Researching the Paints of the Future

Paint manufacturers are currently conducting research and development for the coating systems of the future. Environmental safety and cost efficiency are the primary agenda of the research efforts. In the near future, energy-efficient paints with lower toxic emissions will be available at affordable prices. The painting processes themselves are also being subjected to various studies.

Painting contractors will soon have access to products and technology that meet the current and future requirements of the painting industry, such as:

1. Improved paint application efficiency. Current application methods and practices are being revised to support future formulations. The powder paint technology, for instance, is being researched in tandem with radical changes in spray booths. This technology aims to improve paint quality at lesser manufacturing costs.

2. Environment-friendly formulations and applications. The focus is on water-based and -water soluble paints that have lower-VOC levels and are fire-retardant compared to ordinary paints. Painting processes are also being improved for CO2 reduction.

3. Paint disposal and recycleability. Waste reduction at all stages of the painting application is the subject of researches. The possibility of an efficient recycling system is also being explored

4. Smart and self-cleaning paints. The idea has been around for some time, inspired by the lotus plant that resists dirt and cleans itself. A coating compound to resist surface dirt and cleanse itself easily with rain or water is being developed in laboratories. Chameleon paints that change color depending on environmental conditions are also in the research agenda. The future release of these smart paints is much anticipated by painting contractors.

Painting Contractors: Keeping Pace with Changing Trends

The construction industry began the year with new trends in coatings technology. To keep up with these advances, painting contractors are also increasing their skills and expertise, and their existing methodologies and techniques.

To keep pace with the times, painting contractors are focusing changes to the following areas:

1. Painting contractors aim to be well-versed in the wide variety of paint options. They familiarize themselves with the newly released products in the market, to be able to provide these offering to clients.

2. Painting contractors aim to enhance their skills to capably support nearly all requirements of building construction, repair and maintenance. They cross-train their personnel on a wide range of tasks, such as interior and exterior renovations, carpentry, wood-working, wallpaper-work, among others. This allows them to deliver a comprehensive quality package to their clients.

3. Painting contractors pursue certifications in industry standards and launch conformance efforts to comply with the standards and rules of industry regulating bodies. This is to increase their credibility among their peers and partners and to enhance their methods and services to satisfy clients.

Green Paint Trends

Environmentally-safe formulations are cornering a wider market in 2010 than in previous years. This is proof that the Green Building Movement is no longer a vision but a present-day reality. As more and more building owners choose to construct their facilities with ecologically-safe features, the list of product offerings from major paint manufacturers in the country is getting longer:

1. The demand for paint biocides is increasing. The construction industry is slowly turning away from the application of solvent-based coatings systems. Painting contractors opt for water-based systems where biocides are major components. The increased demand is bringing biocide costs down, which in turn brings down the cost of manufacturing and selling hygienic coatings.

2. Low-odor water-based latex paints are manufactured with low- to zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds). As interior coatings, they deliver equal durability and good performance as traditional paints. Painting contractors can choose from a variety of textures and finishes using these formulations.

3. Acrylic coatings are still one of the best choices for green outdoor applications. These are highly-resistant to exposure from the elements. The coatings also dry faster than regular exterior coats.

4. To complement green paints, paint supplies are also going green. Painting contractors can choose from recycled paint brushes with nylon-bristles or recycled paint rollers. Biodegradable trays produced from paper pulp by-products and other earth-friendly tools and materials are being used by painting contractors in building constructions and maintenance.

Paint Color Forecasts for 2010

Industry experts see the emergence of innovative painting products and applications in 2010. An evolution in paint pigments appears in many manufacturers’ pallets this year. The array of hues caters to a variety of consumer tastes and preferences, summarized below:

1. Colors for Comfort

Neutral colors are still in, simple and versatile at the same time. Painting contractors can choose muted neutrals that provide a subtle calming effect when applied to the interiors. Manufacturers have mixed these colors with undertones that adjust to the surroundings. These make for an understated simplicity that makes any office or employee lounge a comfortable place to stay in.


2. Happy Colors

Paint colors run the length of the spectrum. Bright and rich tones dominate the interiors. Painting contractors add these playful and vivid colors to their catalogs. The colors create a beautiful room atmosphere that is bold, loud, interesting and dynamic at the same time.


3. Painting as Art

Manufacturers have art in mind with an offering of pastels suggestive of Monet paintings. At the opposite are vibrant earth-toned colors evocative of ethnic artistry. Painting contractors, building designers and owners are not surprised that this year there is also a resurgence of “worn” or muted patina for those with the “old-world” theme in mind.

Green Building Cost Benefits

At every green building successfully built by the team of architects, designers, contractors and painting companies promoting the Green Building Movement, the cost of construction is driven further and further down. The cost of designing new and green features tapered off gradually as skills, experience and materials improved. In fact, recent trends show that green buildings are actually earning significant financial benefits compared to conventional buildings.

