Painting & Decorating In-Store events

Painting and decorating is a project where most of your customers will give it a try. Sure what could go wrong? If it needs another coat, so what? If they don’t like the colour sure it’s not the end of the world, and they feel that they can paint it again if necessary.

It’s easy to say that, but not without downsides. Another can of paint may cost €60 – €100 adding further costs to the project. It may take another two coats to cover, which drags the job out causing more delays, more of their time and longer in getting their house/room back in action.

Most people I have met during my career did not like painting and decorating. They found it incredibly boring, very messy, frustrating, and at the end of all their hard work, whether it’s a room or a piece of furniture, it never looked that great.

People forget that painting and decorating is a four-year apprenticeship-based trade and it’s not quite as simple as it sounds. There are many techniques, finishes and applications, and it takes a lot of practice.

From my experiences in talking to people about painting and I have spoken to a lot of people, many have had some sort of bad painting experiences such as:

• Can’t get a straight line at the ceiling and or skirting.
• Can’t clean the brushes and rollers out properly after painting.
• Paint splatter all over the floor, furniture, face and hair
• Paint runs on woodwork.
• Can see all the deep brushstrokes on woodwork.
• Can’t achieve a uniform finish.
• Shadow spots keep reappearing on wall after painting.
• Paint won’t dry or takes an age to dry.
• Etc. etc. etc

I believe many people would like to have a go at painting for themselves, as hiring a good professional painter can be expensive. They find they have more time on their hands now if working from home, and therefore there is a chance they will use this extra time to tackle some of the long over-due painting jobs around the home.

Issues people encounter whilst painting can be avoided by empowering people with the correct information and knowledge of what is needed to complete the job. I’m a great believer in running in-store `painting and decorating experience classes’. Teaching people not necessarily how to paint but educating them on the tools of the trade and the difference between all the brands qualities. Such experience classes can include:

• Explaining how to use certain tools?
• In what situations you would use them?
• Why there are so many choices?
• Why some similar looking items are twice the price?
• Where you start painting in a room?
• Ceilings, walls, and trim, which is the right order for painting?
• Why there is a need for sanding?
• Why cleaning is so important?
• Finishes and all the various sheen levels available and where to use them.
• Eco friendly paints and the advantages of same for the environment

This is valuable information for your customer and there are so many product areas you can concentrate your in-store demos on such as;

• Masking tapes – regular, safe release, UV resistant.
• Brushes – Synthetic versus Pure bristle.
• Roller sleeves – Microfiber, Synthetic, Mohair, Woven.
• Dust sheets – Permeable and non-permeable.
• Roller frames – Easy roll, threaded, roller sets.
• Primers – So many different types.
• Fillers and caulking.
• And many more

It’s all very well your customer looking up YouTube or similar to learn about paint, finishes, applications and tools. You as the local expert have the great advantage and huge opportunity to demonstrate to them, by personal invitation or social media, the extensive knowledge available in your store and the range of products that are all readily available. These events could be as quick as 30 minutes every Saturday morning or once a month or could be held after hours on the premises by booking an appointment. Invite your local painter or decorator to do a master class on furniture restoration or wallpapering, they will get business out of this exercise too. You could complement the sessions with a cup of tea or coffee, it’s a great opportunity to get to know your customer, and for them to get to know you. You can impress them with your team`s wealth of knowledge and professionalism, offering the potential of making customers for life.

Kevin Coghlan, Paint Retail Consultant

Kevin is contactable at kevincoghlan2011@gmail.com / 086 8181473.

This Business Support article featured in the July/August 2021 issue of The Hardware Journal