In this article, PPC contributing writer Terry Begue talks about the biggest mistakes he made when he started his Ohio-based residential painting company, and what he did to correct them and turn his business around.
Continue reading My 5 Biggest Mistakes, and the Lessons I Learned from Them to Improve My Business
Tag Archives: Spring 2023
Are You Ready for Exterior Season?
11 products that can maximize your productivity on the job site
Depending on where you live, exterior season is either just around the corner or already here. While that’s great news for your business, exterior painting comes with its own distinct needs and challenges.
Thankfully, we’ve done the prep work for you. Check out our checklist of 11 products you and your crews should keep stocked this season to maximize your quality and productivity.
Jobsite Journal: Keeping Crews Safe and Productive on the Hollywood Sign Repaint
Painting the towering letters of the world-famous Hollywood Sign is no easy task. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the measures a California painting company took to deliver a beautiful, long-lasting finish while ensuring that the job site was as safe as possible for its workers.
Continue reading Jobsite Journal: Keeping Crews Safe and Productive on the Hollywood Sign Repaint
Painting It Forward: Paint Pros from Across the Nation Team Up to Give Back in Albuquerque
The Painting Contractors Association’s PCA Expo started a day early this year for one group of painters, who united to give back to a local community in need. On February 21 – the day before the 2023 PCA Expo kicked off in Albuquerque, New Mexico – more than 100 volunteers from across the United States gathered at the historic Gibson Health Hub for the PCA’s first annual Paint It Forward event.
Continue reading Painting It Forward: Paint Pros from Across the Nation Team Up to Give Back in Albuquerque
Versatile and Inviting, Redend Point is the 2023 Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year
Described as “a soulful blush-beige,” Redend Point SW 9081 (195-C4) is the Sherwin-Williams 2023 Color of the Year.
Continue reading Versatile and Inviting, Redend Point is the 2023 Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year
Uncovering Opportunities: The Value of Adding Carpentry to Your Menu of Services
Uncovering Opportunities is an ongoing series of PPC magazine articles dedicated to finding smart ways to help professional painting contractors build and expand their businesses. For this story, we spoke with Paige NeJame, who has been the owner of CertaPro Painters of the South Shore since 2004, about the reasons pros should consider adding carpentry services to a residential painting business. Here’s what she told us:
Continue reading Uncovering Opportunities: The Value of Adding Carpentry to Your Menu of Services
Contractor Q&A: Wilber Vargas on Building a Large Residential Painting Firm and the Value of Using Quality Products
For more than 30 years, PPC magazine has been on job sites throughout the U.S. and Canada asking residential and commercial paint pros to share their stories. This issue: Wilber Vargas, owner of Wilber’s Painting in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Continue reading Contractor Q&A: Wilber Vargas on Building a Large Residential Painting Firm and the Value of Using Quality Products
Project Management Tips from the PCA: The 4 Building Blocks of a Scalable PM Infrastructure
This article by Benji Carlson is the fifth in a series from PPC and the Painting Contractors Association (PCA) designed to help you understand and prepare for the challenges of business growth.
Continue reading Project Management Tips from the PCA: The 4 Building Blocks of a Scalable PM Infrastructure
New Products: Keep Wood Finishes Looking Fresh All Season Long with WoodScapes® Rain Refresh™ Solid Color Stain
For years, professional painting contractors have relied on the top-quality performance of WoodScapes® Exterior Stains to give their customers’ properties a rich, beautiful appearance that stands the test of time.
Now, with the introduction of WoodScapes® Rain Refresh™ Solid Color Stain, you have yet another option in the WoodScapes product line to offer your customers.
Designed to keep vertical exterior wood surfaces looking beautiful with minimal maintenance, this new exterior wood finish features an advanced self-cleaning formula that blocks tannin bleed and offers excellent adhesion, all while keeping wood surfaces cleaner.
Continue reading New Products: Keep Wood Finishes Looking Fresh All Season Long with WoodScapes® Rain Refresh™ Solid Color Stain
New Products: Put Ceilings in a New Light with Premium Ceiling Paint
Ceilings may not be at the top of your customer’s mind when they
hire you to paint their home or commercial property. But as a professional painting contractor, you know that they’re an important component of any paint job.
Pros also know that due to the different needs of painting these “fifth walls,” they’ll get the best results by using a coating specifically formulated for ceiling application.
