How long has the Company been in business?
The Company has been in business for more than 25 years.  

Is the Company insured?
Yes.  The Company carries all-risk commercial insurance with an excess liability umbrella and commercial auto insurance.  We also carry worker's compensation insurance on all of our employees, including sub-contractors that we might utilize from time to time.  Any sub-contractor will be required to provide individual proof of liability and worker's compensation insurance satisfying the requirements of Preferred Interiors Enterprises' management even 
if they are also covered under our existing policies.

What experience does the Company have painting and/or repairing school lockers?
Preferred Interiors Enterprises painted over 40,000 lockers and repaired approximately 1/3 of those during the last two seasons.

What type of paint will be applied?  
Whenever possible, a two-part epoxy paint will be used.  Epoxy paint can be applied to "factory finish" surfaces or surfaces that have been previously painted with epoxy.  In some cases, it can also be applied over surfaces  that have previously been repainted with an industrial grade enamel.  Epoxy, when cured, is highly resistant to many acids, alkaline solutions, detergents, oil solvents, and hot and cold water.  It is an extremely tough and flexible coating with tenacious adhesion.

Where surfaces have previously been recoated with non-industrial grade enamels, we will have no choice but to refinish with an enamel.  With the  addition of acrylic hardeners, we have been able to achieve durability somewhere between epoxy and regular enamel.

We may or may not be able to recoat surfaces that have previously been recoated with extremely low grade enamels or latex paints.  

Poor or no surface preparation, brush and roller applications, etc. may have created existing adhesion problems that Preferred Interiors Enterprises cannot overcome.  Preferred Interiors reserves the right to refuse to accept such work.  

What type of paint will be applied shall be at the sole discretion of Preferred Interiors in consultation with the client, and based upon our substantial experience.

What brands of paint do you use? 
We primarily use Lilly Perfection products.  On some occasions, we will use Niles; and occasionally Sumpter Coatings products.  The choice to use Lilly Perfection products relates more to reducing in-house inventories than to any statement about quality.  All three provide  excellent durability, a fine finish, and a wide color selection.  

Does the Company perform sand blasting or other paint removal techniques to correct previous painting problems?  
No.  We do not provide this type of service, although we will paint recently sandblasted lockers at rates reflecting the extra labor and material required to successfully paint such items.

What preparation and painting process is used?
In the case of school lockers, contracted repairs are normally done before the painting process except in the few cases where it is appropriate to do so afterwards.  New number tags are a perfect example of a repair more appropriately done after painting.   Handle replacement is another. 

Except in a few very specific instances, all of our painting is done using an  electrostatic painting process and the Ransburg No. 2 handgun.  In the case of some machinery or when painting the insides of school lockers,  we sometimes use a Ransburg REA90 air-assisted electrostatic paint gun to do the interior areas, followed by the Ransburg No. 2 handgun on the exteriors for a finer finish.  

Prior to painting, we will scuff and blade all surfaces; wash the surfaces with an industrial solvent(s), mask or remove hardware, and mask surrounding areas to eliminate damage from overspray.  A variety of hand and power tools are used in the "scuffing" process.  The decision as to whether to mask or remove hardware is made in consultation with the client, taking into consideration cost, the age and condition of the items and their hardware, time constraints, paint color (both before and after), whether or not new hardware is to be installed, etc. After preliminary painting, the edges of locker doors (top and side) and the edges of drawers, doors, etc. on office furniture are "edged".  "Edging" means that we open all the locker doors, drawers, doors, etc. and paint the edges with a trim roller to match the finish previously applied electrostatically.  Some companies do this and some don't.  Unless there is a good reason not to, such as locker doors with multiple coats of paint that are already sticking due to the extra thickness, we always do.  It gives the item a much more "finished" appearance. All preparation materials, and those used during the actual painting process  are removed upon completion of the job. 

During the summer locker season, we may request disposal of  masking paper (with dried paint on it) at your site; but we will not dispose of empty paint cans there.  All such material will be taken with us and properly disposed of
at our facility. 

