Major makeover for 18th St. paint store

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/12/2015 (3546 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With our (generally) long and (usually) cold winters, folks are often looking for projects to do around the house, or many will start making plans for spring home renovations. And of course, an exciting do-it-yourself makeover isn’t complete until a fabulous new wall colour is chosen.

If painting is in your future and you’re looking for an extensive variety of colours to choose from, the newly renovated Sherwin-Williams Paints store at 1136 18th St. is sure to have something to suit your taste.

You might recall that the store, until this past summer, was called General Paint. District manager Denver De Zilwa said that Sherwin-Williams had been looking to expand into different markets when an opportunity came up in 2013 to grow the company by taking over the North American component of Comex.

“The Comex acquisition came up and it provided us with a great opportunity to grow our market share in Canada itself, literally overnight. Before that acquisition, we had about 100 corporate-owned stores in Canada; soon after the acquisition we are just shy of 200 stores,” De Zilwa said.

Comex supplied paint and coating products to approximately 1,500 external retail locations in Canada. The company manufactured and sold products under brands such as Frazee, Kwal, Parker Paints, General Paints, Color Wheel and Para.

Sherwin-Williams now has seven stores in Manitoba, including the Brandon location. All of the former General Paint stores got a facelift, with the Westman store being the first.

“One of the bigger changes that happened is that we went and upgraded our stores.

We wanted to make it a

more comfortable shopping environment for everybody. That whole commercial feel, that sharp feel is gone,” De Zilwa said.

“It’s a more inviting place to come pick colours, to talk about product and educate yourself about the different coatings and the technology that’s available as well. We probably have one of the best colour displays on the market with the widest variety of colours.”

If you were a fan of the General Paint products, you’re in luck because the Sherwin-Williams stores still carry the full line of products — but they also added a new section of products, including higher-end and unique product lines.

“For example, we have a product by the name of Harmony, which is a unique product for any market. It’s like putting baking soda in your fridge. It’s a big product in nursing homes and hospitals where it’s used to help make rooms smell fresher. Harmony breaks down anti-microbial, breaks down odours and is formaldehyde reducing. It basically improves the air quality of your living space,” De Zilwa said.

<t-5>According to <t-2.25>De Zilwa<t-5>, the company spends close to

$150 million on research on the coating industry every year and is a leader when it comes to technology.

“Next year, for instance, we’ll be launching a product to the health-care industry that kills 99 per cent of germs on people’s hands when they touch the walls when they are coated with our new product.”

Along with the technological advanced products, De Zilwa said their products are durable and many are environmentally friendly.

At the Brandon location, there are four fully trained employees who can help you to choose just the right product and guide you on the current trends.

“In 2015, we went back to greys and beiges. One of the newest colour trends for 2016 is Alabaster (SW 7008), which is a nice, off-crisp white,” De Zilwa said.

“It was picked by our colour experts in the U.S. to be one of the newer trends. If you look at a lot of new homes or in design magazines, you’ll find a lot of white in the new year.”

Visit sherwin-williams.com for more information on all the company’s products.