Refinisher's Warehouse 1 800 677 6766 Professional Refinisher Supplies Refinishers Warehouse Newsletter Archive Volume 4, Issue 1

Good News, No, GREAT NEWS
I have been in talks with my manufactures about lowering our costs. Over the years, Refinishers Warehouse has had 1000's of gallons of coatings manufactured, and for being such a large customer, they have agreed to restructure the costs. I'm passing along these savings to you. I hope these savings will help many of you who still say that business is somewhat slow, and for the rest of you that say business is beginning to bust loose, enjoy the lower prices. My goal is simple, I just want to be the Best Supplier, offer the Best Coatings and Chemicals, and, provide the Best Service, at very competitive prices.

QUESTION:
Why would a professional refinisher buy coatings from a company that also sales to the general public and the Do-it-yourselfers? By selling to the homeowner, wouldn't that company be taking potential business away from the refinisher? Isn’t your business refinishing bathtubs, showers, and countertops for apartments and homeowners? That's what I thought also. Refinishers Warehouse does not and will not sell any of our coatings to the private homeowner and the Do-it-Yourselfers, because you, the professional refinisher is the Heart and Soul of this company, you are the life blood of this company. This company was built to cater to the professional refinisher. The Big Box stores sell a product (not a very good product) that the home owner can buy if they want to do a tub themselves.

TROUBLESHOOTING:
Question: What causes certain problems and how can I correct them?
I get asked the same questions from time to time by different customers. I will try to answer those questions in upcoming issues of the news letter in this section.

DRY SPRAY
Condition: Dull, rough, sand like finish, over spray, on the surface of a spray applied coating.

Causes: Spray gun being held too far from surface, moving the spray gun too fast, or the atomization is too fine, resulting in paint particles being partially dried prior to reaching the surface. Solvent mixture not correct.

Solutions: Hold the spray gun closer to the surface. Move the spray gun a little faster. Adjust the atomization (to allow more fluid to come out of the needle and less air). Possibly too much thinner in mixture. The solution could be just one minor adjustment, or just a couple minor adjustments. Usually not a big problem.

PLEASE NOTE: ELIMINATION OF HAZMAT FEES
I hope by now you have noticed that most packages no longer have a Hazmat fee. DOT changed some of the rules and we can now ship up to 4 gallons of flammable paint, by GROUND, as ORM-D and not Hazmat, so we no longer have to charge the Hazmat fees. There are a couple exceptions. If your order includes Dissolve-X, it must be classified as Hazmat and the fees will be charged. If you want your order shipped by AIR then the Hazmat fees apply. That translates into a $20 savings per box just on shipping charges, for ground shipments.

RECAP OF IDEAS AND PRODUCTS (REPEAT)
FAUX GRANITE LOOK : In the past couple of years, I have introduced you to the technique of Faux Granite, where, after you apply the base coats of color, you speckle the countertop with contrasting colors. Those of you who have tried this, report that now you do very few solid color Almond or White countertops any more. You have converted your customers to the NEWER and BETTER LOOK , and INCREASED your profits as well, by charging more for this look, as much as $ 75 to $ 150 extra.

ADD A CLEAR COAT: Using about the same amount of clear as you did with the base coat. This will give your counter more protection, but more important, it will add a depth that will just enhance the overall appearance. (Some refinishers are charging $45 to $85 extra for this clear coat)

HAMMER EFFECT: This coating is only available in four colors, Blue, Green, Silver and Charcoal (Black), at this time. You can intermix these four colors and create many variations. Those that have tried this have said the effect is tremendous, that home owners rave about the look. One example would be to do the inside of a claw foot tub in the silver or the black Hammer, as well as the inside of the pedestal sink. Do the outside of the tub and the pedestal in a contrasting color or white. It's such a different and exciting effect. One customer said he was having trouble selling the Silver Hammer, "I mean who wants a silver bathtub?" Good thought, so he changed the color to "Antique Pewter" and has sold a ton of jobs. Another customer, uses the Black (or Charcoal) Hammer on countertops and his customers just love the effect.

FIBERGLASS TUB REPAIR PANELS: This is a one piece, vinyl repair panel, used to repair the bottoms of fiberglass tubs and showers, when they are structurally damaged. It comes complete with the two part epoxy glue, mixing bucket, gloves and the repair panel. You can repair the bottom of a tub in about an hour, and when done correctly, the tub looks like it came from the factory.

We will continue to look for, develop, and pass along new products and / or ideas. If you would like to see something or have heard of something, pass it along so we can share it with all.