You can be assured that you’ll meet the highest expectations and maximize your productivity thanks to the ultra-bright, high-performance finish and one-coat coverage of Premium Ceiling Paint from Sherwin-Williams.
Continue reading New Products: Put Ceilings in a New Light with Premium Ceiling Paint
New Products: Choose Gallery Series™ Waterborne Topcoat for a Fast, Factory-like Finish on Cabinets and Trim
New product coming to Sherwin-Williams stores in June: Gallery Series™ Waterborne Topcoat is a new hard-wearing, professional-grade coating that will help you achieve a flawless-looking, factory-like finish on cabinets, trim and millwork.
Continue reading New Products: Choose Gallery Series™ Waterborne Topcoat for a Fast, Factory-like Finish on Cabinets and Trim
Spring 2023 Editor’s Picks: Tools to Help Increase Your Productivity and Efficiency
As part of our ongoing mission to help painting professionals maximize their jobsite productivity, each issue of PPC magazine features a roundup of some of our favorite application tools and essential job site equipment and supplies. Here are our Spring 2023 issue picks:
Continue reading Spring 2023 Editor’s Picks: Tools to Help Increase Your Productivity and Efficiency
Ultimate™ QuickShot™: The Fastest Way to Complete All Small Jobs
New for 2023: Graco has introduced the next generation small application airless sprayer with breakthrough technology, designed to deliver higher quality results faster.
Continue reading Ultimate™ QuickShot™: The Fastest Way to Complete All Small Jobs
PRO+ductive Solutions for Your Company
These days, painting company owners need all the help they can get to improve their business efficiency and jobsite performance. To help meet this goal, Sherwin-Williams has launched PRO+ductive Solutions as part of its PRO+ program.
These PRO+ductive Solutions are designed to help contractors save time, complete jobs quickly, and save money to generate more profit. Sherwin-Williams will continue to add products, tools and services to help paint pros be more productive every day. Here’s a look at what can help right now:
Anatomy of a Sprayer
What sets a quality airless sprayer apart from the field?
A paint sprayer is a professional painter’s best friend on the job site, allowing them to do high-quality work quickly. And when a sprayer breaks down, that same painter can find their productivity severely diminished. No one wants to deal with equipment issues in the middle of a project.
“When contractors trust their business to equipment that is going to drive their productivity, it’s important that they buy a high-quality product that their teams can rely on, day in and day out,” says Dan Johnson, Global Total Markets Manager at Graco. “I was just at a job site yesterday where a painter was using an Ultimate 695—a 30-year old model that was still getting it done.”
Knowing your equipment inside and out can be the key to getting the most out of it. In this article, Johnson explains the major components of an airless paint sprayer, explaining both how each part works and how to choose the right sprayer for your team. Continue reading Anatomy of a Sprayer
Easily Navigate the Color Conversation with Homeowners
Use FREE Virtual Color Consultations to differentiate your business from the competition
Did you know choosing color is homeowners’ biggest pain point when it comes to painting their home? And when a potential customer can’t decide on color, it can quickly become your biggest paint point too.
Indecisive homeowners can drag their feet when it comes to closing a sale or starting a job, causing unnecessary delays and frustration. But what if you could help homeowners find or match their perfect color without choosing the actual color for them? Instead, you can become an invaluable resource to your customers by connecting them with a trusted and trained color expert—someone who can build their confidence and guide them to quicker decision making.
Continue reading Easily Navigate the Color Conversation with Homeowners
Save Time on Sanding
How to get a better finish faster
It was a disaster. The contractor and his crew had been contracted to paint a $4 million house for a new homeowner. But while power sanding to eliminate overspray from a knockdown ceiling, the painting crew hit a snag. The temporary heat wasn’t fully keeping the March moisture and condensation at bay, and the recycled drywall paper on the sheet rock was getting damp. Add to it that the 2000 RPM power sanders had raised the paper on the sheet rock, and the resulting texture of the walls could only be described as “furry.” For efficiency’s sake, the contractor decided to paint the prime coat over it with sprayer. He succeeded at making the texture no longer furry—except now it felt like 80-grit sandpaper. When the homeowner walked in, he could see every butt joint, flat, and nail spot in the wall under natural light. The homeowner was livid.
At this point, the contractor asked Kent Annis, president and owner of Full Circle International, for help. Kent took in the scene, told the crew to pause what they were doing, and asked the painting contractor to follow him into the basement. The contractor brought a roller and a fan, and Kent brought Full Circle’s Radius 360.