Apartment Repainting Peak Season from March to June
Increasing Residents Concerned About Paint Durability
KCC, Samhwa, and Noroo in Fierce Competition
The paint industry’s competition has begun with the arrival of spring. This is due to the opening of the 600 billion KRW apartment repainting market. Apartment repainting involves applying new paint to improve the environment where the paint has faded or discolored due to building aging. It covers exterior, interior, underground parking lots, waterproofing, flooring, and more. Especially, the peak season is from March to June, when temperatures are mild and rainfall is low.
According to the paint industry on the 24th, the apartment repainting market officially opened in March. Apartment repainting starts with bids through the multi-family housing management information system 'K-apt,' managed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. More than 150 bid announcements have been registered since January this year. Painting companies from all over the country participate in the bidding. The selected painting company requests apartment exterior wall colors and designs from each paint company. The final selection is then made by resident voting.
Apartment repainting is very important to residents. It not only extends the building’s lifespan but also significantly improves the complex’s atmosphere, which affects apartment prices. Recently, due to rising raw material prices and interest rates, reconstruction has become difficult, leading many to choose repainting instead. The apartment repainting market size is also growing annually, and the industry estimates it will be about 600 billion KRW this year.
As the economic downturn continues, residents’ criteria for choosing paint are also changing. In the past, design was the priority, but recently, durability has become the top priority. Frequent repainting inevitably leads to increased maintenance costs. A paint industry official explained, “The current trend on-site is to emphasize durability more when introducing paints to painting companies. Although the Apartment Management Act recommends repainting every five years, few places repaint every five years due to the economic downturn.”
Each paint company is fiercely competing for this market. The major companies are KCC, Samhwa Paint Industrial, and Noroo Paint. Each reportedly generates annual sales ranging from 20 billion to 35 billion KRW. KCC emphasizes differentiated colors and durability as its strengths. KCC’s ‘Sopuro Durable’ has obtained RS certification (Reliability Certification for Materials and Components) and is recognized for a minimum lifespan of nine years. Developed exclusively for repainting, it has excellent color retention, targeting residents mainly with this paint.
Samhwa Paint’s strength lies in its ‘Total Solution Service.’ This service analyzes the surrounding landscape and complex characteristics to provide a unique design concept. It then offers a color design simulation showing the appearance after repainting. As of last year, the number of color design simulations reached about 3,500 cases.
Noroo Paint recently launched a ‘3D Simulation Service’ for the apartment repainting season. This service accompanies the entire repainting process, including on-site basic data review, consumer requirement checks, color and design proposals, and post-painting A/S. A distinctive feature is that the apartment’s front and rear sides can be viewed from multiple angles through zooming, rotating, and enlarging in 3D videos and virtual space.
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