Specialty Paints and Coatings
Why this matters
Beyond standard interior + exterior paints, customers sometimes need specialty paints + coatings. A painter familiar with these specialties serves the customer's specific needs + expands service offerings.
Specialty paint categories
| Type | Use |
|---|---|
| Chalkboard paint | Customer's specific room |
| Magnetic paint | Customer's specific application |
| Whiteboard paint | Customer's specific application |
| Glow-in-dark paint | Specialty design |
| Texture paint | Customer's specific surface |
| Anti-graffiti coating | Commercial / specific |
| Antimicrobial paint | Hospital / healthcare |
| Specialty exterior (cool roof, etc.) | Energy efficiency |
| Marine paint | Specific applications |
| Industrial coatings | Industrial / specific |
Chalkboard paint
For customer's specific:
- Children's rooms
- Kitchen / pantry
Standard specialty product.
Application
For chalkboard:
- Surface preparation (smooth)
- Multiple coats (typically 2-3)
Standard procedure.
Magnetic paint
For customer's:
- Specific magnetic surfaces
- Combined with topcoat
Premium specialty.
Texture paint
For customer's:
- Customer's specific aesthetic
- Hide imperfections
Various textures.
When to recommend specialty
| Customer profile | Recommendation |
|---|
Customer-specific.
Cost considerations
For specialty:
| Type | Cost relative |
|---|---|
| Chalkboard / texture paint | 2-3x standard |
| Magnetic / whiteboard | 5-10x standard |
| Antimicrobial | 3-5x standard |
| Industrial specialty | 5-15x standard |
Customer's specific investment.
Customer education
For specialty:
- "Customer's specific design / need"
- "Customer's specific application"
- "Customer's specific investment"
- "Customer's specific result"
A customer-specific conversation.
When the customer wants commercial / institutional
For:
- Hospitals (antimicrobial)
- Schools (specific applications)
- Industrial facilities
Specialty installations.
Antimicrobial paint
For healthcare:
- EPA-registered (some)
- Customer's significant investment
Premium.
Exterior specialty
For:
- Cool roof paints
- Customer's energy savings
- Customer's specific climate
- Customer's specific investment
Specialty.
Industrial coatings
For:
- Tanks / vessels
- Specific industrial environments
- Customer's significant investment
Specialty.
Marine paint
For specific:
- Boats
- Customer's specific investment
Specialty.
Application considerations
For specialty:
- Specific surface preparation
- Specific application technique
- Customer's specific timing
Customer-specific.
Common pitfalls
- Wrong specialty for the application
- Inadequate surface preparation
- Customer's wrong expectations
- Customer's specific situation overlooked
Standard care.
When to refer
For:
- Highly specialized industrial
- Customer's specific significant project
- Specialty installer required
Cross-trade.
Documentation
For each specialty:
- Substrate and its condition at the time of coating
- Product specified
- Surface preparation performed, including any primer or bonding agent, since a specialty coating failure almost always traces to preparation
- Customer file note
Customer's specific situation
For each customer:
Customer-specific.
Painter's training
For specialty:
- Manufacturer training
Customer-specific.
When the customer wants to DIY
For some specialty:
- Painter's guidance
Customer-specific.
Customer's specific approach
For each:
- Customer's specific specialty
- Customer's specific result
Customer-specific.
Common specialty issues
For each:
- Customer's specific paint
- Customer's specific result
Customer-specific.
Painter's record
For each customer:
- Specialty paint used
- Where it was applied and where it deliberately was not, so the next coat matches
- Cure time given before the surface was returned to service, which is what a premature-failure claim turns on
- Customer file note
Long-term.
Customer's value
For specialty:
- Customer's specific function
- Customer's specific investment
- Customer's specific satisfaction
Customer-specific.
When the customer's specific need
For each:
- Customer's specific result
Customer-specific.
Painter's expertise
For specialty:
- Customer's specific painter
- Customer's specific expertise
Customer-specific.
Customer's specific design
For each:
- Customer's specific specialty
- Customer's specific paint
- Customer's specific result
Customer-specific.
Coordination with designer
For:
- Customer's specific designer
- Customer's specific specialty
Cross-trade.
Painter's specialization
For some painters:
- Customer's specific specialty
- Customer's specific value
- Customer's specific positioning
Some painters specialize.
Final notes
Specialty paints are:
- Painter's specific expertise
- Customer's specific value
- Customer's specific investment
A meaningful niche.
References
- Manufacturer documentation (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Krylon, etc.)
- Specialty manufacturers (ChalkboardPaint, Rust-Oleum, etc.)
- Manuall internal: Paint Types Chemistry, Surface Prep for Painting, Paint Sheen Finish Guide