HEALTH CARE
There are 3 major groups to contend with in a health care facility…Patient, staff & visitor. For this type of project we orchestrate the colour palette to support all, but in different ways. Colour usage at the emergency waiting room is very different than  the front desk or the recovery areas & private rooms.
Certain colours act as a tonic to our bodies. Colour can help aid healing, lift spirits, settle nerves, & direct traffic . It can also allow a surgeon deeper concentration & less eyestrain… or calm an emotional family member. 

SCHOOLS & LEARNING INSTITUTIONS
Correct colour use can enhance the absorption of information & facilitate the thinking process. This applies to the classroom as well as the transitional areas in an educational facility. Even within the classroom itself, variety in colour has proven to support the learning process & reduce eyestrain & fatigue.
I always keep in mind, not just what the students are seeing, but also what the instructor will be experiencing. 

DAYCARE FACILITY
In general, children under the age of 8 prefer the warm side of the palette. Room function must be taken into consideration. Is it a room in which they’ll play & nap? If so the surrounding colours must support both activities. Variety in colour is important for creative stimulation, so transition areas & lunch areas present an opportunity to bring variety to the mix. 

RETIREMENT FACILITIES
I like to recommend a cleaner, less complicated colour palette for the elderly. Vision compromised by cataracts, glaucoma & macular degeneration can seem to have a ‘greying’ effect over surrounding colour.
Depression is another factor than can be lessened by correct use of colour. I avoid large areas of white on a project like this as it creates an institutional feeling & creates eyestrain.
So, there is a brief outline on the things to consider . Of course there are no ‘ultimate ‘ answers as each project is unique!
Sylvia O’Brien / Colour Theory   http://www.colourtheory.net/

This is part one, of a 2 part interview.

Sylvia, I suppose the choice of colours for commercial spaces depends on the clients’ needs & the intended use of the space. Any industry specific general considerations? 

SYLVIA :
There certainly are George. The nature of the project definitely directs the type of colour range used.
Is it corporate? ….care giving? ….retail?
All of these projects get a unique treatment.

Here are a few examples of what needs consideration: 

RESTAURANTS
The 2 key ingredients in colour selection for restaurants are establishing image & supporting function. Image / creating an experience through atmosphere
Function / colour that whets appetite &  good conversation.
Dining areas require different colour treatment than prep areas.
The restaurant experience, & even the length of stay can be influenced by colour usage. 
 
OFFICE SPACE
For office interiors branding & function are the considerations. Part of a successful outcome is understanding how each space is used & by who.  Colour can increase (or decrease) productivity… and therefore, the bottom line.
Careful consideration of colour pays off in more ways than one. 
 
CONDO COMMON SPACES
Colour trend is important for these spaces— not the trend of the moment, but a general treatment that will be accepted easily by most homeowners & new home buyers (a trend that can work now, & 7 to 10 years from now).  A key factor, however, is making sure the colour range used is  sympathetic to the architecture (ie. Do they tell the same ‘story’?). 

HOTEL SPACES
A recent trend in hotel interiors is to incorporate a ‘homier’ less institutional feel, reflecting local character to enhance the experience for the guest.
Large chain hotels are an exception to this as their branding is strengthened by their familiarity, whether in Ottawa or Paris.
Variable colour nuance is required in each area . The lobby (the jewel at the centre of the hotel environment) is treated differently than the communal halls, private rooms or restaurant. Each colour has a job to do.  

RETAIL
Colour in retail should reflect the store’s image, especially at the entry & point of purchase. Colour should create excitement & support the brand of the store.  However, the sales floor is a backdrop to accommodate the many changing colours of merchandise that will channel through it. In a large retail facility colour coding can  help direct the customer, streamlining the shopping process and minimizing confusion. 

So George, there is a brief outline on the things to consider . Of course there are no ‘ultimate ‘ answers as each project is unique! 

Sylvia O’Brien / Colour Theory   www.colourtheory.net

If you need commercial colour consulting, please call 416 479-0131  Sylvia will help you with your colours.

- There should be no cracks or blisters of the paint.
- There should also be no cracks between the woodwork and main surfaces. If there are any cracks, they should be caulked again with acrylic caulking.
Any opening to the film of paint will allow water to penetrate and damage the surface.
- Fading of the paint finish and gloss usually means it is time for a new paint job.
- Mildew is another problem that can can develop on exterior surfaces. Cheaper paints and especially oil based paints can promote the growth of mildew. The good news is that mildew can be washed easily with a mixture of three parts water and one part bleach.
- Metal will sometimes develop rust if the paint film has openings for moisture. Ongoing rust presence is difficult to control. Limiting its growth and improving the appearance of the surface is all that can be expected at this time. Two coats of Direct to Metal paint after a rust primer can be used. 
- Masonry substrates sometimes have a powdery substance on their surface, called Efflorescence. That is a result of moisture from inside carrying white salts to the outside.
The source of the problem should be identified if a permanent solution is needed. If that is not possible, it can be cleaned with a wire brush, primed and painted.

Maintaining the exterior of a building makes financial sense as it can prevent serious damage to the building. To get an industry expert to help you with the maintenance of a building, call 416 479-0131. COMPASE and their Commercial Toronto Painters have been helping preserve buildings in the GTA.

COMPASE,  local Toronto Painters was awarded the commercial contract to paint the large interior of the Parkdale Community Health Centre. PCHC is a non-profit community health centre located in the Queen and Dufferin area of Toronto.
80% of the space had to be painted during business hours without a major interruption to the every day routine of the facility. This has to be a two month project, so the painters have to be able to integrate into the community of the centre and virtually become invisible.
The painters used were from Ecopainting. Their proven experience with eco-friendly coatings made them the right choice for this project.

