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Storefront with Faux Finish Refresh

A retailer had several different generations of storefronts with differences in paint application and materials. They wanted to bring all up to the current look and standard but focused on doing so beginning with the oldest 15 stores which were set in locations throughout the country.

Scope
The scope of work needed to execute this rollout included:

  1. Meet with client to discuss the project at one of the locations where work was set to be done
  2. Do a field survey at that location to determine the time necessary to complete the update
  3. Survey the remaining stores based upon detailed photographs and blueprints provided by the client
  4. Paint all components of the storefront to bring them to the current specifications set forth by the client
  5. Replace some components of the storefront at exterior stores with materials better suited to handle the weather elements
  6. Provide before and after photos to the clients home office

Challenges
The constraints of this project included:

  1. All work needed to be completed overnight
  2. The stores needed to open in presentable condition each morning the update took place
  3. Some storefronts were located in outdoor malls, which introduced weather related issues and limitations
  4. Each store needed to be completed in 4 days or less
  5. A faux finish needed to be applied to all storefronts and needed to be consistent from one location to another
  6. Crews had to be thoroughly trained in the faux finish techniques in a short time span
  7. Some of the paint and materials were unable to be found locally and needed to be ordered and shipped directly to the location

Solution
We understood that our client treated their storefronts as the highest priority. Not only did the storefront need to be completed with the highest level of quality, it also needed be left in presentable condition each morning until the update was completed. We also understood that a thorough paint and installation document was needed to supplement the training in order to complete this project properly. Our plan to execute this project included:

  1. Development of a mock storefront in our training facility to allow us to teach the paint application methods to the techs as well as allow them to practice and fine-tune their technique
  2. Thorough documentation of the training session (photos, video, notes, feedback from the techs) to allow for a specific installation document to be created
  3. Development of a application schedule and document with photos and a checklist to ensure the project was executed properly
  4. Each day’s schedule addressed areas and aspects of the storefront that would allow for complete repainting or replacement, therefore no items would be left half-done until the following night
  5. Scheduling the exterior stores located in the northern section of the country to help prevent weather related issues. Weather forecasts were monitored as well to ensure we were aware of potential complications and could adjust the schedule accordingly
  6. Ordering and shipment of the materials that could not be found locally to each location for arrival 2 days prior to the start date
  7. Contacting each mall or building manager as well as Store Managers at each location to inform them of the work set to be done
  8. Daily calls and photos from the techs to ensure they were on schedule and meeting client expectations
  9. Follow-up calls the morning of completion to both the Store Managers and techs to verify that the project was completed up to standard and that the store was left in the proper condition
  10. Certain stores where selected for site visits by the management team throughout the country to ensure the quality and consistency that the client demanded was met

Summary
Getting a consistent faux finish product is difficult at one location let alone 15. With proper training and management of the process we were able to ensure the client was pleased with the outcome at each store. In addition, with thorough planning and communication throughout the process we were able to meet all deadlines. As a result we were awarded the next group of 15 storefront updates.

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