Overnight Retail Store Painting in Singleton: Petbarn Case Study
Petbarn could not close the store for the repaint, so our crew worked through the night, one section at a time, and left the shop clean and ready to open every morning.
Project Overview
Norwest Painting Group was brought in to repaint the Petbarn store in Singleton by the maintenance contractor who looked after the store. He had not been happy with the work of the painter he was using and was looking for a new commercial painter when he saw Greg drive past on the freeway, took down the number and called. After that first job, he gave Norwest all of his painting work. Petbarn could not close the store for the repaint, so our crew of four worked through the night, painted one section at a time, and left the shop clean and ready to open each morning. The whole store was finished in five nights.
The job covered the interior walls of a large, high-ceilinged retail building, including Petbarn's bright yellow feature walls set against white and grey walls. Those yellow walls are part of the Petbarn brand, so the colour had to be right and every line between the yellow and the surrounding walls had to be sharp.
Why the Maintenance Team Called Norwest
When a maintenance contractor looks after stores for a national retailer, a painter who does not turn up, or does not finish the job properly, leaves them answering to the retailer. The Singleton job needed a crew who would work nights, protect the stock, match Petbarn's brand colours exactly and finish on the dates agreed. That is what our crew delivered, and it is why the same contractor went on to send us his other Petbarn and Greencross Vets jobs.
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Get a Free QuoteOr call 0415 851 969On Site at Petbarn Singleton
Photos from the job at the Petbarn store in Singleton. Tap any photo to see it larger.
Initial Assessment and Site Conditions
Three things shaped how the job was planned before a single wall was painted.
A Retail Store That Stayed Open
The store needed to trade normally during the day, with customers, staff, dog training classes and a live fish section all running as usual. That ruled out daytime painting completely. The work had to be planned in sections small enough to start and finish overnight, with the shop floor safe and tidy again before the first staff member walked in.
High Walls Above Stocked Shelving
This is a big retail building with exposed roof trusses, and many of the walls rise well above the shelving and display stands. The stock stayed in place, so the crew painted the upper walls above fully stocked shelves and worked around the fish tanks, the training room and the grooming area.
Brand Colours That Had to Be Exact
Petbarn's yellow is part of how customers recognise the store, and it is a special Wattyl colour, Wattyl Petbarn Yellow. We had to source it from several different stores to have enough for the job. A patchy yellow or a wavy line between colours would have been obvious from the front door, so the crew needed even coverage on large areas of strong colour and clean, straight edges where the yellow meets the white and grey. The paint system for each surface was:
- Yellow feature walls: one coat of Wattyl Premium Undercoat, because other undercoats would not cover properly under the strong yellow, then two topcoats of Wattyl Petbarn Yellow
- Grey walls: one undercoat and two topcoats of Dulux Professional Low Sheen in Terrace White and Milton Moon
- Doors and frames: an oil-based undercoat and two topcoats of Dulux Aqua Enamel in Milton Moon
Painting for National Retail Chains
National retailers need every store to look the same, with brand colours matched exactly from one location to the next. They also need the work done without losing a day of trading, and with the safety and quality paperwork their head office asks for.
That is how we approached the Petbarn store in Singleton, and the same contractor then brought us in for more of the group's sites:
- Petbarn Canberra: full interior repaint over six nights with five painters
- Petbarn Heatherbrae, near Newcastle: patch and repaint
- Petbarn Oxenford, Queensland: patch and repaint
- Petbarn distribution centre, Marsden Park: a feature wall in Petbarn's colours and stripes, painted by three painters in one day, with industrial fans to speed up drying
Petbarn is part of the same group as Greencross Vets. For the same contractor, our crews repainted the interior of Greencross Vets Erina over four nights, and the interior and exterior of Greencross Vets Tuggerah over four nights and two days.
See the Greencross Vets projectHow Our Commercial Crews Work on Site
Every commercial job Norwest Painting Group takes on runs to the same safety and quality standards, and the Petbarn store was no different.
Safety Before Any Paint Is Opened
Our crews work to a Safe Work Method Statement written for the job, and every painter completes the site induction before starting. We keep a register of every paint and chemical brought on site, with the safety data sheet for each one. All electrical equipment is tested and tagged, and the crew wears the PPE the site requires.
Plant and Access Equipment
Every piece of plant, such as a scissor lift or boom lift, is listed on a plant register and checked before it is used. On the Petbarn job, a scissor lift gave the crew safe access to the upper walls above the shelving, and platform ladders were used for the lower sections and around fixtures.
Quality Checked at Every Stage
On commercial and builder projects, we work to the builder's or client's quality assurance plan, with each stage inspected and signed off before the next one starts. All work is done to the Building Code of Australia and the relevant Australian Standards, and the crew is supervised by licensed painters.
The Overnight Retail Painting Process
Each night followed the same routine, from the moment the doors closed to the moment they opened again.
Setting Up After Closing
Each night started once the store closed. The crew set up the scissor lift and ladders, covered the shelving and floors in the area being painted, and masked the edges where the yellow feature walls meet the white and grey walls.
Preparation Before Painting
Walls were cleaned, and any marks, holes and damage were patched and sanded before painting, so the new paint went onto a sound surface and the large yellow walls came up even.
Painting the Feature Walls and Main Walls
The crew painted the yellow feature walls and the grey walls section by section, cutting in carefully along the colour lines so each edge finished crisp and straight against the next colour.
Clean-Up Before Opening Each Morning
Before the store opened, the crew packed away the equipment, removed the covers and rubbish, and left the aisles clear. Customers walked into a normal, working store every morning, and the only sign of the night's work was a freshly painted wall.
The Crew Behind This Singleton Retail Painting Project
Norwest Painting Group is based in Baulkham Hills and holds NSW contractor licence 393197C. We are Supply Nation certified, and our painters are licensed, insured and police-checked. A crew of four travelled from Sydney to Singleton and completed the store in five nights, which is the kind of regional commercial work we take on across NSW.
About Norwest Painting Group
Licensed Commercial Painters for Retail Stores
- NSW contractor licence 393197C
- Supply Nation certified
- Licensed, insured and police-checked painters
- Based in Baulkham Hills, working across NSW
What Our Client Said About Our Retail Painting
“It is with great confidence that we provide this reference for Norwest Painting Group, who have been providing painting services for our business over the past three years. Across these jobs, they have demonstrated exceptional attention to detail, reliability, and their finishes have always been of a high standard, and their professionalism has made each project run smoothly.”
James Helm, National Operations Manager, MB Helm Maintenance Services
MB Helm maintained the Petbarn and Greencross Vets sites our crews painted, including the Singleton store.
Singleton Retail Painting Results
The Petbarn store in Singleton was repainted in five nights by a crew of four, without closing for a single trading day. The yellow feature walls now stand out cleanly against the white and grey walls, and the store carries Petbarn's brand properly from the front door to the back wall. The maintenance contractor was so happy with the result that he gave Norwest all of his painting work, including more Petbarn stores and Greencross Vets clinics.
If you are in Singleton, pop into Petbarn and see the work for yourself.
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Read the case studyNeed a Store Painted Without Closing?
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