Commercial Case Study

Project: The Hanover Department of Public Works came to us in February 2022 to paint their interior. Overall the condition was fair when we began and the project required painting, drywall repair, caulking trim and doors. We had a clean area to paint once all furniture and supplies were moved. We were only painting the window frames or the window trim. We were not painting the sashes of the window as they were recently installed vinyl replacement windows. We had to cover up the floor, the drop ceiling, the windows and any other commercial items/hardware. We then repaired gouges, anchor bolt holes and cracks in the walls. We applied drywall compound, allowed it to dry and then sanded it down to a smooth finish. After it was smooth so it wasn’t noticeable, we applied primer over the areas of the walls we fixed. We applied caulking to all areas of the trim and doors where there was noticeable gaps between the wood or the wood and the wall. After all of this prep, we applied two coats of paint to the walls to change the color. We applied two coats of paint to the trim and doors to change the color. We were also painting natural wood to change its color to white paint. We had to lightly sand the natural wood to promote better adhesion for the primer and the paint. We then applied one full coat of primer to the wood and allowed the primer to dry. When the primer was dry, we applied two coats of paint.

Process: Painting natural wood white was a challenge for our team, but we overcame this by applying a special process. This involved lightly sanding the wood to promote adhesion. Once that was finished, we then applied one complete coating of a quality primer. Once the primer dried, we applied two coats of paint. Our team had to cover the floor, the doors and the windows with plastic. We had to make sure that the smell from the primer we were using did not get out into the hallways as the other areas of the office building were in use. We concealed each door with plastic and tape. Once this was complete, the team lightly sanded the wood to promote better adhesion. Natural wood typically has a polyurethane coating that needs to be broken up so that primer and paint can adhere better. After this, the wood received one full coat of shellac primer and two coats of finish paint.

Result: Overall, our team was able to complete the project in four days and the Hanover DPW was happy with the results.