Choosing Paint for School Buildings
St. Louis area students are returning to school soon, and education facility managers are looking for ways to get everyone excited about going back into the classroom. Investing in an interior commercial paint project can give your students and staff something exciting to come back to when they return to school. Not only does it give your building a new look, but the right paint can refresh high-traffic and high-touch areas that see wear and tear from everyday use. Look around: if the interior seems a little dated, new paint can transform the space. When choosing paint for school buildings and educational facilities, there’s more to consider than just a color palette that matches the mascot. Our commercial painting professionals weigh in below with their insight.
Research Paint Types
Before settling on a color palette, it’s important to zero in on a type of paint to protect the safety and well-being of students and staff. When deciding on a paint type, health and safety are a priority but so are durability and regulations regarding the use of paints in school and educational facilities.
Lead-based: Lead paint is considered toxic to humans and shouldn’t be in schools and educational facilities. If it’s been decades since the last remodel or there are questions about the current paint, it needs to be replaced with nontoxic paint types.
Oil-based: Paint that’s oil-based is more durable than other types, but it also takes longer to dry and is tougher to clean. High-traffic areas along with window and door sills are perfect for the application of oil-based paint.
Latex: This paint gives off the least amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can impact air quality in buildings. Latex paints are less durable than oil-based paints and cannot be applied over existing layers of oil-based paints.
Tap Into Color Theory
Don’t overlook the importance of picking your paint color palette carefully! The wrong colors could overstimulate students and staff, but the right colors could improve productivity, creativity, and offer a calming environment for everyone to do their best work in the new school year. Some tips based on the space you’re painting:
- Classrooms – Stick to blue in the spaces where kids do the most learning to boost creativity, improve memory and mood, and even help prevent depression. White paint with an accent wall in school colors is cool and the selective use of yellow can keep students alert and aware.
- Libraries – Green is a top choice of color for library spaces. It offers a calming effect and helps improve concentration when learners do most of their studying.
- Gyms – Keep the action levels high in the gym with bright colors like red and deep pinks that provide stimulation and encourage physical activity.
- Cafeterias/lunch rooms – Orange is ideal in the cafeteria as it has been proven to psychologically increase the appetite and create a stimulating space.
- Administrative offices – Deep purple tones command respect and convey a sense of authority, something you want in the principal’s office.
- Hallways and lobbies – Get creative here! Show off school colors or use bright hues as the backdrop to the school’s logo to instill a sense of pride.
Work With Experts
School painting is a job best left to the professionals, so choose your contractor wisely. When doing your research, be clear with the contractors about your vision, budget, and time constraints. Ask about previous experience and request to see a portfolio of other schools they’ve painted. Check on their certifications, licenses, and liability insurance, and don’t overlook the importance of a guarantee of satisfaction.
Once you’ve picked a team to work with, get your contract in order and include clear expectations for the project. Include these elements, at a minimum:
- Expected timeline/schedule
- Typical workday schedules for paint contractors
- Details about prep work and post-completion clean-up
- Any warranties that apply to the project
- Payment expectations and procedures for budgetary overruns
Don’t trust school painting to the cheapest commercial paint contractor or the first one you find in the search results online. When you’re ready to tackle painting, reach out to the SmithPro Commercial Painting team. We can come in at night and during the weekends if it’s needed to help keep your team on task and productive. We’ll work hard to ensure you get a finished product that exceeds standards and gives students and staff an amazing space to learn and grow!
