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Most people want to see painted metal
buildings with “new” looking color and luster,
as well as a clean and shiny surface appearance.
Whether they own the building or are
customers, the psychological value that great “curb appeal” presents is enormous. It sets
the “atmosphere” of the buying
experience off on a positive note
for the customer and feeds the
pride of ownership for the building
owner. Yet how many painted metal
buildings have you erected more
than seven years ago still have that “factory fresh” appearance?
What makes the paint on a building
lose color intensity and luster? Sun,
heat and moisture are the three major
causes of paint degradation. Combined, they
work to dry out the pigment molecules that give
paint its color and shine. They slowly degrade the
molecules from an almost marble-like sphericality
to a dimpled golf ball and, eventually, to a fuzzy
tennis ball where the color is faded and shine diffused.
So what do you do?
Anything clear that returns moisture to
paint will wet out the pigments returning their
color and restoring their molecules to microscopic
marbles so light can be reflected as
pure specular gloss. If you want proof of how
easy it is to restore color and shine to anything
faded, get a sample piece of really dull and
oxidized painted metal. Take a bottle of olive
oil from your kitchen, and pour a little on to
that faded piece of
metal. Voilà, it is instantly
restored. And
it will stay like that for
a day or two, until the
oil evaporates.
You can see from
the olive oil demonstration
that restoration
of color and
shine is easy; it’s the
maintaining a like-new
appearance that is
more difficult. Our polymer clear coating does
that very well, keeping the painted surface of
a metal building looking new for years. Even
though eventually it will need reapplication,
this can be easily done to once again restore
color and provide effective weather protection
for another five to 10 years.
A faded, dull, oxidized or even chalky finish
of any metal building can be restored, refinished
or rejuvenated to “like new” color tone
with original or better shine and luster. You
can deliver a fantastic “cosmetic facelift”
to any metal building by a simple method of
paint restoration that is very easy to apply.
By simply putting a clear coat on the faded
painted surfaces (much like the clear coats
used to protect your car’s finish), you can
instantly restore a vibrant appearance to even
the oldest building that brings back the color
and rejuvenates the shine.
The clear coat gives that dull, dingy
building a new look while at the same time
acts to weather protect it. Protect it from the
ravages of sun (ultraviolet radiation degrades
the color and gloss of paint), moisture corrosion,
temperature extremes, industrial fallout,
mildew/algae, airborne pollution, salt air (if
you are near the coast), bird droppings, and
everyday dirt and grime. The clear coats’
non-stick surface shrugs off all forms of dirt
and contamination so it’s a snap to keep
clean. Of course, the cleaner you keep it, the
longer the clear coating will keep the rejuvenated
paint looking fantastic.
To restore a faded painted metal building
to like-new color and gloss, we recommend
an average price of 80 cents to $1 per square
foot. At that price you will net —net to the bottom
line—anywhere from 50 to 60 percent.
You can make a really good profit doing a really
great thing for your customers.
Of course, you should investigate any product
you are going to associate your company
with before starting a restoration program.
Judge the ease of use; toxicity and required
safe handling of the product, whether the
company makes its own or private labels the
product from a third party (and will tell you who
that company is); track record of the product;
test reports; years the company has been in
business; and level of support for your program in deciding which product you should use.
William Rice is president of Vivilon Coatings,
Orlando, Fla.
For more information, visit
www.vivilon.com
www.metalconstructionnews.com
METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS / JUNE 2008
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