When it comes to coating choices, experienced pros know that it’s important to pick the right paint for the job.
They also understand the value of using quality products. Premium paints, they know, help solve project challenges with advanced technology. The improved coverage of many top-quality coatings offers the benefit of fewer coats, saving them time and labor costs. Bottom line, using the best products helps them exceed customer expectations and increase profits.
Just the ticket for trim
For example, Nick Slavik, owner of Nick Slavik Painting & Restoration Co. and current chair of the PCA board of directors, discovered the benefits of using quick-drying Emerald® Urethane Trim Enamel when working on a newly-constructed cabin in Minnesota’s north woods.
“One of the biggest benefits of the Emerald Urethane was that we were able to coat the entire millwork package – windows, doors, ceilings, beadboard, all the casing, all the baseboard – twice in a day,” Slavik says. “That saved us a ton of time and we didn’t sacrifice any quality.”
This advanced interior/exterior product delivers the look, feel and durability of an oil-based enamel with the convenience of a water-based formula. It resists wear and tear over time and provides excellent blocking and scratch resistance.
For best results, use a Purdy® Clearcut® Elite™ brush or a Purdy® Marathon® roller, says Dennis Fiorilli, Director of Product Excellence at Sherwin-Williams.
A paint specifically formulated for cabinets
Painted AF prides itself on being known as the cabinet painting experts in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, and they know the right coating makes a big difference. That’s why they use Gallery Series™ Waterborne Topcoat on all their cabinet jobs, says owner Amber Flowers.
“What I like about Gallery Series is I can spray all my cabinet doors, and within 30 minutes they’re dry enough for my second coat,” she says. “Within a few hours, I can transport them – which is saying a lot, because paint doesn’t dry fast! And I get all that convenience without sacrificing anything in quality. I mean, it’s a premium water-based paint designed specifically for cabinets that dries fast enough for same-day transport, and I can get it locally? That just checked all my boxes.”
Flowers says she’s not the only one who’s been impressed by Gallery Series. In fact, she believes working with Gallery Series has helped her to land jobs with more discerning customers.
“My clients don’t always know the difference between paint brands,” Flowers says. “But the ones who do know anything about paint are always happy to hear I’m using Gallery Series.”
“My most recent customer, for example, is a company that builds homes in a really high-end area. They were looking for a painter, but they had specific quality standards in mind for that painter. During the bid process, they asked me, ‘Have you heard of Gallery Series from Sherwin-Williams?’ I said, ‘Yes, actually. We use that!’ My bid ultimately won. I don’t know if that’s what got me the job, but I think it definitely helped. They knew I was using a higher-quality coating than what other painters were offering.”
Designed for spray application, Gallery Series helps pros give their customers a factory-like finish, fast.
Extend exterior painting with Latitude™
Experienced pros know how Mother Nature can wreak havoc on their exterior paint jobs, causing weather delays and limiting the painting season when temperatures are too extreme for standard exterior coatings.
Latitude™ Exterior Acrylic with ClimateFlex Technology™ helps keep projects on schedule with advanced technology that resists early moisture and maintains high performance standards despite temperature extremes.
“Latitude is our go-to when it comes to exterior coatings,” says Nick Goebel, co-founder of The Ohio Painting Company in Springboro, Ohio.
“In Ohio, you get a lot of rain during the spring and fall, and that will shut you down,” adds co-founder Kevin Sillaman. “You always have to be aware of the forecast. But when we use Latitude, we can continue to go ahead and paint – even if there’s a chance for rain – because in as little as 30 minutes, that coating’s got a seal on it to protect against rain.”
Latitude’s ability to hold up in extreme weather has added up to significant time and money savings for The Ohio Painting Company.
“On a total revenue basis, of the $3 million in jobs we do per year, at least 60 percent of that is exterior,” Goebel says. “We’re in Ohio. If you can’t work with remarkable temperature durability or uncertain weather and still get things done, then you’re just going to fall further and further behind. Latitude lets us do what we do best as painters: persevere and grind through, no matter what’s on the horizon.”
He estimates that because of Latitude, “we probably get back at least 30 percent of what would otherwise be dead time. That’s a lot of time. Essentially, we gain another two months out of a year of operating. That helps the bottom line, helps our books, and helps our customers.”
For best results with Latitude, Fiorilli recommends using a Purdy® XL® brush or a Purdy® Marathon® roller cover.
Cash in with Cashmere®
When you want to achieve a premium, luxurious finish with ease, consider a finish of Cashmere® Interior Acrylic Latex, glides on and delivers a smooth, luxurious rollout that leaves walls looking silky rich, elegant and buttery smooth. Using Cashmere minimizes brush and roller marks for a silky, low-stipple appearance from every angle.
“Cashmere is just the best overall quality paint I have ever found,” says Ben Golde of Classic Quality Painting in Charleston, South Carolina. “It covers very well with all colors and touches up great. It has a great feel when finished, hence the name Cashmere.”
In addition, he says, homeowners love the durability and washability of Cashmere.
“They can easily touch up as well without painting the whole wall,” he says. “We take great pride in using excellent grade materials, and using Cashmere has separated us from the competition. I use the same paint in my own home.”
Prescott, Arizona paint pro Doug Noble is also a Cashmere fan.
“It pays for us to use Cashmere instead of lower-quality paints,” says the owner of Douglas Noble Painting. “It applies buttery smooth, and gives us great coverage. We noticed right away how smooth the walls felt when we used Cashmere. Our customers love how it looks.”
That includes Janet Bussell, an interior designer that has hired Noble to paint several of her highest profile custom homes in the most exclusive neighborhoods and gated communities in the Prescott area.
“She’s extremely fussy,” Noble says. “She sees the difference that Cashmere makes, and now she wouldn’t want us to paint with anything else.”
The precise cut-in ability of the Purdy® Clearcut™ Glide will pair nicely here, and Fiorilli recommends the Purdy® White Dove™ cover for roller application.
Bottom line
In the end, no matter what kind of work they do, pros profit by choosing premium paints. For expert advice on the best coatings for your projects, stop by your Sherwin-Williams store or check out the complete catalog online.
This story was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of PPC magazine. ©2024 Fusable. Photo courtesy Sherwin-Williams.