How To Select A Paint Colour For Your Industrial Or Commercial Space
Unlike residential painting, industrial projects come with a range of business-oriented goals, including workplace atmosphere, branding, and even leaving a lasting impression on potential customers. With all this considered, it's clear that there's a lot more to an industrial or commercial colour pallet than meets the eye.
To help inform your decision, we've rounded up our top colour selection tips - picked up through working on Sydney's industrial painting projects. In no particular order, let's get started.
1.Focus on the building materials
In any painting project, the surface will always affect the finished project, and this goes double when it comes to some of the unconventional materials used in the industrial sector. The choice of material will determine how long the paint will last, the cost of materials and even the colour. For instance, metal surfaces will require different paint colours, primers and applications than concrete, bricks, or aggregate surfaces.
With commercial or industrial projects, your paint selection should meet the following criteria- cost-effective and durable. Therefore, colour palettes for commercial and industrial interiors/exteriors should be chosen to enhance and protect your building materials, not despite them.
In Sydney, popular building materials include brick, followed by concrete, cement, stone and timber. To make sure you choose the right paint colours and types, be sure to get in touch with our team of Dulux accredited industrial painters.
2.Know Your Industry
A commercial or industrial project encapsulates a wide range of different industries with different priorities and even unwritten colour rules. So when it comes to choosing the right paint, take inspiration from what other business have done. Each industry will have its own style guide if you pay close attention; for example, some cafes may use earthy tones to create comfort and promote wall decore, while others go big and vibrant with bright hues and murals to attract attention of passers-by.
No matter the approach, the idea of creating a space that is both appealing to look at and be in is what's core to this industry. The same rule goes for industrial building painting as well. Before you finalise any colour palettes for projects, here are some more examples of how different environments use colour to their advantage -
- Warehouses, factories and distributing centres: Incorporating colour to interior settings is one of the sure ways to increase warehouse and factory performance. Bright accent colours like reds and yellows can help energise the mood rather than relying solely on greys and darker shades.
- Hotels, arcades and retail stores: For hotels, arcades and retail stores, consider using bright, attention-grabbing colours to attract passers-by. Create a building that will stand out from others and come off as fun and interesting to the neighbourhood.
- Hospitality facilities: For hospitals and healthcare centres, pick colour schemes blue, violet, sage green or mauve that evoke a sense of calmness for anxious patients.
- Office buildings: Stick to a professional and executive appearance- navy blue-cream, bottle green-beige, and coffee brown-mauve can be some excellent colour combinations for a productive but welcoming space.
3.Accentuate the Architectural Details
Just like residential painting projects, be sure to consider the architectural style of your industrial or commercial building. Commercial and industrial facilities can sometimes have a mundane design and structure, so that's why a cleverly utilised colour palette can set your workplace apart. In comparison, those buildings with a bit more character make use of a fresh coat of paint to accentuate archways or other structural details.
A calculated change in colours can also help set the perceived size and scale of the interior space, and as for the exterior, it's always a plus to stand out amongst your surroundings.
4.Consider Your Local Environment
When choosing colour palettes, the region in which your industrial or commercial space is oriented will essential role in the overall selection. Take notice of any landmarks such as parks, buildings or even others operating in your industry. Many buildings near foot traffic with exposed sidewalls will incorporate a mural for the community or even self-promotion over a billboard. Still, it all comes down to location, location, location!
You can either follow the colour schemes your surrounding buildings follow to blend into the neighbourhood or stand out from others with custom colour contrasts.
Another example is that your company may be located in a historical or arts district surrounded by cultural and timeless buildings. In that case, you may need to follow local guidelines and regulations to choose your industrial building's exterior colours. Since sometimes it pays to blend in, why not rely on industrial painting professionals to help see the job is performed to a high standard.
5.Create Brand Identity
Your industrial and commercial space is a canvas for your business to really come into its own and develop a strong brand. Your reputation and practice will be created and reinforced within this space - so when choosing the colour palettes, you must represent your brand, identity and core ethos. If you're starting, make use of a commercial painting experts' help, come up with a pallet that complements your design as well as the values you want to express.
6.Pay Attention to Colour Effects and Association
Commercial and industrial paint colours can increase productivity and improve employee morale tremendously. While the art of colour therapy is subjective, research has shown a correlation between the workplace and how colour influence moods, creativity, productivity, and overall performance.
That's why we think it can't hurt to keep some of it in mind when choosing the right industrial or commercial paint colour for your staff, customers and even pedestrians!
Final Verdict
Industrial and commercial building painting is an investment in your workspaces longevity, and we don't just mean ensuring your physical building's surface. Picking the right colour will help establish and build on a lasting brand. From a customer's very first impression about your business to your employees' work atmosphere and ethos, just one colour can indeed make a big difference!
