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All In a Day’s Work: Specifying For Commercial and Retail Settings

5 April 2022

It’s safe to say that consumer attitudes and behaviours have changed over the last two years, many having a direct impact on approaches to commercial and retail workspaces.

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and Brexit, the UK has seen a huge rise in demand for warehouse space and commercial units, resulting in up-take of UK logistics space in 2020 exceeding any year on record.

When it comes to office space, the traditional, functional office space has shifted to a workspace designed around social interaction, collaboration, and relationship building. A greater emphasis will be placed on technology and safe spaces that encourage face-to-face interaction as the future of work evolves.

The retail landscape continues to evolve and the specification of products like the paint used can support strategies to meet building regulations.

For all commercial and retail spaces, ensuring the correct paint is specified is critical – to make sure the coatings have a lifespan appropriate to the building’s usage, and to create cleaner, safer working environments.

When it comes to workspaces, paint choices not only have to withstand the general wear and tear associated with high-occupancy buildings, including knocks and scrapes; but also cope with regular and intensive cleaning regimes.

To counter this, we offer a range of durable paints with flame retardant, anti-slip, scrubbable, mould inhibiting and anti-bacterial properties. These products help to provide a safer, well-maintained, pleasant workspace, and foster good staff morale while also projecting a positive view of the company.

Offices

Paint can play a key role in making the environment conducive to working. After all, an office isn’t just a day-to-day workspace, it also communicates a lot about a company to external stakeholders. Making pristine paintwork and an effective colour scheme a real asset.

Due to the high-traffic nature of office spaces and the need to keep paintwork looking clean and fresh, regular maintenance cycles need to be factored into the paint specification process.

Opting for quick-drying low odour and water-based paints, such as our Fastflow trade range, will ensure that any downtime is kept to a minimum during redecoration. Stain-resistant and scrubbable paints will also keep surfaces protected, even when intensive cleaning is required.

Certain areas need to ensure they provide adequate fire safety in the event of a fire. Our Timonox flame retardant range is an ideal solution to reduce the spread of flame across walls and ceilings during a fire, increasing the essential time required to escape.

Our recommended products specifically for an office environment include our Clean Extreme, Fastflow and Timonox ranges.

Retail

When it comes to retail outlets, they may come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: the need for a paint finish that can withstand high levels of traffic.

From large out-of-town shopping centres to local independent stores, our high-performance paints can help to keep any shop floor welcoming and inviting to customers.

Here we recommend our Clean Extreme Stain Resistant Scrubbable Matt paint – it not only prevents paint surfaces from breaking down but keeps them protected, even when intensive cleaning is required. You can just wash most common stains off with soap and water. So simple, yet so effective.

The Importance of Colour

Colour can be used in a commercial and retail setting to enhance a design, evoke a mood – high energy or calming, or reflect corporate values. Advice from our in-house colour experts can be found in our Commercial Colour Book.

Whatever your requirements, our team of expert specification consultants will work with you to select a combination of products and systems that will deliver sustainable smart maintenance.