Most commercial property owners understand that eventually they will need to repaint their building. They recognize signs. Edges begin to peel, spots fade, and ultimately, the entire building looks tired, as if it’s working overtime and not being taken care of. However, what some people don’t understand is that the longer they wait to repaint, the more expensive it gets, and not just in terms of aesthetics, but in terms of prevention.
When Paint is No Longer Just Paint
Paint is a surface covering that provides an aesthetic edge. But it goes above and beyond. When paint is working properly, it protects wood from water damage, renders metal strong against rust formation, and avoids cracks from forming in concrete. If and when people let paint chips fall off the sides of their buildings and continue to fade over time, it’s inevitable that water will infiltrate spots where it doesn’t belong.
That’s when wood rots, metal rusts out, and concrete cracks and expands beyond expectations. Soon the conversation goes from “yeah, we should repaint soon” to “oh no, we have to replace entire sections before we even consider paint.” Commercial painters Perth trusts need to be called in for emergencies rather than just cosmetic restorations.
In fact, when this happens, the prices for repair become two or three times as expensive as a repaint would have been had the building owner simply painted out of preventative efforts beforehand. Repairing water damage, replacing interior supports, mold treatment these costs add up quickly.
The Perception of Clients
There are intangible costs to putting off building maintenance, as well. All people are judgmental in their subconscious. When they see a poorly kept exterior, they immediately think that if someone cannot even take care of their building, how will they take care of clients? It may not matter in every industry, but even in commercial retail spaces or professional service consultancies, a cautious approach emanates before clients even walk in the door.
A poorly maintained exterior generates suspicion about operations internally. And for companies who rely on foot traffic and walk-in clientele, even an inherent delay does more damage than expected. The lost tenant or client who never steps through the door will never be recognized or accounted for; however, it exists as soon as someone makes that decision to continue walking.
This exists because of visual cues. Business owners ignore them at their peril.
Energy Bills No One Thinks About
Another hidden cost to letting a building go over time is the energy efficiency factor. Poor paint jobs run the risk of not being able to reflect heat as easily as newly painted buildings, especially if the paint has worn off, faded and lost its reflective quality. The more heat that permeates a building’s structure means that air-conditioning units must work harder in the summer months.
And the opposite results occur during the winter months; it’s less about how well heating units work but more about how hard it is for business professionals to establish an appropriate degree once inside the office. If it’s too cold, employees must wear jackets and complain; if it gets too hot, clients sweat through meetings. It isn’t worth it.
Even if this impacts energy bills by a small percentage, in years’ time it adds up. Even worse, while clients might be able to tolerate 72-degree offices during the summer with air-conditioning kicking on at all times, temperature sensitive machinery and equipment often cannot, and there go additional maintenance costs.
The Compounding Timeline
The longer a project waits to become addressed, the more complicated it becomes over time. What was once a two-week job, moving scaffolding around the entire exterior quickly, prepping surfaces and then painting previously, now becomes an extensive job that requires multiple layers of application for uneven topographies and weather delay as time runs out for spring showers or winter snows as temperatures drop drastically.
This becomes expensive when labor and materials take longer than anticipated, and until a problem snowballs into something terrible, and contractors realize beyond a reasonable doubt that they’re wasting time moving on this repetitive setup, they avoid painting until they absolutely have no choice.
During this time, businesses lose out on productivity; once side of the building may take a week; then they go back around to avoid interrupting regular hours, this all takes its toll on people eager for projects to be completed.
What Makes Sense
It’s much easier to paint regularly than make up for lost time and potential expenses down the road. A commercial building’s exterior, and interior, needs painted every 7-10 years anyway (some sooner, depending on weather). Therefore, aesthetics does not need to be compromised, and energy efficiency supports overall expectations.
When everything works as it should, no extended timelines complicate things; no hidden repairs cause intensive inspections, business owners become angry at themselves for putting their jobs off and end up resenting their buildings instead.
A structurally sound facility remains a selling point professionally; tenants appreciate well-kept exteriors; rentals can charge more once it’s time to sell due to society’s expectations and demands. A new paint job never makes things worse; it only makes things better.
It’s rarely cheaper to delay projects; it’s only more expensive with interest down the road.
