Mike Purvis, founder of Storage Facility Painting Services, LLC, is calling attention to a significant operational challenge facing the self-storage industry: the substantial financial and operational costs resulting from poorly planned and executed repainting and rebranding projects. With over 50,000 self-storage facilities in the United States and frequent rebranding cycles driven by new locations and ownership consolidations, the issue carries considerable economic weight.
Purvis, whose company works exclusively with storage facilities nationwide, contends that many avoidable problems originate from treating these complex, active facilities like generic commercial painting jobs. "Most failures happen before a crew ever arrives," Purvis said. "If planning is weak, quality and timelines suffer every time." These projects often occur while facilities remain fully operational, necessitating meticulous sequencing, logistics, and coordination to minimize disruption.
The financial implications are substantial. Industry estimates suggest rework and schedule overruns cost commercial property owners billions of dollars annually, frequently due to missed deliveries, unclear project scopes, or unrealistic timelines. In painting and exterior maintenance specifically, inadequate preparation is cited as a leading cause of early failure. This waste represents a significant drain on resources within a growing industry sector.
Purvis argues that the perceived trade-off between speed and quality is a false dichotomy. "Speed comes from preparation," he explained. "Rushing comes from poor planning. Those are two very different things." His company's approach is built on a narrow specialization in storage facilities, employing defined systems, standard workflows, and disciplined scheduling to reduce disruption and increase consistency. "Specialisation removes guesswork," Purvis noted. "When you understand the asset type, you plan better. When you plan better, everything downstream improves."
Rather than focusing on new tools or trends, Purvis advocates for a return to fundamental project management principles: establishing clearer scopes, setting realistic schedules, and partnering with service providers who comprehend the unique operational constraints of active storage facilities. "This industry doesn't need shortcuts," he stated. "It needs better decisions made earlier."
For facility owners, operators, and service providers, Purvis recommends practical steps to mitigate these widespread issues. He suggests asking detailed questions about planning and sequencing before work begins, choosing partners with direct experience in storage facilities, building adequate preparation time into project schedules, and reviewing the root causes of past delays or rework to adjust processes. "Better outcomes are usually the result of simple changes," Purvis concluded. "Anyone can raise the standard by slowing down and planning properly." To read the full interview, visit https://www.mikepurvispainter.com.
