Meet maintenance needs with innovations like LatitudeTM Exterior Acrylic Latex
Fall is a time when temperatures are shifting, the weather is changing, and environmental conditions can be unpredictable. For many property managers and their maintenance teams, this may make Fall seem like a less than ideal time for new painting jobs. But thanks to products that perform in variable weather, Sherwin-Williams can turn that Fall weather into a season of productivity.
Charles Kuper, Regional Account Executive for Sherwin-Williams, says Fall’s dramatic shifts in temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation can pose serious challenges for those working in the multifamily market.
“Some of the main challenges in the multifamily space during the Fall is using proper preparation and product selection to prevent paint failures,” Kuper says. “If a coating is matched incorrectly to the substrate or applied at incorrect temperatures, then you may get failure, and that’s going to cost you more in the long run.”
Depending on your location, Fall—and the wintry months following it—may bring different challenges and different customer requests. In cold, snowy regions, clients may be checking roofing, cleaning gutters, and doing one last gasp of exterior maintenance before winter weather drives everyone inside for months. In wet regions, customers looking to protect against sleet and freezing rain may be seeking protective floor coatings. And clients in warm, dry regions may need help checking their shingles against degradation and protecting their greenery against the unsparing heat.
However, no matter what weather conditions you may be facing, Sherwin-Williams has the stores, field reps and expertise to provide the right product recommendation and timing for your job.
“Fall may be full of extreme conditions, but Sherwin-Williams has products designed for those extreme conditions,” Kuper says. “We have products like Latitude, Duration, SuperPaint and A-100 that are formulated for application in temperatures as low as 35 degrees Fahrenheit, while most latex paints are recommended to be applied at 50 degrees or higher.”
Latitude™ Exterior Acrylic with ClimateFlex Technology™ is designed to help you get ideal results, even when the weather isn’t. This product delivers a premium finish in fewer coats, delivers stunning results, and develops early moisture resistance in as little as 30 minutes. That will keep a freshly painted surface looking good even when dew or rain is forecast and can help teams prevent weather delays.
That means property managers and their maintenance teams who are equipped with those products can keep taking on painting jobs late into the year, even in cold climates. This is especially impressive, Kuper says, because all four of those products are latex coatings, which typically require warmer conditions for proper application.
Sherwin-Williams sales representatives also offer Property Assessment to multifamily clients and contractors upon request. Kuper says his top piece of advice would be to take advantage of this service.
“We like to go out to the properties and meet with the managers,” he says. “We want to become that trusted advisor to those properties and to the contractors.”
During a property assessment, a Sherwin-Williams rep will review potential points of failure at multifamily sites, including:
- Chalking on exterior walls
- Built-up moisture on the ground
- Stains caused by sprinkler systems
- Rust and chipping paint
- Mold and dirt staining
- Loose railings
- Cracks in stucco, walls, or wood
- Caulking failures around windows or doors
- Water-stained interiors
- Substrate cracks or problems
Reps will then provide a full property assessment report, complete with pictures of areas of concern, to property managers and contractors. It’s “basically a report card for the property,” according to Kuper. Those findings can then be used to create a plan to address any maintenance concerns before harsh winter weather arrives.
The sales rep will also be able to recommend specific products from Sherwin-Williams to help address concerns identified during the inspection. For example, ProBlock® Primer might be recommended to seal out bleed-through in water-stained interiors, while Adhesives Technologies CRACKBOND® JF Joint & Crack Filler may be deployed to fill cracks and tooled joints on exterior concrete walkways and driveways.
“Our reps see paint every day,” Kuper says. “Something you might not see as a problem, we can see it during our inspection, highlight it during the report, and then form a plan of attack to fix it.”
So when Fall strikes and the weather begins to turn, you don’t need to fear the changing seasons; instead, use the competitive advantage of Sherwin-Williams products to finish the year strong.