Are you planning an office repainting project? Are you worried that you may need to close down the office during the project? Repainting an office improves the appearance of the space, and it can positively impact your employees' productivity. However, actualising the task requires careful planning, especially if you intend to remain open throughout the process. Below are three practical tips for keeping your office running during the project.

Divide the project into zones

An interior repainting project involves tackling various parts of the office. For example, you may be planning to repaint the conference room, kitchen, office washrooms, open workspaces and executive offices. You can keep operations running in different areas by dividing the project into zones. The zones should isolate the affected areas while leaving the other rooms occupied and operational. 

For example, while painting the individual offices, your management team can move their work into the shared spaces. As you repaint one department, the employees using the area can move temporarily to another room. Decide the rooms to paint on particular days and create a relocation plan for the users of the spaces. This will lead to minimal disruption during working hours.

Schedule the work for slow hours

Every business has slow hours, even those that run 24-hours a day. Arrange with your contractor to schedule work for slow hours of the day. For example, afternoons may be slow for certain businesses. Days of the week such as Monday and Friday may also be less busy. Undertake the work during the slower days to minimise disruptions.

 If your office runs during the weekends, you can plan to paint during the evening after the employees go home. However, if you only work weekdays, execute the project during the weekend. Choose a flexible contractor who can work with your schedule to ensure the timely completion of the project.

Use non-toxic paint

Traditional paints release toxic fumes that can cause adverse health effects when inhaled. These odours are caused by the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in solvent-based paints. They can linger in the air for hours or days, depending on the amount of VOCs in the product. If you use VOC paint, your office environment won't be safe for your workers.

To keep operations running, choose high-quality non-VOC paints. These paints do not contain solvents. Instead, they use water as the dissolving agent. When non-VOC paints dry, they don't leave any toxic fumes in the air. They may leave behind a paint smell, but this goes away shortly after application. Thus, you don't have to worry about shutting down your office.

Consider these factors when planning a repainting project for your office. Talk to your painters about creating a practical schedule to minimise disruptions during working hours.