When is the Right  Time for Warehouse Painting?

Chicago metro area is a rapidly growing regional and national hub for distribution centers, warehouses, and other commercial facilities. While their maintenance often goes overlooked, keeping up the appearances of functional facilities will not only preserve the structure and enhance lighting and safety, it also conveys professionalism to customers.

In this blog post, we share professional insights about warehouse painting projects, including early signs that the warehouse needs repainting, benefits of repainting your warehouse and how to get a warehouse ready for your repainting project.

Signs That Warehouse Needs Painting

Floor Markings Start Deteriorating

In addition to helping employees and managers organize and maximize space, floor markings in warehouses are also used to alert of potential hazards and mark safe paths. This is why the timely maintenance of deteriorating floor markings is essential. Pay attention to any cracking, surface wear, concrete spalling or salt crystallization.

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The Appearance of Water Stains or Mold

Be mindful of any condensation or moisture stains, however small or benign they seem. Leaks and water buildup can lead to fungal growth and untimely paint decay, so make sure to identify and repair any leaks causing these issues as early as possible.

Metal Surfaces Start Corroding or Rusting

Water and humidity can also cause rusting and corrosion that cause issues with metal sidings in industrial facilities. Just like with water stains and mold, it is important to act quickly in order to prevent further corrosion. Experienced painting contractors have the skill and equipment to restore compromised surfaces.

Paint Starts Fading or Peeling

No matter how high quality your interior and exterior paint is, it will eventually fade away when exposed to sunlight or peel when exposed to moisture. Both faded paint and peeled layers are a clear sign that it’s time to repaint warehouse walls.

Exterior Surfaces Start Flaking or Cracking

When it comes to exterior paint deterioration, fading and peeling are not the only two things that can lead to potential issues. Exterior paint is exposed to high temperatures, rough weather and numerous other elements that cause it to crack or flake. When exterior warehouse paint is damaged, it can pose serious harm to the facility, including pest infestation and mildew accumulation.

Caulking Starts Cracking

Tiny cracked caulking can quickly become a gap capable of giving way to water, insects, and dirt. Make sure to apply a coat of paint or caulking to any gap you notice, as this may help protect the warehouse from further decline.

Benefits of Warehouse Painting

Just like well-maintained office spaces, well-maintained warehouses communicate a dedication to professionalism and success to employees, clients, and visitors. Benefits of repainting a warehouse are numerous and diverse. From branding to safety, a presentable commercial or industrial facility with a consistent color scheme can support the growth of your business.

Increased Safety

Moldy walls may pose hazards to the health of people who spend time inside your facility. Exposure to paint that contains traces of lead can cause poisoning and other serious health issues such as hypertension and memory issues. Inadequate warehouse floor striping may cause workplace injuries. Painting warehouse walls can help you keep employees healthy, equipment and stored goods safe and your business in line with OSHA standards.

Easier Maintenance

It is much more convenient to sustain a clean and tidy appearance of a warehouse when it’s painted and maintained regularly. It is easier to swipe spilled liquids or quickly fill fresh dents in a renovated warehouse than in one where maintenance has been neglected.

Preventing Further Damage

Regular warehouse safety painting can also prevent scratches from growing larger and paint from peeling further. Proper renovations will prepare the warehouse for years to come, but also prevent small cracks from becoming big issues.

Preparing Your Warehouse for Painting

One of the main reasons why commercial owners and managers tend to postpone facelifts of their warehouses is because they are rarely vacant. Whether the warehouse is occupied by workers, heavy equipment, or stored goods, renovation may be disruptive to the workflow.

In order to ensure that warehouse repainting goes as smoothly as possible and to avoid hindering business, it is important to prepare well in advance.

Protecting Warehouse Inventory

Aim to place the warehouse inventory elsewhere during the renovations if circumstances allow. If the inventory is too heavy or other storage options are lacking, make sure that the contents of the warehouse are well protected from any leaks or heavy objects that may cause damage.

Covering the Floors

Unless the floor is being refurbished too, protect it by putting large plastic cover sheets over it. This will prevent the epoxy or concrete surface from spills and stains, and make the overall cleaning process after the paint job is done significantly easier.

Sanding the Warehouse Walls

After the floor and inventory are prepared, it’s time to prime! Not only will new painting colors get a much fresher look if they are professionally painted on a wall that has been sanded, this will ensure that the old color is fully covered. A power sander will make the sanding process quite convenient, which is why it is important to make sure that the painters bring all the necessary equipment.

Precision Painting & Decorating specializes in minimally disruptive commercial painting and warehouse maintenance services such as precast painting, concrete tilt-up painting, warehouse interior, exterior, ceiling painting, and floor coating.

To learn more or to get a free estimate for your next warehouse maintenance project, reach out at (630) 688-9423 or at sales@ppdpainting.com, and one of our warehouse painting experts will gladly assist you.

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