Halls Quality Painting

Some Important Differences Between Residential and Commercial Painting

The fields of Residential Painting and Commercial Painting differ in some important respects. While some commercial painting contractors offer both types of services (like Halls Quality Painting Inc. in Fernandina Beach, Florida), others do not. Each type of painting requires the provision of some unique services.

Our firm serves customers in both marketplaces. We strive to provide superb customer assistance whenever we undertake any project (commercial or residential). Just consider a few of the most important distinctions between these two painting fields:

The Investment in Tools and Equipment

Commercial and residential painters tend to rely upon separate types of tools and equipment. While both perform painting, commercial painting contractors frequently work in potentially challenging or dangerous locations. For example, while both types of painters paint the exteriors of buildings, applying protective coatings to the exterior of a multi-story building often requires a contractor to work while located at heights.

Many businesses conduct their operations in buildings with elevated structures, such as high warehouse ceilings or sprawling manufacturing facilities. In order to reach these locations, commercial painters need to invest in expensive specialized automated equipment. They may require these tools in order to transport heavy paint barrels and application equipment to a desired location within a large facility.

Safety Training

Safety training matters in every occupation. However, safety issues demand specialized safety gear when painters work at high elevations or within potentially hazardous environments. Consequently, commercial painting firms must ensure their employees receive a high level of training in the use of safety gear. These workers must also know how to read and understand important label information.

Commercial painting contractors strive to avoid serious labor injuries and deaths on the job by ensuring their personnel adhere to recommended safety protocols when they apply paints or coatings in elevated or in poorly ventilated places. Due to the variety of industrial coatings and sealants used by businesses today, commercial painters must also exercise care while working with potentially toxic or cancer-causing agents. Their work sometimes exposes them to environmental hazards.

Familiarity with Industrial Coatings and Sealants

Both types of painters may apply protective coatings for customers. However, residential painting tends to involve a more limited number of products. Since businesses today often use very specialized equipment and facilities, industrial painters come into contact with a multitude of brands of paints, sealants, and coatings.

Anyone supervising painting in businesses must exercise care to ensure the materials applied by painters will prove suitable within a particular work environment. Frequently, a customer selects these products for the painter. Customers may benefit when contractors possess familiarity with specific types of paints and sealants. Both the location and the ambient temperature may influence the application of some materials. Safety considerations sometimes impact the way the painter prepares the site.

Project Budgets and Labor Requirements

Many residential painters charge hourly or flat rates for their services. By contrast, commercial contractors may (or may not) utilize this type of price structure. When projects involve a high volume of painting, the contractor may agree to submit a bid for painting and/or coating services. In some cases, painting firms agree to provide recurring services to business entities. For example, a university may designate a contractor to repaint a percentage of dormitory rooms or graduate housing units every few months during a specified contractual period of time.

Although exceptions do occur, in general firms which specialize in painting residential properties usually don’t require as large a labor force as commercial painters. They may include a far smaller staff of experienced workers. By contrast, contractors who accept large projects for manufacturers or other businesses may need to hire additional painters intermittently in order to meet their changing labor needs.

Scheduling Flexibility and Disruptions

Residential painters frequently strive to work around customer schedules to offer the most convenient (and timely) service. While they do encounter occasional scheduling changes, these painters often maintain business hours during week days. In some cases, these firms may agree to perform their work within a specified period of time.

By contrast, a commercial painting firm may find itself at the disposal of a project manager who oversees a number of different contractors. Delays in the performance of other types of work may require the painting team to re-schedule part (or all) of an assignment. The commercial contractor may exercise very little control over these types of disruptions. Weather issues may also impact the completion of a commercial assignment, especially when a contractor performs exterior painting.

Extra Cleanup Services

While both types of painters endeavor to clean their work areas and avoid paint splatter, house painters sometimes go out of their way to assist customers. Since they paint in locations where families reside, they need to exercise particular care not to accidentally damage a customer’s garden, sidewalks, furnishings, carpeting, and other treasured items. Business customers may assist with site preparation in some circumstances; residential customers rarely do so. In many cases, assistants perform site preparation and cleanup for skilled painters. (This step often helps reduce the total cost of a painting project.)

Project managers overseeing the completion of new residential properties usually request painting services before carpet installation. This may help minimize the risk of splatter damaging floor coverings. However, painters who work in residential locations cannot always avoid the need to spend extra time protecting carpeting, drapes, and other furnishings. They appreciate the importance of this type of site preparation. It ensures residential customers won’t sustain property damage as a result of their painting activities.

Many Differences, But One Common Goal

Despite the differences between these painting fields, painters share one goal in common: they seek to help customers enjoy attractive, fully painted surfaces. Painters who possesses extensive experience performing painting in commercial settings sometimes work on projects in the residential area, too. Although each type of work offers some unique challenges and rewards, many of the same skills apply in both fields!

Further Information

Do you anticipate requiring skilled commercial or residential painting services in the Fernandina Beach FL area? We offer high quality assistance. Contact us at 904-441-0598 to discuss your project or to schedule painting services. We look forward to helping you!