Category Archives: ONLINE EXTRAS

ONLINE EXTRAS

Start the Year Right

3 proactive ways to build your business

A new year means a new opportunity to find fresh ways to expand and improve your business. Whether you have been running your own business for decades or you’re just getting started, you likely want to know how to take your team to the next level.

Thankfully, Sherwin-Williams offers several productivity-enhancing tools that can help you make 2023 your business’ best year yet, with unique services that can help contractors recruit talented employees, train them in best practices, and save time on the jobsite.

Continue reading Start the Year Right →

ONLINE EXTRAS, PRODUCTS

Tips On How To Be More Productive On Interior Paint Jobs

Success on interior jobs doesn’t just happen. It hinges on using the proper prep and application tools and knowing the right paint for the job on walls, trim, cabinets and more. In this article, we’ll offer tips to help you maximize productivity with the appropriate coatings and tools. Continue reading Tips On How To Be More Productive On Interior Paint Jobs →

ONLINE EXTRAS

The Pros and Cons of Taking on a Business Partner

Is partnering the right path for you and your business?

Adding a business partner may give your business an extra boost in revenue. After all, twice the brainpower and effort could add up to twice the productivity and profits.

Continue reading The Pros and Cons of Taking on a Business Partner →

ONLINE EXTRAS

5 Tips to Prevent Floor Coatings Failures

Proper prep will save you from costly callbacks

If you’re a painting contractor thinking about expanding your business into floor coating, then you’re not alone. Whether it’s bidding on a large-scale industrial project or staining a customer’s garage floor, contractors are increasingly expanding their services to include floor coatings.

Continue reading 5 Tips to Prevent Floor Coatings Failures →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Keep Your New Sprayer in Day-One Condition

Get high-level performance for years to come

Buying a paint sprayer is one of the most significant investments you will make as a painting contractor. Thankfully, with a bit of proper maintenance and upkeep, you can keep your new sprayer performing at a high level for years to come.

Sherwin-Williams can help with that maintenance. It has over 100 Spray Source™ spray equipment service centers across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada that offer quick turnaround, on-site demonstrations, training, and more. Factory-trained technicians provide quality service for leading paint spray manufacturers, such as Graco, Titan, Mi-T-M, Champion, and Finishing Brands — Binks/DeVilbiss.

Continue reading Keep Your New Sprayer in Day-One Condition →

ONLINE EXTRAS

The Benefits of Spray Training

How your team can master spraying techniques in no time

Talk to almost any painting contractor, and you’ll hear a familiar story: It’s hard to find good painters. Recruiting new painters remains one of the toughest challenges for painting business owners.

“It’s more difficult than ever to find tradespeople,” says Mike Collins, senior marketing channel manager at Titan. “Owners are now looking into new markets for hires. For example, hiring cooks because they’re detail-oriented, or former waiters or waitresses, because they’re personable and great at connecting with people. However, these are workers who have never painted before. They require training.”

Continue reading The Benefits of Spray Training →

ONLINE EXTRAS

On-Trend Color Choices

Propose these stylish designs for homeowners

Have you been in this situation before? A potential client is asking for input on which colors to choose for their new home or repainting their existing home, and you don’t have any idea what to tell them. You’re not alone. Many painting contractors say they’re more comfortable recommending products than colors. And even if you’ve brushed up on your color theory, you may still feel uninformed about current design trends.

For contractors seeking resources to help their customers in the color selection process, the 2023 Commercial Colormix from Sherwin-Williams makes an excellent starting point. It offers distinct color palettes for contractors working in the commercial, education, hospitality, new residential, multi-family, and healthcare markets.

Continue reading On-Trend Color Choices →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Haste Makes Waste

Slowing down will help your team do more

One of Benjamin Franklin’s most notable quotes reads: “Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste.”

Not surprisingly, those words ring as true today as they did back in the early 1700s of colonial America. In fact, our own Navy SEALS have incorporated a similar attitude when training new members: “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”

In the painting profession, there’s a big difference between doing a job quickly and rushing a job. Hurry often leads to sloppy work, which can result in costly callbacks and tarnish your reputation for delivering quality work.

Continue reading Haste Makes Waste →

ONLINE EXTRAS

4 Keys to Choosing the Right Ladder

Make your jobsite safer and more productive

Selecting the right ladder is an important decision for painting contractors. It’s also an investment in ensuring crew member safety and productivity.

Remember, not all ladders are the same. There are important differences that contractors should consider. The experts at Werner recommend paying attention to four key elements when choosing a ladder: height, duty rating, material, and style.

Continue reading 4 Keys to Choosing the Right Ladder →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Smarter Sanding Made Easy

Choosing the right abrasives saves time and money

When you first became a painter, you probably didn’t realize how much time you would spend sanding. However, you quickly discovered that it’s a critical component to getting a beautiful final product.

Continue reading Smarter Sanding Made Easy →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Rely On The Expert

Your Sherwin-Williams rep can help your property thrive

When you own or manage a multifamily property, you wear a lot of hats. A day’s work might involve managing leases and rental agreements, meeting with new and existing residents, and handling payments and maintenance requests—not to mention staffing, payroll, and marketing. It’s no wonder many owners wish they had a duplicate of themselves to help shoulder the load.

Continue reading Rely On The Expert →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Maximize Your Property’s Color Potential

Let Sherwin-Williams Color Marketing & Design Services Improve Your Curb Appeal

For many multi-family property managers, decisions about color are outside their comfort zone. However, a team of color experts at Sherwin-Williams can show you how color can help attract and retain residents. And if you lack color confidence, they have the necessary tools and resources you need to get color working for you and your properties.

Continue reading Maximize Your Property’s Color Potential →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Making It in Miami

A contractor and her rep collaborate to help multi-family properties stand out

For most start-up painting contractors, the thought of doing door-to-door cold call prospecting doesn’t sound very appealing. As if that weren’t difficult enough, imagine that the segment you want to serve is the highly competitive, price sensitive multi-family market. Oh, and you’re a woman in a male dominated space.

Continue reading Making It in Miami →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Embrace the Changing Seasons

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.

Continue reading Embrace the Changing Seasons →