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The Green Building Movement
Part 2 - Success Story
By Joel Hamberg
First Vice President, Craftsmanship Forum
President, Joel Hamberg Painting, Inc.
The first article in the four-part Green Building series, "Part 1 - Are You
on Board?" defined the Green Building Movement paint products as low-VOC,
no-VOC, waterborne, low odor, Green Seal certified, or eco-friendly.
Health concerns for clients and applicators were discussed and why using
green products have advantages over conventional coatings.
You've seen what has changed in the construction industry, government
regulations, and customer attitudes to give the Green Building Movement
momentum. So the industry is changing. We need to change with it. Get on
board the movement, or be left behind!
But this question hasn't been answered: what return will it bring to you
as a contractor to invest in offering green products? We will illustrate
with a recent case history of how these products produced a superior result
in a 12,000 square foot restaurant at the Old Spaghetti Factory, Johns
Landing location in Portland, Oregon.
Our company refinished the signature trolley in 2000. Originally painted a
forest green, it was set to take on a brilliant red. Latex enamel enabled
us to apply two coats in one night with no downtime for the restaurant. In
2005, we refinished the wood surfaces, including front door, sidelights,
vestibule, window panels, accordion doors, grand staircases, trim, wall
paneling, fireplace and art framework without interfering with the
restaurant's regular hours.
The 12,000 square foot project took on two phases. We started April 6,
2005 on the larger, lower floor and finished in about six weeks. After a
one-month hiatus, the second phase including the second floor, was
completed July 27, 2005.
Going Green Saved Time
What is your time worth? We're not just talking dollars here. Painting
is labor intensive, repetitive work, but if there were time savers that
didn't compromise quality, you'd want to know about it. This was our
experience last spring:
- Ease of movement without respirators, spray suits and equipment
- Containment tents and ventilation fans were not needed
- Masking was limited to 12" paper and tape, immediate areas such as tables and chairs were covered with 9 foot wide plastic
- Stain color blending was speeded because it was mixed directly in a water base of poly/acrylic varnish, creating a colored glaze
- Storing materials was a major time saver, as no hazardous or solvent- based materials were used
- Up to four coats were applied in one night
- Quicker drying time required momentum to keep a wet edge, which sped the workers to keep pace
- Disposal was simplified since no hazardous containers were needed; rags were just thrown out (in garage) as is The Green Movement - Success Story Page 2
- Efficient scheduling as drying times were so predictable that we could tell the restaurant staff exactly which areas we would need readied for each night's work
Going Green Saved Aggravation
You want to know if these products will perform in the short term. Is the
set up hard? Just as important is the ease of maintaining long term. How
well do touch ups blend later? Will the customer need special cleaners to
remove food & dirt? Is it high maintenance?
When you use oil enamels, Xylene-based primers and additives, or conversion
varnishes with formaldehyde and isocyanides in a public area, what is set
up like? The spray application requires massive amounts of tenting off and
masking to contain the extreme odors and over spray. Out come the
heavy-duty thinners and chemicals to clean up. In contrast, water base has
no smell, is easy to apply by hand or spray gun, and cleans up with water.
It is very forgiving in repairing or touching up mistakes in application.
What about compatibility with various surfaces? If you're down by the
Willamette River in SW Portland, come and see the intricate carved wood,
metal window frames and heat registers, and large panels of new and antique
woodwork, and judge the results for yourself! After cleaning surfaces to
be coated on the historic trolley, adhesion of the new product was
excellent. The acrylic enamel stuck like glue, without even using a
bonding primer.
After five years in service, any minor damage can easily be touched up.
The customer can use mild vegetable oil based cleaners to remove dirt and
grime. There is no color fade noticeable. Even the sheen remains exactly
the same as the original work. That's the beauty of acrylic products.
"Green" refers to the environment, not the color spectrum! You'll be glad
to know there is a wide choice of colors. Stains come in twelve stock
colors, can be tinted with universal colorant, and can also be intermixed.
Polyacrylic varnish has several sheens: satin, semi-gloss and gloss.
You weren't born yesterday. Why haven't we brought up product price? The
cost is about the same as solvent-based products. If you factor in clean
up and disposal, the price sounds more and more reasonable!
Don't overlook the possible cost of future disability claims from workers'
comp claims. It's not uncommon for painters to become chemically sensitive
to prior formulations, which build up to allergies to current formulas.
More serious problems may arise, as the history of lead-based paint
demonstrates. With water-based products, there are no adverse health
effects. Again, weigh costs against the effort and aggravation saved.
Green Satisfaction |
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