We are just finishing up our first interior repaint job of an entire home including ceilings, trim and walls since investing in Festool’s line of dust extractors. It has been an interesting job in that we were not only test driving our new Festool sanders and dust extractor but also Benjamin Moore’s new line of full spectrum paint colours, Colour Stories. Warren and I were fully hands on for this project so that we could really see and judge the full impact these new products had on our work. Both provided surprising results, but by far the Festool system was the star of this job.
Our current Festool set-up includes the RO90 DX dual mode sander, the DTS 400 orbital delta sander and the CT MIDI Dust Extractor. This job had the MIDI Dust Extractor and the DTS 400 sander in full operation throughout the project.
Our obvious expectations were met. First and foremost, being dust free. We also knew the Festool system would be invaluable when it came to the sanding and prepping of trim and doors and the elimination of dust. What we didn’t expect is how it would also perform on drywall patches and the prepping of walls.
Warline’s reputation for extensive prep work before painting is what has helped establish us as a one of the top painting companies in the city. We are exhaustive in our prep but that kind of prep results in dust. Lots of dust. The DTS 400 set up had the ability to take down patches and repairs to a perfectly smooth surface in seconds and leave no drywall dust on the wall, floor or airborne. The thick brush strokes from the previous sub-par paint job were eliminated in a single pass over with the sander.
We are still waiting for the Planex system to arrive in order to handle big walls and high areas but we were more than pleased with the performance of the DTS 400 in handling patches and rough spots.
Each member of our team has had the chance to use our Festool set up on this project and each has given us feedback on what they thought.
They loved the ease of use of the products, the comfortable in hand grip. Each appreciated the suction of the sander that kept the minimal weight of the DTS 400 off their hands and arms allowing for easy sanding above shoulder height with no fatigue. Everyone was surprised by the performance and efficiency of the Festool system.
The Festool system made what was previously a chore, the top choice job. Seriously, everybody loves to do sanding now.
We invested in Festool with the thought that being dust-free would be healthier and cleaner for our customers, their families and equally important, our team. It was a way for us to stand apart from our competition and be able to offer a dust-free solution that would help us secure more quality jobs. It would pay for itself over time.
What we didn’t anticipate was the return on investment that the Festool products would provide in actual cost savings through efficiency, increased production and time savings. When Festool says they make work Faster, Easier and Smarter – that is exactly what they deliver.
Clean-up time on this project was cut in half, sanding was down by a good 25%. We used less sanding materials and pads than we expected. Those are cost savings that go straight to our bottom line.
This job posed some unique challenges in that the dark ceilings required a third coat of paint to satifsy our standards for proper coverage. In a three story home with three bedrooms, an open staircase and a vaulted ceiling living room, that had the potential to result in a serious cost over-run. The savings we made using the Festool system kept this project on time and on budget even with the extra ceiling work.
The end result? Festool is a game changer. It delivers in every way it claims and its better for our customers and our bottom line. It has immediately become standard protocol for our work tools.
And we will use that to leave our competition in the dust.