The scheduling approach that works best depends on the facility’s purpose. Depending on the activities taking place in the building, an interruption in the daily work schedule can be a minor nuisance or a major disruption.
Managers in schools avoid such problems by scheduling painting projects when the facility is unoccupied, such as evenings, holidays, and summer vacations. These challenges are increasing as more schools at all levels provide year-round classes.
The best approach is to consult the room-use schedule as far in advance as possible. The lead time for planning is essential to ensure optimum user availability and enough downtime to perform a quality painting job. Managers consulting the room-use schedule might find they have only a window of three or four weeks in August and a few smaller periods throughout the year, such as winter and spring break vacations. They should reserve these times for large projects, while working minor touch-ups into the daily operating schedule.
Hospitals and other facilities that are occupied 24/7/365 have a different set of challenges. Almost no time is a good time to schedule a paint job because occupancy is constant. Even in these facilities, managers have options that can lessen the impact on occupants and still allow crews to get the paint job done.
Although parts of a facility might always be occupied, some spaces are not used all the time. For example, depending on a hospital’s occupancy rate, some rooms are unoccupied periodically. The best way to use this time is to know when it will occur well in advance.
Knowing the rooms cannot be available all of the time, managers can schedule some downtime on a rotating basis. The staff knows when the rooms can be assigned to patients, and the manager knows when the rooms will be available for paint crews.
Successful scheduling requires knowing when and for how long rooms will be unoccupied, as well as how long it takes to perform various paint jobs. The maintenance planner should consider these factors to determine the scheduled time for the job:
• preparing tools and equipment and mixing paint
• traveling round trip with materials and tools
• moving and covering furniture and equipment
• performing the work at the job site
• cleaning up the site, relocating furniture and equipment, and storing paints, tools, and equipment
• taking time for personal rest and minor delays, according to company policy.
Considering these factors when scheduling will yield realistic job times. A trained and experienced painting crew using safe methods and working at a pace maintainable throughout a shift can meet these standard times. By matching these standard times with periods of time during which facilities are unoccupied, managers can ensure paint applications take place with the least disruption or inconvenience to facility occupants.
Better application tools reduce labor during paint applications, and improved paints offer numerous advantages, such as quicker drying times. The combination of less labor and shorter drying times means a project can fit more easily into an available window of time.
These improvements also can result in smoother, better-looking finishes that retain their colors without fading, resist unsightly scuffs and scratches for longer performance life, and require less maintenance, cleaning, and touch-up.
Paints and Coatings: Application Checklist
Paints and Coatings: Tools Include Brushes, Rollers, Spray Guns
How To Schedule Successful Paints and Coatings Projects
