Regardless of the location, size or purpose of your commercial property - school, strata, retirement, offices or hospitality - painting maintenance is an important aspect of facilities management that directly affects your tenants, residents, students or other stakeholders.
There are two approaches to painting maintenance: addressing needs as they arise, or implementing a preventive maintenance plan. While the differences between the two may sound negligible, the reality is starkly different. Here are five reasons why you should implement a long-term preventive maintenance plan for your property:
1. Our environment impacts us greatly - and first impressions count
Our external environment has a real impact on our attitude and motivation. An ongoing maintenance plan ensures that your building environment is conducive to its particular purpose, whether that's learning, study, meetings, collaboration or relaxation.
Additionally, the appearance of your commercial buildings is the first interaction a prospective tenant, resident, student or patron has with your property. If your premises are run down or neglected, even the most stellar reputation will eventually become muddied. Ill-maintained exteriors negatively influence external attitudes, from those of potential investors, patrons and students, to existing tenants, residents and stakeholders.
2. A preventive maintenance plan is financially savvy
Superior facilities managers know that it’s more cost-effective to make regular improvements to their property than it is to completely renovate and repaint. In addition, keeping on top of painting requirements ensures warranties are honoured, as reputable contractors will conduct an annual site visit to ensure any faults or issues are dealt with before they become problematic. On the other hand, a once-off contractor who completed ad hoc work isn't contractually obliged to return.
Effective financial management is a priority for all commercial properties, and by implementing a preventive maintenance plan, facilities managers can avoid expensive overhauls of neglected buildings and emergency maintenance costs.
3. Prevention is better than a cure
A regular painting maintenance plan provides a valuable first barrier of defence for your buildings. This safeguards your premises from environmental damage, such as the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun, and structural damage (especially in wooden buildings) that can arise from moisture. Timely, scheduled maintenance minimises natural deterioration and can eliminate the costly repair or replacement of building components.
A regular preventive maintenance plan provided by professional painters should address each area as needed. For example, if a surface doesn’t require repainting at the scheduled time, it may be cleaned instead. This further reduces costs and protects against future damage.
4. Preventive maintenance plans save time
Orchestrating and implementing the painting and maintenance of a commercial property can quickly become a time-consuming and interruptive process. Painting maintenance, however, can be rendered fast and within a flexible schedule – ensuring minimal disruption to students, tenants or residents.
Higgins mitigates these interruptions by providing flexible and efficient painting and maintenance that works around the schedule at hand. For example, if a school has planned maintenance during the holiday period, Higgins will ensure that all work is completed by the time the school reopens, thanks to a rigorous and strategically planned process.
Your paintwork is an investment that needs protecting to ensure the ongoing appearance of your building and reduce future expenses. Learn how to keep your paintwork looking fresh for longer with our handy guide to painting maintenance.
Higgins Coatings is Australia's premier commercial painting contractor with over 70 years of experience in providing cost-effective painting and tailored maintenance solutions to a broad range of industries including hospitals, aged care, schools, and strata. If you need quality painting services delivered on time and within budget, contact us today.