Is there a strong odor with your painting process?
Whether or not there are excessively strong odors generated by our painting process is a matter of individual sensitivity and perception, differences in ventilation and ambient temperatures, interior volume of the building,
and the actual products used in cleaning and painting the particular project in question.  Our paint is an "industrial grade" product and we do use several industrial solvents for cleaning, all of which generate strong odors.  Odor(s) can be minimized by one or more of the following:

	One of several water based cleaners can be used (although some stronger solvent based cleaners may still be required on a limited basis to remove sticky residue left by tape, stickers, and other foreign contaminants);
	Special odor reducing additives can be added to the paint;
	Mechanical techniques can be employed to more quickly dissipate any accumulating odors (fans, open doors and windows, and setting the building's air conditioning to "exhaust" works well;
	Remove odor generating preparation and painting materials from the building immediately upon completion of their use;
	An odor masking scent can be sprayed in key locations throughout the building before, during, and after the  painting process.

Is there any overspray with the electrostatic process?
For practical purposes, no.  Air pressure is used merely to pressurize a paint pot and push liquid paint through lines to a paint gun.  No air exits at the end of the Ransburg No. electrostatic handgun gun as it does in an air assisted or "airless" spray system.  Instead of using air to "propel" paint to the surface, the paint is "attracted" to the surface by electrostatic principles.  The Ransburg No. 2, which we use exclusively, is 90-96% efficient in this respect.  In the case of school lockers, efficiency is actually towards the high end of that range due to the large mass of metal in most locker banks.  What this means for you is that 90-96% of the paint going through the gun ends up on the parts being painted; not somewhere else in your building.  In most cases, if you were to watch us paint, you would have trouble actually seeing the paint moving from the end of the paint gun to the lockers.  About all you would see would be the surface of those lockers changing color before your  very eyes.  Some "overspray" occurs on the masking paper (usually only 18" wide) that we put up around the lockers as the operator intentionally drifts over on the paper to use various parts of the 4" wide painting head  to get paint into certain difficult areas.  This is different than the "fogging" or airborne overspray inherently common with conventional painting systems.  

Click here to learn how the electrostatic process works.

What durability can I expect for my newly painted lockers?
What durability can I expect for my newly painted office furniture?
This is not a question that can be specifically answered as there are too many factors beyond our control.  Surface preparation is key to strong adhesion, and Preferred Interiors Enterprises goes to great lengths to see that all surfaces are scuffed and cleaned adequately.  However, beyond that we have no control over student abuses, 
school policies relative to locker decorating, maintenance and cleaning procedures, or incomplete or erroneous information provided in response to requests for maintenance and cleaning history (i.e., the use of cleaners containing silicones or waxes that penetrate even factory paint and resurface again following refinishing).  For the most part, epoxy is tough but flexible and resistant to chemicals and solvents.  Enamel is much less so.  Assuming a respectful student population and standard non-aggressive locker maintenance policies, it would not be unusual to obtain 7-10 years of life from epoxy.  We have seen schools with epoxy repaints that still looked good 15 years later.  Likewise, we have seen epoxy repaints in schools with discipline problems that were ruined in 2-3 years.  By comparison, enamel may yield only 3-6 years under the best of conditions before a repaint is desirable.  We do not have enough experience with enamel and hardener at this point to provide estimated useful lives.

Certainly, color choices play an important part in whether or not a  paint job "holds up".  High contrast repaints
(a dark color over a light color or vice versa) will show chips and scratches and physical damage more quickly than low contrast repaints, leading one to say that the paint didn't hold up.  

This is an important consideration in school 
environments as chips and scratches will occur.

In the case of office furniture, it normally does not get the abuse that school lockers will.  It would not be unreasonable to expect as much as 15-20 years.  It is more likely, that you will desire a color change or even a complete change of furniture before you will otherwise require a repaint. Like school lockers though, there are circumstances and conditions beyond our control which may have an adverse effect on the longevity of the paint.  Certainly, high humidity and chemical concentrations as occur  in some industrial applications will greatly shorten the life of any paint job.  Furniture that is out in industrial plants will take more abuse than that  located in an accounting or insurance office for instance.  One of the best things you can do for your newly repainted furniture is
to "baby" it for the first week or two while the paint fully cures.  This means opening doors and drawers gently, not placing metal objects or plants (they often leak water) on top of files, being careful about putting binders with metal parts on files and dragging them across the top when accessing them.  Remember, damage done in the first two weeks will be there throughout the life of the repaint job.  Taking it easy during this time period can make your furniture look much better for much longer.   As the client, you are probably in the best position to estimate the useful life as you know what conditions the furniture will be subjected to.

Do you guarantee your work?
What is the guarantee on your work?

See the answer to the immediately preceding question.   