Today, construction and maintenance of green buildings bring cost benefits such as the following:

1. Lower energy expenses

The use of natural lighting and installing features for better heat circulation decreases electricity and gas consumption. Utilizing alternative and renewable power sources also reduces the facility’s energy expenses.

2. Decreased maintenance costs

The setup of sustainable systems in the green building ensures that the building structure lasts longer. These systems may include high-resistant protective coating systems and thermal systems that improve air circulation and ventilation in the facility.

3. Less health-related costs

A green building has fewer toxic emissions and lower pollution levels than standard buildings. This increases the environmental quality in and outside the facility. The cleaner air leads to healthier building occupants who are less likely to contract pollution-related illnesses.

4. Better Productivity

Green building employees and occupants spend their time in healthier and more comfortable environs, which boost productivity.

Green Building Costs

Although the Green Building Movement has the reputation for being an environment-saving construction initiative, there is a general perception that green buildings are very expensive to build than standard buildings. This reputation often becomes a deterrent that prevents many building owners and painting companies from constructing buildings with ecologically-friendly features.

The perception was true at the initial stages of the green initiative. The cost was due to the relative inexperience of building designers, architects, painting companies and the building sector as a whole when it comes to green building design. In the days when green building techniques are highly-experimental at best, it often took more time to incorporate green features to the conventional building design.

Even green building materials are hard to source initially. For example, coating systems used by painting companies used to be more expensive. Painting companies find that coating products were not so available or abundant. This is because only a few manufacturers produced low- or zero-VOCs emitting formulations before. With so few suppliers, the coating supplies are limited, raising their prices because of the scarcity.

But that all changed as the building industry grew in experience. The designers learned to design green features at less costs. Material sources improved in technology to produce more and better green products. The painting companies improved their application techniques. At present the cost of building and maintaining environment-safe buildings has decreased significantly because of this progress.

Painting Companies in Green Building

The world is becoming more aware of the deteriorating state of the environment. The building industry, in particular, is taking steps to remove its reputation as one of the least environment-friendly sectors in the country. The green building movement is underway with facility managers, building designers and painting companies all doing their share to build earth-friendly facilities.

What makes green buildings different? Unlike conventional buildings, green buildings are constructed and maintained using green designs and operational practices. Green or environmentally-sound buildings use lesser amounts of energy, water and materials during construction. They also utilize resources more efficiently in the entire duration of their useful life.

Green building designs work with the environment, not against it. For example, the use of natural light is used to illuminate interiors. Painting companies support the green construction work by using products and formulations that are emitting low- to zero-VOC. Painting companies do not necessarily use such products with conventional buildings.

Because of the more efficient resource consumption involved in the construction and operation of green buildings, facility managers and painting companies recognize that there is a great potential to cut on resource costs. Plus the fact that green buildings are also designed for sustainability implies the added long-term cost benefit that can be realized in operating green buildings.

The High Costs of Building Construction and Maintenance

The construction industry often has the reputation for being one of the major resource consumers in the country. Buildings and facilities consume so much electricity to support daily operations, using up around 70% of the nation's electricity resources every year. On top of this, the building industry is also a consistent top consumer of water, as well as construction materials like wood and concrete, among others. Albeit, such high resource consumption is attributed to the necessity of providing critical services to building visitors and occupants.

Conversely, while the building sector accrues astronomical costs for basic resources such as energy and water, it is also notorious for generating harmful operational by-products. Facilities collectively generate higher carbon dioxide emissions than any other sector in the country. Waste disposal has always been an issue with facilities, compounded by the fact that waste generation does not let up at all and instead continue increasing every year, as more and more buildings come into existence. Pollution levels are kept within reasonable levels with stringent building practices, but only barely. The resulting environment is one that can potentially and negatively affect the health and safety of human occupants.

With such high costs in terms of resources and impact, the Green Building Movement is looking more and more appealing to building owners and the painting companies who deal with these costs everyday.

Tips in Choosing a Full-Service Bridge Painting Contractor

The major challenges posed by bridge coatings projects compel bridge operators to entrust the project only to the best bridge painting contractors in the industry. Bridge repairs and maintenance requires bridge painting contractors to be multi-skilled and experienced not only in the painting process but also in other skills needed by such a complex project. It will require cross-trained workers capable of a variety of tasks required in bridge painting.

Below are some tips in how to hire the best contractors for the job:

1. Give priority to coatings specialists who have a deep knowledge of protective coatings products.

2. Carefully examine the contractors’ portfolio and check if they have the hands-on experience or capability in bridge painting projects. At the very least, contractors should be able to scale their abilities to cater from small to large projects.

3. Consider the methodologies and work practices of the contractor, and if these can stand up to the demands of heavy-duty bridge painting.

4. Identify any extra skills that the contractors possess and could be useful in bridge painting, such as skills in steel or deck coatings, high rise projects, heavy machinery coatings, and the like.

