Though residential and commercial painters essentially provide the same type of service, you’ll come to find that many of these contractors only do residential painting or only commercial painting, with no overlap in between. That’s because jobs that differ in scale or size require different approaches, and most painting companies already have an idea of which jobs they can realistically take on. Learn more about the key differences between residential and commercial painting below:
Job Size
The biggest difference between residential painters and companies that do commercial painting is the scale of the jobs they do. If the structure consists of multiple floors or takes up a significant amount of space—think hospitals, hotels, office buildings or stadiums—the job will go to a commercial painting Perth company that has the necessary equipment and manpower to complete the task.
Most residential painting contractors also work on specific property types that dictate the size of the jobs they can take on. Just because a company says they do residential painting doesn’t mean that they can take on all kinds of residential jobs. A two-storey home for a single family is not the same thing as a strata building, for example; a commercial painting contractor is probably better suited for such a considerable undertaking.
Services, Equipment and Materials
The materials used to build a house are not usually the same materials used to build skyscrapers with, and as such, they cannot be painted the same way. A residential painter would know how to treat sheetrock textures and composite siding elements commonly found in many homes. Commercial establishments don’t have these features but employ specialised materials for smooth exterior surfaces that commercial painters are trained and experienced in handling.
Commercial painting Perth contractors are also able to offer a variety of painting services that require special tools and equipment, such as sandblasting, electrostatic painting, faux finishing and epoxy floor installation among others. On the other hand, residential painters don’t typically offer these. Commercial painters are also more well-versed in handling industrial-grade supplies such as premium durable paints that are specially formulated for places that see a lot of foot traffic or are very much exposed to the elements. They also often own or know where to rent heavy-duty equipment and machinery such as cherry pickers and paint sprayers that can make quick work of a large job.
Project Management
Due to the sheer size and scope of many commercial projects, there are often multiple contractors on-site working simultaneously so that the establishment can open for business as scheduled. Commercial painting contractors are used to the chaos of coordinating with other teams and can continue to work efficiently while dealing with tight deadlines. They are trained to work with numerous subcontractors whenever necessary as they all work towards a common goal. Commercial painters are also often asked to work nights or weekends when businesses are closed, to minimise the risks of injuring third-party individuals.
Residential painters, on the other hand, usually have much more leeway when it comes to scheduling. Most homeowners prefer that they work during normal business hours on weekdays; the home is empty, allowing them to work freely. They usually only need to coordinate their efforts with an interior designer or the homeowner himself, too. The painting process is generally simple, but residential painters have to be detail-oriented and careful, especially if they are working in a house that is currently occupied and full of the residents’ things. Painstaking measures need to be taken in order to prevent paint splatters and other kinds of damage to the existing furniture or any fixtures that are already in place.
The differences between residential and commercial painting Perth companies go much further beyond the structures they can service. If you are interested in repainting your space, it’s crucial to hire the right contractor for the job. Keep these key differences in mind and do the necessary research beforehand before picking up the phone and calling the first firm you find online.
