Nestled twenty minutes from Boston in Peabody, Mass. on 90 pristine acres is Brooksby Village – a continuing care retirement community featuring both independent living neighborhoods and assisted living accommodations, as well as a plethora of community spaces and amenities.

Looking to maintain its welcoming reputation, the client came to Arch Painting to make improvements to two of its buildings – Rose Court and Evergreen Terrace. Outdated, peeling wallcovering covered much of the common areas in these two housing units, behind some of which there was hidden water damage.

Working in an occupied space always presents challenges, but working in an occupied residence that houses elderly individuals with specific sensitivities and health concerns meant even the usual precautions had to be more carefully planned and enforced.

Throughout the job, the Arch crew exercised extreme air quality control. Plastic was used to protect the carpets and contain any dust caused by the removal of the existing wallcovering and subsequent sanding of the walls. A dustless sander attached to a HEPA vacuum was used for all sanding, and the vacuum was kept onsite at all times to clean up during and at end of each day as needed. All waste was disposed of in contractor bags offsite.

Throughout the project, work was carefully coordinated with the customer to ensure minimal disruption to staff and resident life. In the hallways, work could only be completed and materials contained to one side at a time to allow safe resident and staff travel. At no time were any materials left unattended, and clearly visible “wet paint” signs were used each day.

Zero VOC and low odor coatings were a must, so once the walls were repaired and smooth to the touch, they were latex primed then finished with two coats of Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 in an Eggshell finish. Frames, doors, elevator doors, chair rail, wood base, and windows with wood sash in designated areas were lightly sanded, cleaned, and finished with three coats of Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 in Semi-Gloss finish in SW 7104 Cotton White.

In addition to modernizing the facilities with paint instead of wallcoverings, new color schemes were also implemented for easier wayfinding. Common now in many assisted living facilities, the hallways in each wing were painted with a specific color scheme to help elderly residence confidently find their way to the correct housing wing. For example, one wing was painted with SW 7612 Mountain Stream and SW 2863 Powder Blue, whereas another was painted with SW 7682 Bee’s Wax and SW 6379 Jersey Cream, allowing residents to differentiate the wings and more easily find their way to their rooms. Additionally, community spaces such as the café, TV areas, spas, and aerobics areas were painted with their own neutral scheme to help residents locate each of these services on their floor.

Made possible through a true team effort of a dedicated Project Manager, highly skilled and thorough painters, and a client with a true passion and vision, the end result was a clean, cheerful space that will help allow Brooksby Village to provide its residents with happy, comfortable lives.

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