The difference between residential and commercial painters and why it matters

Most professional painting companies offer services in both commercial and residential settings. What’s the difference? Can any company offer both? Aren’t the steps similar? Not necessarily. The painting industry makes a clear line between the two for several reasons. Here are 5 differences between residential and commercial painting to consider.

Crew Size

With larger spaces, more hands are required on the job. They can also have much larger footprints. By having more members of the crew, the scheduled time can be maximized and the project completed on time. Painting a project like an apartment, restaurant, or commerce space usually means larger walls, vaulted ceilings, and more square footage. By offering bigger crews, the painting companies can ensure your project is taken care of with attention to detail while still being swift.

Because a single-family residence is smaller, the crew follows the trend. Too many ladders and extension poles cause collisions instead of helping the work along. For a couple of bedrooms to get painted, most likely you’ll only get a painter or two. For this reason, painting companies with an emphasis on residential projects will employ fewer painters.

Equipment

When tackling a large area in need of paint, crews have specialized tools for the project. Commercial crews come with equipment like scaffolding, sprayers, and even hydraulic lifts. While for some jobs, these tools might seem like overkill, the crew will know best what to use to get the best results for you. The crew likely will be adept at dealing with the specific issues that arise in a commercial space. They will be able to breeze through your job without unexpected delays.

Experience

Painters usually begin their careers in the residential arena and move into commercial. Painters early in their careers can get a good outcome on a home dining room, but a retail store or cafe requires more skills and experience. Once a painter gets that knowledge, and experience, they move up the ranks into the commercial painting pool. Working with a company that has commercial painters on their teams usually means they have the required experience to take on these projects.

Communication

Working with a small crew to paint your home takes a bit of communication. When it comes to commercial spaces, communication is more crucial. Schedules, to-do items, and expectations will need to be regularly communicated to a larger group of people that are affected by the job. Planning and putting out information ahead of time is necessary to keep the project on track. Commercial crew supervisors are integral members of the project management team. They are happy to assist with the flow of knowledge.

Schedule Availability

By virtue of bigger teams, there will be more scheduling ability. Professional painting teams will have availability for off-hours and weekend production. Smaller companies will have a tough time providing these services to companies requesting them. Other companies will work in predetermined sections throughout the project space.

Range of Services

The bigger teams of commercial painters gain knowledge from the pool of painters they employ. Between their experiences, they will be able to address more uncommon service requests. Services like specialty coatings, epoxy flooring, sandblasting, electrostatic painting, and faux finishing are normal requests for these crews.

Licensing and insurance

In many states, a commercial license is required to work on large buildings rather than just a home improvement contractor license. This license also comes with different insurance coverage levels. You should always check to make sure a contractor has both.

If you are thinking about refreshing the look of your business, schedule a free, no-obligation estimate now.