Kerry Pianoforte, Editor 10.11.17
Selecting the right tools and techniques is the key to success for paint professionals. Behr Pro and the Home Depot work together to offer the best products and services to meet the individual needs of its customers.
Whether a pro is selecting colors for a client’s private home or multimillion-dollar public complex, The Home Depot offers tailored services, offerings and products, specialized for paint professionals that will help deliver the best performance and appearance to complete the job. Meeting environmental compliance certification is one key goal and Behr Pro has a range of products to meet these needs.
Coatings World: What specific products does Behr offer for professional painters?
Tony Scott, pro paint merchandise manager: The Behr Pro brand is specifically designed for Pro application properties to help get off the job quickly with fewer call-backs. Behr Pro products include interior and exterior paints built to spray with exceptionally uniform finishes, Dryfall for production ceiling jobs, even an interior High Build primer for taking a Level 4 finish to Level 5.
Our most recent addition under the Behr Pro brand is a high-performance Pre-Catalyzed Wall Epoxy (PCWE) for high traffic and severe duty interior walls. PCWE offers exceptional adhesion, hardness, chemical resistance and block resistance, making it ideal for commercial and high traffic environments. PCWE is very low VOC and available now through any Home Depot store.
CW: What tools does Home Depot offer to help pick the right coatings for each job?
Scott: Whatever your project, time is of the essence. That’s why The Home Depot has upgraded its paint offerings and services to make the evaluation and purchasing process more convenient.
More than 200 Home Depot stores now include a BEHR Pro Paint Specialist dedicated to answering your questions and ensuring you receive the right products and guidance for your needs. No matter what kind of job you have on your agenda, they will be able to help select the right paint.
The Home Depot also offers in-store digital matching technology that can duplicate any color – no matter the brand. This is a great resource for touch up projects that require exact color matching. It will also keep a record of all your purchases so you can quickly order more paint for the current job or track down a color from a previous job.
CW: Please give specific examples of the types of tips and advice Home Depot and Behr can provide:
Scott:
• Product innovation and technology
When working on new products and innovations, we start by working with Pros to define how they use current products and what they like about them. This way, we understand the users’ needs before we even begin the formula.
This strategy also enables us to ensure compliance with all required certifications. Behr not only conforms to Pro Industry standards (Greenguard, Master Painters Institute (MPI), California High Performance Schools (CHPS), etc.) but regularly works with external testing facilities to systematically benchmark our products to competitors. This helps us monitor shifts in the competitive landscape while ensuring we maintain our position of quality.
Ultimately, field trial is the determining factor whether the formula solves for a customer’s need, so this is an extensive part of our development process. Once the formula is customer approved, we commercialize it and make the new product available across The Home Depot distribution network.
As an example, Behr recently introduced Granite Grip, a textured, decorative coating for concrete walking and driving surfaces. This product hides surface imperfections and offers a new look and texture for tired concrete.
• New developments in safety and sustainability
Many customers, especially those with children, may have questions about the safety of paint, such as Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels. According to the EPA, VOCs include chemicals that may have adverse health effects. We saw demand for low- and zero-VOC paints increase about five years ago and have improved our entire assortment to deliver better paints for indoor air quality. Now all of The HomeDepot’s latex-based paints are low- or zero-VOC.
Whether a pro is selecting colors for a client’s private home or multimillion-dollar public complex, The Home Depot offers tailored services, offerings and products, specialized for paint professionals that will help deliver the best performance and appearance to complete the job. Meeting environmental compliance certification is one key goal and Behr Pro has a range of products to meet these needs.
Coatings World: What specific products does Behr offer for professional painters?
Tony Scott, pro paint merchandise manager: The Behr Pro brand is specifically designed for Pro application properties to help get off the job quickly with fewer call-backs. Behr Pro products include interior and exterior paints built to spray with exceptionally uniform finishes, Dryfall for production ceiling jobs, even an interior High Build primer for taking a Level 4 finish to Level 5.
Our most recent addition under the Behr Pro brand is a high-performance Pre-Catalyzed Wall Epoxy (PCWE) for high traffic and severe duty interior walls. PCWE offers exceptional adhesion, hardness, chemical resistance and block resistance, making it ideal for commercial and high traffic environments. PCWE is very low VOC and available now through any Home Depot store.
CW: What tools does Home Depot offer to help pick the right coatings for each job?
Scott: Whatever your project, time is of the essence. That’s why The Home Depot has upgraded its paint offerings and services to make the evaluation and purchasing process more convenient.
More than 200 Home Depot stores now include a BEHR Pro Paint Specialist dedicated to answering your questions and ensuring you receive the right products and guidance for your needs. No matter what kind of job you have on your agenda, they will be able to help select the right paint.
The Home Depot also offers in-store digital matching technology that can duplicate any color – no matter the brand. This is a great resource for touch up projects that require exact color matching. It will also keep a record of all your purchases so you can quickly order more paint for the current job or track down a color from a previous job.
CW: Please give specific examples of the types of tips and advice Home Depot and Behr can provide:
Scott:
• Product innovation and technology
When working on new products and innovations, we start by working with Pros to define how they use current products and what they like about them. This way, we understand the users’ needs before we even begin the formula.
This strategy also enables us to ensure compliance with all required certifications. Behr not only conforms to Pro Industry standards (Greenguard, Master Painters Institute (MPI), California High Performance Schools (CHPS), etc.) but regularly works with external testing facilities to systematically benchmark our products to competitors. This helps us monitor shifts in the competitive landscape while ensuring we maintain our position of quality.
Ultimately, field trial is the determining factor whether the formula solves for a customer’s need, so this is an extensive part of our development process. Once the formula is customer approved, we commercialize it and make the new product available across The Home Depot distribution network.
As an example, Behr recently introduced Granite Grip, a textured, decorative coating for concrete walking and driving surfaces. This product hides surface imperfections and offers a new look and texture for tired concrete.
• New developments in safety and sustainability
Many customers, especially those with children, may have questions about the safety of paint, such as Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels. According to the EPA, VOCs include chemicals that may have adverse health effects. We saw demand for low- and zero-VOC paints increase about five years ago and have improved our entire assortment to deliver better paints for indoor air quality. Now all of The HomeDepot’s latex-based paints are low- or zero-VOC.
