged paint. Many commercial painting services also provide pressure washing services, so you may be able to include this into your entire exterior painting quote.
4. Make Exterior Repairs
Paint can fix a lot of exterior cosmetic troubles, but it shouldn't be used to hide actual active damage. If there is actual damage, such as wood rot, damaged trim, or holes in concrete block walls, then these must be repaired before the first layer of paint goes on. This is one reason to pressure wash, as it will reveal any hidden damage that could develop into big problems later.
5. Fence Off the Area
Although paint can dry quickly, it will take a couple of days to fully cure so that it isn't prone to accidental scrapes and damage. Erect temporary fencing or barrier tape around the walls and painting zone before painting begins. This will prevent customers and employees from walking through the painting zone while work is going on and provide protection until the paint fully cures.
Contact a commercial painting service for more help.
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