Interior Damage Can Be Just Plain Scary

Banged up décor leaves a bad first impression

The overall condition of a facility speaks volumes to not only those who live and work there, but also to visitors and potential users. The old adage is: You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

A shabby interior space, poor maintenance, even unpleasant odors can have potential money-paying customers turning on their heels and heading out the door.

Take a tour of your facility with the eye of a newcomer and you’ll notice dozens of consumer turnoffs, from scarred doorjambs and soiled carpet, to hand-lettered signs taped to the walls.

Some environmental imperfections are design or age related, such as long travel distances from the rooms to amenity areas, or dark, poorly lit hallways. They can also be the result of budgetary chokeholds that show up in multiple ways—from the absence of decorative accessories and special touches to run-down furnishings that should have been retired long ago.

However, most interior appearance flaws are those we create and tolerate. While sales representatives like to present their facilities as “the ideal place,” imperfections can give the place a look that’s a little too lived-in.

 

How Door and Wall Protection can help

We would interject here that door and wall protection can and should be part of the building tour suggested above.

Just to establish a common ground, let’s define door and wall protection. A good list of products can be found in CSI MasterFormat Division 10 26 00 – Wall and Door Protection:

Watch Ricochet® Flexible Wall Protection be put to the test. In this video, we show you how this premium wallcovering combines durability and resilience against chemicals, stains and graffiti.

Cutting first costs often kicks damage problems “down the road”

Decisions made every day by architects and building owners about interior protection elements have a lasting impact on how the facility will look after it’s occupied. Unless the real costs of those elements are factored into the decision-making process, facility owners will continue to trade long-term performance for short-term savings.

A common practice in new construction and renovation projects is to focus on first costs. Every project has a budget, and keeping the project within that budget is an important element of ensuring a successful project

However, as facility budgets dwindle it is more important than ever to keep life-cycle costing in mind when designing a project.

Elevators are interiors, too

Over time, elevator interiors can get damaged … especially if the cab is used for both passengers and freight. Even with the best padded intentions, freight and furniture movers and delivery drivers ding up, gouge and scuff walls with dollies, carts and crates.

During your Audit walk-around, poke your head into every elevator and take a 3D spherical look around.

Download our Conducting a Facility Appearance Audit white paper to learn more.

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