A unique, eye-catching color scheme made the Beach Apartments a landmark property on Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But the exterior hadn’t been painted since the 1990s, and rain and sun had caused significant damage. The stucco was cracked and crumbling, and the colors had faded in the high desert climate.
“We often see this kind of damage here in New Mexico, but it was much more extensive in this case,” says Shayne Swingle of Sherwin-Williams.
Pro Painting Services of nearby Rio Rancho was brought in to help the multi-family property reclaim its standing as a prominent local icon.
Getting the colors right
After repairing and powerwashing the substrate, Pro Painting Services owner Carlos Devora met with the original architect, Antoine Predock, to match the colors with his original 1984 design.
Working from the original physical architectural model (no CAD software in those days), they matched the colors to swatches in the Sherwin-Williams fan deck.
There was also a new addition that wasn’t on the original model, so Devora had to develop a color scheme there to complement the original design.
His crew took measurements and taped it off, following chalk lines on the stucco.
“We took photos as we went along, going back to the architect several times to make sure we matched his vision as closely as possible,” Devora says.
Selecting the right paint
Devora knew paint selection would be crucial to providing his customer with a long-lasting finish. A-100® Exterior Latex was used for the base color – Naturel SW 7542 (286-C3).
“A-100 covers extremely well, and is really easy to apply,” he says. “Plus, it has good touch-up. You can come back and do spot touch-ups and not have to paint the whole wall.”
SuperPaint® Exterior Acrylic Latex was used for the accent colors.
“That was important for getting better coverage, especially with the darker colors,” Devora says. Formulated with Advanced Resin Technology™, SuperPaint has outstanding adhesion, hide, color retention and durability, and resists fading, peeling, cracking and blistering.
For metal light posts, they used Pro Industrial™ DTM Acrylic. Sherwin-Williams® Industrial Enamel was applied on hand rails and on metal surfaces in the pool and other areas.
The best kind of referral
The end result is something Devora and his crew can rightfully take pride in painting – and the high-profile project has become a great calling card for Pro Painting Services.
“Everybody in Albuquerque knows the property, and my crew was passionate about doing a great job,” he says. “In the final walk-through, there were only two things on the punch list, so it was close to perfection. We are all very happy with how it turned out.”
A project like this, aligns with the reason he chose to focus on repaints when he started his company.
“When you bring a faded building back to life, you see faces light up with what a little bit of paint can do,” he says. “It makes the buildings come alive.”
Story and photography by Mike Starling, Pintor Pro editorial director. You can read more about Carlos and Pro Painting Services in our story, Painting in the Heights with Carlos Devora.