For that reason, we find it impossible to offer a specific written or oral guarantee on our work.  We do highly value 
our reputation though.  Historically, in the few instances where we have encountered a problem, we have worked
closely with the client to achieve a balanced solution.
 

Do you work on the weekends?
Yes.  In fact, much of our work is on the weekends or in the evening hours during the week.  On large and/or out-of-town jobs, we will normally work 10 hour days straight through to completion.  During the summer locker  season, we work seven days a week, usually for 10-12 hours per day including travel time.  These hours create less disruption of the client's  normal work schedule and allow us to compress more work into the shortening summer locker seasons.

What part of the country do you work in?
Generally, we confine our work to a 15 state area surrounding Ohio during the summer locker season.  Outside of the summer locker season, we will travel to other states east of the Mississippi River if the size of the job warrants the inherent travel expenses.

 

How can I choose a date to have my lockers refinished?
Because we cover such a large area during the summer and our time is so limited, we try to consolidate jobs based on their geographical location so  we can do several jobs on one run from our home office.  Schools in certain  geographical  areas get out earlier than those in other areas and return earlier as the end of summer approaches.  Accordingly, we are  going to schedule our early runs into those geographical areas.  The timing of the  4th of July holiday also factors in as this may be the only break our crews get during the summer.   In some cases, summer cleaning or remodeling projects at a given school dictate the timing.  While we try our best to accommodate everybody's wishes, please understand that we simply may not be able to and will have to ask your indulgence in accommodating us on a schedule that satisfies us.   We do try to give preferential treatment to those who have committed to us early.  We begin accepting orders for the upcoming locker season as early as January 2nd of that year and are normally pretty well booked by mid- to late March.  Do not hesitate if you  are serious about having work done and want to have preferential treatment in scheduling.

Do I have to remove tape and stickers from our lockers before you arrive? Do we have to remove
tape and stickers from our desks and files before you arrive?
Generally, no; but please be reasonable.  We fully expect there to be some tape and possibly stickers.  If you know
beforehand that there is an excessive amount of tape or stickers on your items, please try to have  members of your
staff remove as much of it as possible before our arrival.  It is not necessary to remove all of the residual glue that is 
usually left behind.  Our cleaning products will quickly remove it.  Additional charges may be levied for cleanup if upon arrival at your site, we find an excessive amount of tape or stickers that causes a significant delay in completing your project.

How long do we have to wait before we can allow the students to put things back up on their lockers?
This question usually relates to the application of tape, glitter, foil stars, and the like, to personalize lockers or decorate them for special school events.  Like any paint, ours takes time to fully cure; even though it may feel hard and dry to the touch.  The manufacturer's specifications for our epoxy paint state that it has a cure time of seven days at room temperature.  At seven days, it is still not as hard as it will be at 30 days or more.  While it is not our place to instruct a school's administration on the day-to-day operation of their facilities after we're finished, it's nevertheless our recommendation that nothing be taped or  glued to the fronts of the lockers for at least 30 days after painting.  The care you give your newly painted lockers in the first 30 days after painting will make a significant difference in the life expectancy of that paint job.   This is usually not much of a problem with lockers that are painted over the summer months; but may be an issue for those that are done throughout the school year.

Do I have to empty my desks or files for you to paint?  What do I do with my computer?
Generally, no; but there are a few notable exceptions.  Fireproof files are by nature of their construction, very heavy and difficult to handle even with specialized equipment.  Every pound that can be reduced aids us greatly.  We will almost universally request that you empty  fireproof files.  Most lateral files over two drawers high will also need to be emptied because they have hollow bottoms and thus lack enough structural strength to move them on our dollies without damage.  An occasional exception is some of the Steelcase laterals which have a strong, flat bottom surface.  If they are not overloaded with material, we may be able to handle them full.  Another problem item is supply cabinets.  Again, these inherently lack structural strength.  If they are loaded down with paper or office supplies, we will usually have to request that you empty them.  The only possible exception is where we can slide them out and paint them more or less in place.  

Most other items do not need to be emptied.  We have specialized equipment to handle heavy file cabinets, desks, tables, and the like.  We will ask you to clean off the tops of desks and files prior to our arrival; and to secure all valuables somewhere else (we need access to the interiors to edge the drawers).  We will also ask you to shut down all computers and disconnect them from any networks.  We will not be responsible for damage to computers, or the data contained therein, when we have to move them ourselves.