A fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest ways to spruce up a lackluster business or office space. By foregoing traditional renovation projects that often include lengthy overhauls to the existing floorplan, a business or commercial enterprise can dramatically increase its property value with a few short flicks of a paintbrush. In fact, opendoor.com estimates that an interior paint job can result in a 107 percent return on the investment. Exterior paint jobs, which are more practical than visually appealing, net a 55 percent ROI. For less than a $1,000, a business can entirely transform its facade while not eating into profits. There are very few, if any, similar renovation projects that yield such a high return. But what about storing the paint after the job is done? It needs to be protected. Now is the time to invest in paint storage cabinets from U.S. Hazmat Rentals.
Such high returns are also great news for commercial contractors and painting crews. During tough economic times, commercial property owners are looking for ways to bring in new customers without knocking down walls and eating into profit margins. While wall covering operations are not recession proof, they do seem to fair better than other construction industries due to the high rate of returns on homes and businesses that are looking to stand out from the crowd of bustling entrepreneurs. But no business is fool proof. While maintaining a thriving paint and wall covering operation involves less overhead than other trades, perils and dangers persist. We aren’t just talking about unsecured ladders and scaffoldings wreaking havoc on the jobsite either. Fires and explosions from improperly stored paints, thinners and cleaners are among the leading causes of accidents on any job-site.
Fire-rated protection in paint storage cabinets can keep paint and wall covering contractors in the black and out of the headlines
Most paints are divided into two categories: oil-based or water-based. Oil-based paints are commonly laden with solvents and are considered highly flammable by OSHA. By law, OSHA and EPA require contractors to store these hazardous material in chemical storage lockers that are outfitted with thick gauges of steel and emergency stopgaps to prevent environmental contamination and harm to employees. These paint storage cabinets and warehouses should be setback a certain amount of feet from other buildings and vulnerable property. You shouldn’t let the seemingly safe ‘water-based’ terminology mislead you either. These paints can also transform any job-site into a disaster zone if not properly stored. Contractors, project managers and safety engineers who ignore these heeds could be in for a world of hurt. Even if you are fortunate enough to avoid injury or death at the workplace, civil penalties and lawsuits can scuttle your thriving business if you don’t take precautions in properly storing flammable materials, such as paint, thinners, and turpentine.
Regardless of the chemical classification or flammability of paints and solvents, U.S. Hazmat Rentals has a line of two-hour and four-hour fire rated storage lockers to keep your business safe and compliant. You shouldn’t get bogged down in the chemical jargon either. While it’s important to stay abreast of industry trends and regulations, our chemical building advisors and experts will point you in the right direction. We would never lease to you an oversized building or amenity that you simply don’t need. Which leads us to the topic of renting. Job-sites change frequently. Do you really want to have to lug around a cumbersome, but necessary storage locker from job to job? Almost all of our chemical storage lockers need a forklift, or in some cases, a crane, to relocate. Renting is by far the cheaper and more practical option. For just pennies on the dollar, you can rent a vetted storage locker from U.S. Hazmat Rentals. We take care of all the logistical work, including transport, so you can focus on building a thriving business empire.
Spill containment sump and innovative shelving can prevent dangerous fires and leaks from spreading
If you’ve been in the painting business for very long, you understand the value of prep work and covering exposed areas from errant drops of paint. Rest assured, that a droplet of paint will find its way to the one millimeter of exposed flooring if it’s not properly covered. You should take a similar mindset with storing paint when the job is done. Flammable paints and thinners are prone to spills. It’s a universal truth on any job-site. But we also understand you can’t be everywhere at once. So how do you prepare for these uncertainties? U.S. Hazmat Rentals’ innovative continuous steel grated flooring removes the possibility of non-compliance. If a spill was to happen, the paint will simply pass through the flooring (pictured above) and is safely collected until it can be safely removed.
