O-Gee Paint

It is time to find a new skill, one that the handyman in front of the box store can’t underbid. Texture spraying and line striping are two instances of painting and coating that take special equipment to do well and do profitably. Graco is one of the best equipment manufacturers in the world and they are coming to the O-Gee Paint Bird Road location on February 1st to show you what you need to know to diversify.

Hopper fed texture sprayers aren’t just for splattering interiors with knock down. There are a lot of coatings and jobs that require texture equipment. Textured elastomerics, EIFS coatings, textured floor finishes, and ceiling materials need to be sprayed for a uniform look.

Graco’s gas and electric piston powered sprayers are specially designed for lifting heavier materials such as high build “level 5″ drywall finishing primers, heavy bodied elastomerics and specialty roof coatings. Then they are versatile enough to use to apply standard paints to finish the job.

Come Monday Feb 1st between 11 am and 7 pm to see Graco’s Texture and Line Striping show. The Factory Rep, Dave, will be on hand to answer questions and to show the benefits of Graco’s equipment.

TexSpray Professional Texture Sprayers
* Highly versatile texture sprayers capable of spraying skim coat in a Level 5 / Smooth Wall finish, or drywall mud in an orange peel, splatter, or knockdown finish.
* Unbeatable performance for both interior and exterior texture applications.
* Complete product lineup designed for maximum performance.

Every Business and community has a parking area. Parking stripes, bumpers, curbs and directional arrows are faster and easier with a Linelazer line striping system. With their new Auto Layout system, accuracy and efficiency is enhanced to increase speed and profitability.

LineLazer IV – The Best in Pavement Marking.
* All-new performance points & innovative features make LineLazer IV the best family of stripers!
* Higher output for high production striping
* Advance Vibration Reduction System delivers superior line quality
* New GMAX™ II pumping system with Chromex™ pump Rods
* Back lit display & optional light kit for improved night time striping Track, Measure & Control with the Auto-Layout System

Graco has come out with a list of their updates to the contractor equipment. They have added some new features to their larger to create a  PREMIUM  line up.
The new Premium line includes:

These new innovative features include:

February 1st, here at the Bird Road store we will be hosting a Graco Demo day and show off the Tex Spray and LineLazer series of machines. The rep will be on hand to answer questions and allow tryouts of the various units.

The new Premium sprayers are not available yet so I’ll be adding them to the pages as time allows. Graco will continue to have the standard configuration GMAX II sprayers as well. The standard units are not bare, they will include a contractor gun hose & tip kit

O-Gee Paint is based in Miami and there has been a record streak of cold weather down here that is getting some attention. Last year it was cold for a day. I see on the news the white weather everyone else is having to deal with and offer my sincerest regards. Being cooped up in a house as the winter winds blow would drive me a bit stir crazy and want to do a project or twelve.

Not living with freezing cold I figure that folks who live in it have some kind of plan for winter time. But, then again, last year I saw a show about a woman who lived in Pennsylvania all her life and didn’t have any money for heating oil or electricity or some such heat in her house. The TV crew panned past the darkened hearth in her living room and I just knew they wouldn’t ask her about lighting a fire. They didn’t. Who knows, maybe she couldn’t, certainly she didn’t, and instead went out and sat in her car with the heater on high.

So what this is about is an overt and obvious announcement that folks buying liquids from us, or anybody else, will need a warm place to receive them or for UPS to stash them until you get home. Although we put “DO NOT FREEZE” stickers on the box, the drivers don’t always hang about waiting at the door or go looking for warm spots to put your items. Sometimes things will freeze in the trucks as it rides around all day. If you can, be sure to have a business to receive your stuff.

Also, be sure not to paint outdoors unless your paint has instructions that it can be used in low temperatures. Most paint doesn’t work properly below 50 degrees and some can go to about 35 (so they tell us) but even these can be ruined if they don’t fully dry several hours before the temperature drops again.

…is to post more often with news and topics I think you’ll like.

and more as I can think of it

Wooster has a holiday treat for contractors – a free sample of their *New* Sand and Tack 220 grit abrasive product. The Sand and Tack is touted as :

“…twice the strength of traditional sandpaper, Sand & Tack™ removes flaws from drywall, wood, plaster, and metal. The front features extra-fine 220 grit sandpaper that’s great for finish sanding. Use it after repairing nail holes or other imperfections. Since each sheet is only 9-inches long by 3 2/3-inches wide, Sand & Tack maneuvers around common obstacles such as power outlets and light switches. Turn it over, and the tack cloth backing easily wipes away sanding residue. Sand & Tack does the job of two tools—all in one package.”

