Commercial  Warehouse Painting Do’s & Don’ts

When it comes to maintaining your commercial warehouse, painting upkeep should top your list. From the inside out, a coat of fresh paint will keep the structure looking great while maintaining a safe environment for employees and customers. In this article, we will cover the DOs and DON’Ts of warehouse painting.

We’ll cover everything you need to know before tackling commercial warehouse painting, including what signs indicate it’s time, the best time of year to schedule, and more.

In addition, we’ll share the top five things to avoid to ensure results are professional-looking and long-lasting.

Warehouse Painting Do’s

Warehouse painting can be an enormous task to undertake. However, you can take steps to reduce the hassle, alleviate stress, and ensure the building remains safe for employees and customers. This section will cover these steps, including signs that indicate a warehouse needs repainting and the best times to schedule the project.  

Reapply Warehouse Floor Paint When It Starts Fading

Warehouse floor paint serves multiple functions, like helping employees and managers organize and maximize space, alert pedestrians of potential hazards, and mark safe paths. For all of these reasons, investing in warehouse floor painting contractors to repaint deteriorating floor markings is essential to the safety and function of the space.

When the floor paint begins to fade, it’s time for a fresh coat. Whether it’s an entire floor that needs recoating to refresh a space or lines and markings that need reapplication, it’s essential to keep tabs on the condition of flooring in all areas of the space and schedule warehouse floor paint to maintain the safety and appearance of this area.

Check for Any Signs of Warehouse Ceiling Paint Peeling

Although looking up isn’t common, it’s not an excuse to neglect the ceilings in a warehouse. No matter how high quality your interior paint is, time and moisture will take their toll. It’s not uncommon for warehouse ceiling paint to crack and peel over time, and it’s a clear sign that repainting is necessary – sooner rather than later.

Schedule Complete Warehouse Repainting During Slow Season

Pretty much every business operates on a cycle of seasonality. Whether temperature-driven or holiday-related, most experience a slow season – which is the perfect time to schedule complete warehouse repainting.

High-quality paint can help preserve the interior of your building by keeping its appearance clean and fresh-looking. Don’t neglect the importance of regularly re-painting interior spaces and plan to execute the project when business slows down to reduce operational interference. Also, if your slow season is during the winter months, it’s possible to save on the project’s cost because commercial painters typically offer winter discounts.

Repaint Warehouse Exterior Outside of Winter Months

The exterior of your warehouse is a different matter, however. Winter weather, especially in Chicago or Cincinnati, can be too hazardous for painting exterior walls due to wet weather and freezing temperatures. Therefore, we recommend planning exterior warehouse painting outside of the winter months to avoid delays and ensure safety.

Check for Signs of Rusting on Metal Surfaces

Most commercial warehouses have an abundance of metal surfaces, which are vulnerable to rusting and corrosion over time. High-quality paint can help protect metal surfaces from the damaging effects of rust, and repainting these surfaces will improve their longevity.

We recommend regularly checking all metal surfaces in your warehouse for signs of rust, so you can take immediate steps to avoid further damage with a fresh coat of protective paint. Staying on top of rusting metal surfaces will save you time and money in the long run, so don’t put off metal surface maintenance.

Inspect Warehouse for Water Damage

Water damage can wreak havoc on ceilings, walls, and more. Furthermore, repair costs will grow in proportion to the extent of the damage. Therefore, check for water damage before you begin any warehouse pain project. Why? Painting over water damage that is still damp is not a fix. In fact, it can make the situation worse.

Painting over water stains that are still damp will lead to the chance of growing mold or mildew. In addition, trying to “quick fix” mold by covering it up with paint will only cause it to spread more and possibly get into other areas of the space. So, before you schedule any warehouse painting, thoroughly check for water damage and repair schedule repairs before painting begins.

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Warehouse Painting Don’ts

Now that we’ve explained the recommended “to do’s” in warehouse painting, it’s time to cover what not to do. These tips can save you a lot of stress and headaches when it comes time to tackle any warehouse painting project, whether it’s the interior, exterior – or both.

Don’t Wait for Warehouse Floor Stripes to Completely Fade

As we mentioned earlier, warehouse floor paint serves multiple functions that contribute to the function and safety of the warehouse’s working environment making timely maintenance of fading floor markings essential. Furthermore, maintaining visible floor stripings meets OSHA (i.e., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) recommendations for warehouse floor safety, which are:

• Floor marking lines must be at least 2″ wide to ensure maximum visibility, though the agency recommends lines to be 2″ to 6″ wide.

• Aisles should be at least 4′ wide, or at least 3′ wider than the largest piece of equipment used in the aisle.

Basically, allowing floor markings to fade completely can be hazardous to employees and customers alike. So don’t wait – make it a priority to schedule warehouse floor painting contractors to keep your floor markings visible and functional.

Never Reapply Paint on a Surface That is Peeling

Nothing says “it’s time” to repaint your warehouse more than unattractive peeling paint. However, applying a fresh coat of paint to peeling paint is nothing but a waste of time and money. Paint peels because something is prohibiting the paint from adhering to the surface, and a fresh coat of paint does not fix the problem.

If a surface is peeling, you must first identify why the original paint is not adhering to the surface. Once you’ve established the cause, it will need to be fixed. Otherwise, you are simply applying a quick fix to a problem that will persist and cost more time and money to fix again in the future.

Don’t Schedule Your Warehouse Painting Too Late

Repainting is undoubtedly overdue when physical signs indicate it’s time to schedule commercial warehouse painting. That peeling, cracked, fading, or bubbling paint you see? It’s already a problem. Maintaining the integrity of your warehouse’s painted interior and exterior surfaces is essential building maintenance and delaying the work often leads to more damage over time.

Commercial grade or high-quality paint will protect surfaces from damage caused by weather, wear and tear, and more. Waiting too long or neglecting the warehouse paint upkeep can make the space more vulnerable. Maintaining the paint throughout your warehouse also signals to all who use the space that it’s well-cared for and clean.

Don’t Ignore Signs of Damage Such as Rust or Peeling Paint

Rust and peeling paint are not only unsightly and potentially unsafe, but they will also only get worse as time passes. So it’s important to address these concerns immediately. Overall, we recommend planning regular repainting of all warehouse surfaces to help prevent damage like rusting, peeling, and cracking. It’s always better to prevent rather than fix.

Never Hire Inexperienced Contractors for Your Warehouse Painting Project

Warehouse painting is a cumbersome undertaking thanks to most warehouse spaces’ sheer size and breadth. They are often filled with heavy industrial equipment, oversized shelving, or other hard-to-manage items that can impede access to areas. A professional commercial painting team is experienced and equipped to handle all aspects of large commercial projects in a safe, professional, and timely manner.

Furthermore, professional paint companies are usually fully licensed and insured with comprehensive coverage, including general liability and worker’s compensation insurance. Most are also lead certified by the EPA and safety certified by OSHA. Basically, trying to save money by going with a cheaper contractor with no professional commercial painting experience will likely cost more money than saving it. Often, inexperienced contractors will make mistakes that require fixing on your dime.
If you are in the market for highly reliable commercial warehouse painting services in the Chicago or Cincinnati areas, you can rely on PPD Painting to provide top-quality, professional service – and the peace of mind knowing your job will be done right the first time.

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