Replies

1. 
   user-83153 | Apr 25, 2007 04:19am | #1

   Hey Kevin,

     I'm a little to far away to attend. Wisconsin :^)  But I have a question for you or any of the other pro finishers out there. How do you get the products that manufacturers make for the pros but not the general market. Do you just have to talk to a rep or do you have to buy x amount of finishing products or what? Thanks.

                     Rob

1. 
   Kevin | Apr 25, 2007 04:49am | #2

   That's good question and I think Rich might actually be able to give you some good feedback on it because he's not a pro, has access to many of the same finishing materials that I do and had to track it down himself rather than just turning purchase requests in like I do at work. Where I work we have formal financial relationships with commerical suppliers, with commerical pricing and all that jazz. So I would readily defer to Rich or someone comparable on this.

   I think that for the most part different manufactorers take different approaches with marketing their "pro" products. The Big Boys like Sherwin Williams have what they call Commercial Coatings facilities that are distinct and seperate from their contractor or home paint retail outlets. So to get SW finishes you'd need to find their nearest commercial coatings outlet and inquire there. I know that they market separate stains and perhaps other finishing products through their regular retail outlets which are not marketed to their commercial clients. And I can't really speak to their non-commercial products because I don't use them.

   Other manufactorers, especially the smaller regional brands are more tuned towards marketing to a broader base, probably out of necessity. Here in the NorthWest we have a brand called Rodda which does the usual latex and lacquer like Sherwin Williams does. I have worked at places that used nothing but Rodda lacquers (great lacquers, btw!). Typically Rodda has a few select stores out of the total which carry the commerical type coatings in addition to their normal latex and stuff like that. They do have a commercial coatings type facility near me. But I think it's more for bulk orders than anything else.

   Other big brands like M.L. Campbell market through regional suppliers. Tracking them down can be difficult. But a buddy of mine is an M.L.C. wood finishes rep and I'm pretty certain that he'd be as happy to sell to you as to a commercial client.

   What I would suggest, pending Rich's feedback, is that you just track down the brand(s) you want to use and just call them and figure it out over the phone. Whomever you get in touch with will be able to either answer your questions or direct you to whomever can answer them.

   Edited 4/24/2007 9:51 pm by Kevin