Now, to me, I don’t mind sanding and find a lot of value in doing it. The Sand & Tack says it has a tough backing and a tack cloth on the reverse side of its 1/3 cut sheet size. The picture I saw shows it comes in packs of 6 for the equivalent of 2 full size sheets. It doesn’t say whether it is waterproof for wet sanding or if the tacky stuff can be cleaned. I wonder if the tacky stuff gets messed up if it is used with a sanding block. I expect I would clog it immediately with sweat, wrinkles and dust as soon as I open the package. Extra tough backing is good so I prefer Norton 3X paper and for tack rags I prefer washing the surface then going over it with microfiber. Nonetheless, I want to try it out and I have one coming to me FREE and so can you.

Click Here and then on the “Christmas Gift”. When prompted, enter the promo code of “Santa1804″ and follow the onscreen instructions. Offer available until January 25 or while supplies last.

Just got word that Coronado’s Industrial product line is going to be labeled with Insl-x wrappers in the coming year. I’m told that it will happen as the old stuff is used up it will be replaced with the new branding and in all wisdumb, new numbering. 8o Faster moving product will get it first followed by slower selling items.

How soon they rationalize out similar products is anybody’s guess but I think it will happen. Also, we can probably expect inventory delays between labels – it always seems to occur until everyone, especially the order takers, becomes familiar with the new numbering system.

I hope this time they get us a crossover sheet. The last time, it was from Coronado Lacquer labels to Lenmar, they shipped us a replacement item for our best selling clear satin nitro and switched products. What a mess that was. From low solid to high solids and believe me when I tell you they don’t work the same. It took a year to straighten that one out because the idea of a change in product characteristics versus a bad batch never occurred. This time we’ll be a bit more careful.

PRICE INCREASES
Every year Graco has a price increase and today is that day. For the most part, the paint sprayers and guns, tips, and extensions have not gone up but repair parts did. Most only went up 3% (rounded to the nickel as they do) but some sub-assemblies that they purchase from outside fabricators have jumped up more. For the most part these have been posted on the site.

Other price increases of note will be in shipping as UPS and the US Postal Service have both announced coming increases.

INDUSTRY CHANGES
SprayTECH, and TITAN have not announced any increases at this time. There are other big things going on with this group as Wagner begins begins to consolidate the professional equipment branding under TITAN. What does that mean? SprayTECH will be turning red very soon and will have TITAN stickers on it. They will also be dropping a couple of sprayers; the EPX2255 and EPX2455 will no longer be produced. This is a good thing as there is too much duplication in the lines. Time will tell when they’ll merge the accessories such as poles, tips and such.

BENJAMIN MOORE has told us here in Miami about the new ARBORCOAT exterior stain line. These are a series of waterborne exterior stains, transparent, semi and solid opacity, to be used with their GENNEX waterborne tints. Part of that constant roll-out of GENNEX switcheroo that makes us carry 2x as many products. It was being guinea pigged elsewhere and the reports have been favorable – of course. Acrylic exterior stains have out performed oil stains for ages now and it is nice to see BM figuring that out. They are weird and different and so a bunch of contractors are going to have to learn to apply stain all over again so we expect some resistance. But in the land of concrete, exterior stains aren’t too exciting but it would be nice to have something that lasts on horizontal decks. Actually we have something that lasts on decks, Dyco’s Dock & Deck.

—-> Clipped and pasted from HERE

Beginning in December 2008, the rule will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint provide to owners and occupants of child care facilities and to parents and guardians of children under age six that attend child care facilities built prior to 1978.

Read about lead-hazard information for renovation, repair and painting activities inthe lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB). | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB)

The rule will affect paid renovators who work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, including:

* Renovation contractors
* Maintenance workers in multi-family housing
* Painters and other specialty trades.

Under the rule, child-occupied facilities are defined as residential, public or commercial buildings where children under age six are present on a regular basis. The requirements apply to renovation, repair or painting activities. The rule does not apply to minor maintenance or repair activities where less than six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where less then 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior. Window replacement is not minor maintenance or repair.

Read EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule.

Sign-up to receive more information on lead renovation issues that affect you.

Titan has finally got their act together and started producing the Impact series electric airless sprayers in the 740, 840 and 1140 sizes. The delay seems to have been some kind of electronic chaos that prevented the larger units from operating correctly. But that’s done with now, they are ready to ship!

Along with the Titan airless units, CAPspray has recently released the CS9960 HVLP turbine sprayer. The turbine produces 10 psi of air pressure at the cap and has enough power to atomize latex paints without trouble. One of the accessories for the 9900 and 9960 is a 2-quart remote cup that is powered by the turbine, not a separate compressor. You can see more here