Do you have a long-running successful business, but it seems like your interior design has seen better days?
You may be considering revamping or renovating. But if a renovation seems too grand, you can achieve a great outcome from something as simple as repainting your walls.
This simple step can change the whole look and feel of your premises. Don’t believe us? Just imagine your business with different coloured walls and the new atmosphere that it creates.
Now before you drop everything and look for the nearest painter to complete such a task, you may be concerned about your business’s downtime.
As you can imagine, depending on the size of your premises, the paint job may take longer than a day or several to complete.
Read on to determine if your business can stay open whilst it is being painted.
Can I Stay Open While Painting?
Yes, of course, you can. However, before settling on your decision, you need to consider some vital aspects.
If your business is running a restaurant or café, you need to be mindful. You would not want to break the state health and safety laws.
If your premises are small enough, you may get away with having the painters work through the night. That is if there is enough time for the paint to dry and not affect any staff or customers the next day.
Some Vital Considerations
Whilst it is a good idea to keep your business open, you shall not do so without some consideration and planning. The following points should be kept in mind when deciding to stay open.
- If you are running a food and beverage business, refrain from doing so. This may cause health and safety hazards for your customers.
- Do you have an abundance of business space? If you have a small area, customers will feel uncomfortable with the entire ruckus. If premises are larger, however, you can consider sectioning off different areas as the job progresses.
- Ventilation and open windows are especially important when painting. You would not want your customers (or staff) to breathe in the paint fumes while operating. Make sure toxic fumes are well-ventilated.
- Your workers might need extra space to work in. This is needed to minimize safety hazards.
- Calculate your cost-benefit. Is it necessary for your premises to stay open while being painted? Perhaps you and your team can work from home for a few days as many businesses have found possible during recent COVID lockdowns.
These are just some of the things that you need to consider.
In many circumstances, it is perfectly fine to stay open, but you need to take into consideration your customers’ and workers’ comfort and safety. This needs to be your priority.
When You Finally Start Painting
After making the decision to stay open there are still many things to be done.
First, notify your customers beforehand. Some might be okay with the situation, while others might not.
Paint secluded areas during busy hours. After customers have left, you can start working on more open or critical areas.
Pay attention to the air quality. Your customers or employees might feel uncomfortable with all the disturbances around them.
Be prepared for complaints. Customers might still complain and protest despite being told beforehand.
To tackle complaints, you could offer your customers a special deal or discount. This ‘gift’ could somewhat act as compensation for the inconvenience.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your premises open while being painted can be inconvenient. That does not mean it is impossible to do, though.
Maybe closing your business for some time might compromise your income. The best decision to make is then to stay open whilst completing the renovation or paintwork.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this if you consider the aspects of comfort and safety appropriately.
We hope this helps you consider what needs planning before booking the commercial painters. For more advice and support in making a business continuity plan, give us a call today.