The paint used for all walls was Benjamin Moore’s new Waterbourne Eco Spec in Eggshell.
Eco Spec is the most environmentally friendly paint available for Commercial Projects. Like most new Benjamin Moore paints, adding colourants will not add VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) to the paint. As a result, facility managers can choose any colour without being concerned about the level of VOC. The low odour and its quick drying properties made this paint great for this health care facility.
For this project there was a main colour that was used for the main common areas. A combination of four different colours from the Affinity Color Collection was used for all rooms.

Painters found the paint very easy to work with. Painting behind filing cabinets, desks and medical equipment is easier, as two coats are possible within an hour or two. What makes this paint remarkable is the fact that over 40 rooms and common areas are painted during business hours, with not one incident or complaint by anyone so far.
One month into the project everything seems to be progressing smoothly at about 20% ahead of schedule.

COMPASE (Commercial Painting) was contracted to clean and paint a Food Service refrigerator in a dining  carea-cafeteria. This was for one of our regular customers, a not-for-profit organization, a large retirement home located in the south west area of Toronto.
The timeline of the project was understandably  tight.
The customers staff had to empty the refrigerator and air it out first. Then the walls had to be washed, de-greased and rinsed well before any sanding or priming could take place.
After scuff-sanding and dusting the surfaces, there was some corrosion and rust that had to be treated and spot-primed with a rust resistant primer. After the rust primer a bonding primer had to be used . Some panels had to be caulked with enough drying time before painting.
The coating used, was Benjamin Moore’s DTM (Direct To Metal) paint. This is an acrylic coating with great durability and adhesion. It is a FDA (Food and Drug Administration) quality coating, which made it appropriate to use in this situation.

Considering the drying times between coats of paint, the project was completed successfully by our Commercial Toronto Painters within 48 hours.

As the debate about lead in old paint is heating up south of the border,  it is important to keep aware of the issues faced by Toronto Painters here.
Lead is a harmful substance that was used widely by paint manufacturers. It improved paint performance and durability.
The problem was that the lead in paint was very harmful to humans and especially children younger than six years old. It is known to  affect growth in children and be harmful to other organs of the body. Despite the well known effects on children,  it can harm adults as well, especially the reproductive system of males and females.
Paint manufacturers replaced some of the benefits lead had with new and less harmful substances.
The problem is, many buildings,  the Greater Toronto Area included, still have lead under many layers of paint.
When construction occurs in older buildings, care needs to be taken in not disturbing the old layers of paint as paint chips and Lead dust can be ingested and hurt the residents or workers of the facilities. This is more prevalent when renovating and Painting Daycare Centres, Learning Facilities and Community Centres where children are present. 
If you need more information call 416 733-7767 or request  a consultation by a responsible Paint Contractor in the Toronto area.

Sometimes restoring a structure makes way more sense, environmentally or financially, than replacing it. This was the case when our Missisauga Painters were asked to work on the finish of this sign at the Toronto Pearson International Airport area. The original blue colour was fading, peeling and rust was making its appearance everywhere.
First of all, the surfaces had to be washed. This being the airport area, there was a lot of loose dirt and stains that had to be washed off. After the wash, all the loose rust had to be sanded down to a sound surface. All previously rusted and exposed spots had to be spot-primed with a rust primer. After priming,  two coats of black semigloss rust enamel had to be applied by brush.

During the project he weather was great and every surface had a chance to dry properly.
The only challenge was that the entire structure was infested with wasps and our painters had some difficulty working around them.
This project was completed just before Labour Day in 2009. In addition to the regular noise of Airport traffic, the Snowbirds were practicing for their Exhibition Show.

Call 416 479-0131 to arrange a painting quote in the Mississauga area , 
or fill the contact form and we will get back to you shortly.

When choosing painting services for a commercial facility, the price of the materials, paint and labour are of course taken into account. Looking at the initial cost of painting  in isolation with other factors, would make the choices as simple as an apples to apples comparison between painting contractors.
In that case,  the most cost effective option at the moment  is the best option, right?
By choosing cheap commercial grade paints and the lower priced painters  to apply them, are the initial savings real savings?
Of course ASTM standards can be used for a more scientific evaluation (ASTM E-917) but for the purpose of this article the following are basic factors to consider:

• Good quality paint can be researched. Manufacturers should, and most do, make their Technical Data sheets available in their website. TDS contain enough information to make paint choice easy for anyone interested in finding if certain paints offer cost benefits. For example,  the percentage of solids in a paint can be a determining factor (among other qualities) of how well a paint hides previous colours.
• Low VOC paints are not as harmful to the indoor air quality, so using zero VOC paint will reduce life-cycle costs by not disrupting the work flow. Most zero VOC manufacturers require the use of universal colourants. As a result, using dark colours will introduce VOC to the paint and the smell may have a disruption to employees and create downtime  after all .
• Standard zero  VOC paint used on trim and surfaces that experience a lot of wear and tear may not offer the best life-cycle cost benefit. These paints are “softer” and don’t resist abrasion as well. A  lower VOC  paint designed for trim will last longer.
• The choice of the painting contractor is important.
  Are the painters trained in working around occupied spaces?
  Are they able to offer after-hours and weekend service?
  Do they have a track record of servicing their paint jobs?
  How much preparation work is specified in the scope of work?
  All the above can have a significant effect on the long term cost of a paint job.

COMPASE is a Commercial Painting company serving customers in the Greater Toronto Area. To request additional information call 416 479-0131 or request service online.