Like icing on a cake, paint provides the final layer in the construction process and makes everything else that came before it look good. So critical is this step that paint contractors need to stay attuned to new products on the market that will help them get the job done faster, easier and with the highest level of quality. Yet, how do they manage to include that step in their busy day?
Professional painting contractors can make The Home Depot their one-and-only stop when they visit any of 1,900 locations nationwide. Here they can find professional products, quality brands, contractor support and everyday low prices for products ranging from electrical to drywall to appliances instead of going to a paint-only store or several retailers. Price and selection are key—stores carry more than 5,000 products in the paint department and more than 35,000 products across the store.
Pro contractors will always find the best product and the best value at the orange big-box store, according to Brian Mandigo, Pro Product Manager, Atlanta. “No other retailer offers the breadth of products as The Home Depot,” Mandigo says. “We have the latest and most sought-after brands at a very competitive price.”
Beyond the Brands
More than the brands that are offered, the retailer continually strives to cement long-term relationships with its contractor customer base. And products represent only part of that solution. Therefore, ongoing support for the pro contractor includes: extended hours during the week and weekends; the ability to phone, fax and e-mail orders for a quick pull; contractor credit plans; and volume pricing discounts.
Additionally, last fall the home center launched a new tiered-pricing program with paint partner ICI Paints, Glidden’s parent company. According to Glidden Pro Brand Manager, Richard Stewart, the program goes far beyond paint sales. “It’s a contractor solution that includes a full range of support,” he says. “The program includes tiered pricing for volume orders and jobsite-direct shipping based on quantity.”
Further assistance will be available from the company’s sales representatives to work with in-store sales associates and customers regarding product specifications, data sheets and other support materials. (See sidebar for more details.)
For the professional, the Pro Paint Department carries seven distinct lines of paint, from Glidden Professional Finishes and Glidden Ultra-Hide for a wide range of professional and commercial applications, to BEHR Premium Plus and Ralph Lauren Paint for custom repaints and faux finishing. Stores also stock the widest selection of paint-related merchandise in the industry, such as sprayers and pressure washers, in the top brands, including Purdy, DAP, OSI, 3M, Graco and Titan to name a few.
Easy Does It
BEHR Premium Plus has a reputation of quality and affordability, and been rated the No. 1 interior paint the last four consecutive years by a leading independent consumer publication. Now BEHR and The Home Depot are launching a new premium exterior one-coat paint, BEHR Premium Plus Ultra. The new exterior paint saves contractors time and money—with exclusive Nanoguard technology—there’s no need to prime. Nanoguard technology uses an interlocking molecular structure to offer a denser, more durable paint film. The innovative formula helps resist damage from sunlight, moisture, stains and dirt, plus blocks damaging UV rays. The paint can be applied directly to bare wood or metal.
Colors that WOW!
Colores Origines is a worldly and appealing palette of paints specifically suited to reflect bold, dramatic tastes. Made exclusively by and for The Home Depot, Colores Origines was created in Spring 2006 with color names representative of the Hispanic customer’s heritage.
ICI/Glidden Offers Tiered-Pricing Program
The Home Depot now offers the complete selection of ICI architectural and light-industrial paints—more than 1,200 paint and stain products—by special order to Pro paint contractors, including Dulux, Devoe Coatings, direct-to-metal, dryfall and maintenance paints. Products usually ship in three to five days and customers who purchase in volume—250 gallons or more—can save additional money on these and any ICI products at The Home Depot Pro Bid Room. (See the Contractor Services Desk for additional details).
Additional selections in the program include: interior and exterior paints and stains; a wide variety of sheens—flat, eggshell, satin, semigloss and gloss; a vast selection of ready-mix (premixed, popular) colors; a full range of tintable products in more than 6,500 colors; as well as an array of specialty paint products.