5. Evaluate their capability to address other bridge painting issues like traffic control and management, human and environmental safety, property protection, work schedules and bridge closure avoidance, among others.

Full-Service Bridge Painting

Bridge repair and maintenance projects often demand the completion of certain essential activities to ensure success. These activities are critical to the project because they offer solutions to major challenges that may be encountered in such a large-scale painting project. These tasks may range from highly-specialized applications such as steel structural coating, deck coatings and marking, sandblasting, chemical abrasion and coating, sealant applications, to name a few.

Bridge painting contractors assigned to the bridge painting project should therefore have the needed skills and experience for applications such as heavy machinery coating, high-rise coating, and heavy industrial painting, among others. The bridge contractor who has cross-trained for such tasks and applications provides a stronger guarantee of surmounting any issues that arise.

Bridge painting also carries additional challenges to compound the enormity and complexity of the project. Some examples of these are the logistics of controlling bridge traffic in the duration of the project, the protection of surrounding properties and environs from any form of damage, the safety of bridge workers, keeping the bridge safe for passing vehicles, and the prevention of any untoward incidents or accidents that could lead to bridge closure.

These factors and a lot more, require real experience from full-service bridge painting contractors that know the kinds of conditions that the bridge painting project demands. An extensive experience in bridge painting operations assure that the project completes successfully to the mutual benefit of all stakeholders – the public, workers, and the environment.

Green Bridge Painting

Foremost of the logistical challenges faced by bridge painting contractors during bridge repairs and maintenance is the environmental concern that arises whenever bridge painting activities are planned for implementation.

Ecological welfare being at the forefront of the public consciousness nowadays, bridge painting contractors often find that strict compliance to environmental safety regulations should be top priority of their project implementation activities.

Bridge painting contractors should use low-VOC coatings as much as possible, to replace old bridge coating systems. This should also align with lead abatement activities, which is often the case with old bridges that were formerly coated with lead-based coating products.

The handling of coatings products, their storage and disposal, as well as the work practices and procedures used in bridge coatings application and repair – all of these are issues that bridge painting contractors should address. Observance of these environmental concerns assure that the surrounding environment where the bridge is located, as well as the local populace doing their commute in that bridge, are not harmed in any way during and after bridge repairs.

Only skilled bridge painting contractors can balance such environmental concerns with the underlying cost and technical considerations of the project, assuring that the quality of the bridge repair project is not compromised in any way.

Challenges Facing Bridge Painting Contractors

The construction of major infrastructures such as roads, airports, bridges, docks, waterways and public works is essential to the transportation industry’s mandate to support the nation’s growth. These infrastructures are the major arteries that provide continuous reliable access to all modes of transportation everywhere in the country.

Many of these critical structures pose major challenges during construction and maintenance. Steel bridges, in particular, often pose huge logistical issues to bridge painting contractors.

Some of the issues faced by bridge painting contractors are below:

1. Being exposed to the corrosive elements throughout their useful life, large-scale damages due to corrosion is one of the most common problems of steel bridges.

2. The past several decades saw bridges painted with alkyd-based anti-corrosives that contain lead in their formulation. Succeeding repairs and maintenance of these bridges use the same types of lead-based paints that are harmful and toxic to the environment. Present day repairs and maintenance include lead abatement activities because of this.

3. Repairs and maintenance costs of bridge structures are exorbitant, leading bridge owners to delay regular maintenance more often than not. Bridge painting contractors often face repair jobs on severely-deteriorating bridges as a result, which compounds the logistical challenge.


On top of these challenges, the present generation of builders and consumers are more aware of environmental issues. Many bridge repair works today are surrounded by clamors for ecologically-friendly repairs and maintenance, adding to the challenges faced by bridge painting contractors.

Concrete for Energy Conservation

The rising concern for the welfare of the environment is taking root in the construction industry. And to concrete finish contractors, concrete is the perfect material to support the construction of green facilities. Aside from being made from abundant materials, concrete is also one of the best materials for energy conservation.

Concrete is one of a few building materials whose thermal mass property allows it to absorb, retain, and release heat that it has been exposed to, all throughout the day. This has a potential for energy savings because the thermal mass of concrete is large enough to absorb heat slowly and store it for a longer stretch of time. Heat transfer all throughout the building is therefore slower, leading to more moderate temperatures in the interior of the facility.

Concrete finish contractors find that in the heat of daytime or in the hot summer days, concrete absorbs heat to shield the interior spaces, keeping it relatively cooler inside and lessening the need for air conditioning, cooling and ventilation. The heat that it absorbed is released slowly and wards off the nighttime chill later, lessening energy needed for heating as a result. This translates to lesser overall energy consumed for keeping the building comfortable and in moderate temperatures. The lesser energy consumption reduces utility costs in the long run.