Spray Point

See why it pays
to spray

Spray point

Rolling over spray the painting myths

Costs reduced by over a quarter and a saving of over two days in man power!

Dulux Decorator Centres, the UK's leading decorating specialist and Mears Group, the UK's leading social housing repairs and maintenance provider, have joined forces to dispel the misconceptions around spray painting by putting it to the test at Mears' new offices in Welwyn Garden City.

Dulux Decorator Centres, along with its suppliers Graco Limited and 3M, worked with contractors at Mears Group for a week to train the team on using the airless spray machine and the latest masking system. Mears was keen to take part in the spray painting training as it is commited to developing the skills of its people and embracing innovative methods of working.

After two days of intense training, a one man trial was conducted to compare spray painting against a traditional brush and roller application. Working on identical projects, on the first and second floors of the building, each man was measured on the time it took to completely repaint the whole 530sqm floor and how much material was used in the process.

Dulux Decorator Centres wanted to conduct a trial to showcase the benefits of spray painting for the industry and to dispel many of the myths associated with the technique.

"Paint application by spray is by no means a new process, but it still isn't being widely used by many", according to Nigel Keegan, head of business development at Dulux Decorator Centres who project managed the trial. "There are many misconceptions about spraying in the industry, and many still regard it as being messy, using too much paint and being time consuming to prepare for.

"Spray painting is often also looked upon as a substitute for the brush; something which will make the traditional tool of the painter entirely obsolete.

"However, the brush and spray should be regarded, not as rivals but as complementary to each other, each serving a useful purpose. Even the greatest spray enthusiast can't deny that there are occasions when it is definitely uneconomical to use the spray machine on small surfaces.

One of the key challenges for spray painting is masking up as total coverage of all the windows is required so as not to 'overspray' the glass, while those rollering just need to mask the edges of each window. Surprising and thanks to the revolutionary new 3M™ Hand-Masker™ Masking System, both contractors finished the preparation work in one hour. The 3M™ Hand-Masker™ Masking System can be bought in a kit and comes pre-assembled with a roll of pre-folded masking film and a roll of Scotch Blue™ Painter's Masking tape at the Dulux Decorator Centres. As the masking tape runs along the edge of the windows and come to the end, a layer of film underneath the tape can then be pulled down over the glass window and secured with ordinary masking tape at the bottom to give full protection in a matter of minutes.

Once the preparation was completed, both contractors turned their attentions to the painting. Ready and loaded with the paint, the Graco ST Max II 490 machine, which is available exclusively from Dulux Decorator Centres, swung into action. Likewise, the contractor working with the roller and brush method started on the task in hand. Five hours and 20 minutes later the whole floor had been painted using the spray machine. Meanwhile, the roller and brush technique was only 1/5 the way through the job. Two and a half working days (18 hours and 40 minutes) after the completion of the first floor, the second floor, which required a second coat of paint, was finished.

In total, the trial demonstrated that even on the small scale of an area of 530sqm, a 26% saving can be achieved. Most of the cost saved was against labour time on the spray option, with a difference of two and a half days. In the long term, this saving would mean that the contractor would be free to move on to another job, whilst his competitor was still completing the first.

The Results

Spray method

Time Products used Cost
Masking 1 Hour 1 x 3M Hand Masker masking system
1 X 72" roll of masking film
2 X rolls of 55mm masking tape 		£15 per hour
£65.00 for materials
Painting 5 hours 20mins 140 litres of Dulux Supermatt emulsion
@ £2.75 p/l 		£80.00 for 5hrs 20mins £385.00 for paint
Total £545.00

Roller/brush method

Time Products used Cost
Masking 1 Hour 4 X rolls of 55mm masking tape £15 per hour
£20.00 for materials
Painting 24 hours
inc. 4 hours recoat time 		125 litres of Dulux Supermatt emulsion
@ £2.75 p/l 		£360.00 for 24hrs £343.75 for paint
Total £738.75

Nigel concludes: "Spray machines can be a big outlay for a company but given that it achieves a beautifully smooth and even finish after one coat and only requires the minimum of experience to operate, means that the cost is quickly recouped against the cost of labour of completing a job.

"At Mears, materials costs came in over £80 more expense on the spray option, but labour time was significantly reduced by £280, giving a 26% labour saving on the spraying versus traditional methods. Using the savings achieved on the case study today and applying them to a larger area, contractors who work in areas of 2,000 sqm plus could look to save an average of 72% labour time on every job!"

Darren Lauritzen, project manager from the Mears Group said: "Based on previous experience, my initial view was that spray was very messy and masking and cleaning up was time consuming. I didn't really see any commercial advantage over painting by conventional methods.

"I was amazed to see how fast masking was with the 3M Hand Masking masking system and how quick and relatively mess free using the Graco airless spray machine can be. From a contract management point of view, airless spray will dramatically reduce the manpower required and therefore the time taken to complete a contract.

"I was very impressed with the speed of application and the quality and consistency of the finish achieved once the contractors have been properly trained. I will certainly be recommending the use of the 3M Hand Masker masking system and Graco airless spray on future projects, where large areas need to be painted and time is of the essence."