In the current economic climate, there are many companies holding off on painting projects. The belief of
remaining conservative with one’s budget since our economic future is still a bit uncertain seems wise on the
surface. It is not like the building’s roof is falling off, or is it? Not moving forward with a painting project because it
is viewed only as cosmetic fix is a big mistake. “If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep
putting off doing it.”(1) Procrastination will cost a business more money than doing a project now.
Scenario #1 "The Roof is Falling Off"
A business has a coated metal roof and it is beginning to fail; the paint is starting to weather away. If left
untouched it will continue to breakdown little by little. As this happens, the bond between the top coat and the
underlying coat will become compromised, which will lead to inter-coat adhesion failure. As a result, a much more
costly repaint project is required. Inter-coat adhesion failure can also cause potential problems with paint release
in the top and under coat layers of paint forever.
Let’s say procrastination continues and nothing is done at the onset of the coating failure and that coating broke
down completely. Consequently, the metal roof would begin to oxidize or rust, which can produce holes and leaks,
thus requiring a complete replacement which is much, much more costly than the painting option that was put off.
At the very least, the roof preparation prior to painting would be much more elaborate and extensive, which drives
costs up as opposed to minimal prep had the failure been addressed at the appropriate time. Repainting a metal
roof at the onset of paint failure is a huge savings. If the project is put off, the cost will double or triple and can
climb up to 300% of what the timely painting repairs would have cost.
Scenario #2 "Come on In"
Let’s say a business owner decides to delay an interior or exterior repainting. How can that possibly
cost you? It is money saved now, but is it? For instance, Business A and Business B reside on the
same street corner. Business A looks fresh and clean, while Business B’s appearance has not been
up kept and needs to be repainted. Customers who are faced with choosing between similar businesses
in close proximity will chose the clean, neat, well kept business. This is not my opinion; it has been well
documented and proven.
My company worked with a well known hamburger chain and completed a large national repaint project
between 1999 and 2001. The hamburger chain measured the result the painting had on overall restaurant
sales. The numbers were astounding. A fresh coat of paint increased total sales by 7-12% with some
locations earning even more. With stats like that, it is easy to say procrastination will cost you big!
The “big picture” should not be over looked in an attempt to conserve a few dollars right now. If there
is not enough money in the budget to complete a full repaint there are still options to consider. Even on
a limited budget there can be ways to make a big impact on the appearance of any business. For example,
a "high traffic" painting focuses on only specific areas that will make the most impact (usually areas
continually seen or touched by customers). Also, by completing a partial exterior repaint and painting the
most vulnerable areas that get the most weather exposure will prevent serious repainting issues down the road.
Any solution chosen will simply be less costly than procrastinating.
(1) Olin Miller
| Procrastination Can Cost Big Money By Dan Haer |
After: Concordia, KS
Before: Concordia, KS