A Smart Investment for Professionals and Facility Owners
Flipping the Script: Protect Your Doors Instead of Waiting to Repaint
Published on
January 2, 2025 at 3:33:16 PM PST January 2, 2025 at 3:33:16 PM PSTnd, January 2, 2025 at 3:33:16 PM PST
Self-storage facility doors often come with durable Silicone Modified Polyester (SMP) coatings, designed to last up to 20 years. However, many owners wait until these coatings visibly degrade—sometimes severely—before addressing maintenance. This reactive approach leads to costly repainting, diminished curb appeal, and, in extreme cases, compromises the integrity of the finish, and possibly the door itself. As a professional paint contractor, you can change this narrative and benefit from the opportunity.
Instead of remediation, promote a proactive strategy with a protective coating designed for newer doors, like Endura-Glaze Ceramic Enhanced Clear Coating. This innovative product offers a slick, dirt- and water-repelling surface that enhances and protects the door's finish while being more cost-effective than repainting.
The Problem for Facility Owners
Even factory-applied coatings have limits:
- UV rays and oxidation cause the surface to chalk, roughen, and degrade.
- Dust and grime accumulate on porous finishes, making cleaning harder and dulling the shine.
- Left untreated, coatings crack, peel, and fail, requiring time-intensive and costly remediation.
The Solution: Endura-Glaze for Protection
Endura-Glaze creates a barrier between doors and the elements, providing:
- A smooth, slick surface that repels dirt and water.
- Protection against harmful UV rays and environmental damage that acts as a sacrificial coating, protecting the underlying finish.
- A low-maintenance finish that preserves the factory coating’s like-new appearance if applied every few years.
Why Paint Contractors Should Recommend This Approach
As a professional contractor, offering Endura-Glaze gives you an edge:
- Make a Strong Impression: With its easy-to-clean, high-quality finish, facility owners will have a solution that protects their investment, enhances the finish, and is more cost-effective over time than repainting.
- Repeat Business Opportunities: Unlike the effort required to prep doors that have been neglected, applying Endura-Glaze to newer doors and other metal surfaces is generally easier, without having to deal with severe surface integrity issues. A customer that understands the benefit of this approach can generate consistent repeat business for you as a contractor when you reapply the coating as part of scheduled maintenance.
- Less Door Prep: Doors with severe damage—such as cracking, peeling, or heavy oxidation—require significant effort to prepare and may still fail over time if the door is not prepped properly. By taking the protective approach while the door is new, you save time and labor costs by maintaining doors without deeper integrity issues.
This difference in mindset is like the difference between a man who neglects his health until he is seriously ill, and a man who takes care of himself and avoids many of the illnesses and struggles of old age.
Additional Reading
Self-Storage Roll-Up Doors: A Guide for Painters
This guide offers professional painters a comprehensive approach to evaluating, preparing, and painting roll-up doors using the Chem-Bake® system. It addresses the challenges of SMP coil-coated surfaces, provides tips on surface preparation, adhesion testing, and correct application techniques for achieving a durable, smooth finish on self-storage roll-up doors.
Part Failure Part 2: Other Causes, Testing & Wrap-Up
There are a lot of reasons why paint fails. We'll wrap up a few other causes here and then cover solutions and other topics in subsequent articles. Aged Paint: When paint ages past its life expectancy, it becomes brittle and prone to failure. Recoating over such a surface increases the risk of peeling, cracking, or flaking, as the old paint may not adhere well. Proper preparation, including cleaning, sanding, and priming, is essential to ensure the new coating bonds effectively and lasts longer. We also touch on what can be done with a peeling paint job and wrap up with issues of worksmanship.ID#PF0001
Paint Failure Part 1: Diagnosing the Root Causes
Paint failures due to a variety of preventable issues can lead to substantial material and labor costs, and in some cases replacement of roll-up doors. Understanding why common problems like peeling, chalking, fading, cracking, and blistering occur is crucial for facility operators and painting contractors. By identifying the root causes of these issues, such as improper surface preparation, inadequate application techniques, or environmental factors, these paint failures can be avoided. For paint contractors implementing best practices can yield better results, and help avoid problems that can cost you both money and reputation. A variety of resources are provided to help diagnose and avoid common paint failure situations. These resources include guides, frequently asked questions, tips with images to diagnose the cause of a particular failure, and recommendations. ID#PF0001
Disclaimer: The information provided in the Self-Storage Learning Center is for general informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, All From 1 Supply makes no guarantees regarding the completeness or reliability of the information. Use of this content is at your own discretion, and we encourage independent verification before making decisions based on the material.
Need a Self-Storage Contractor?
Start your search with our fast growing nationwide directory of painters, handyman, maintenance, repair and construction serving the self storage industry!