From Paintbrushes to Polyaspartics: How I Expanded Into Coatings and Storage

We started out painting homes, but a single question kept nagging at us: what else can we do besides paint walls? That curiosity led us straight into high-performance coatings like epoxy flooring and concrete staining, and it changed what we could offer homeowners and businesses across Colorado’s Front Range. If you’ve ever looked at a dusty garage slab or a worn patio and wondered what a durable finish could do, we break down the real path from “idea” to “installed,” including the early lessons that only show up once you’re on the job.

We also dig into why garage floor coatings naturally pull storage into the conversation. After enough garage projects, customers ask for cabinets and organization and they want a clean, finished space, not just a nicer floor. We share how we researched options, chose a manufacturing partner, invested in software and design training, and made sure installation quality matched the standards we expect from coatings work. Along the way, we talk about why we expand slowly, why training and demos matter, and how we avoid saying yes to work we can’t deliver at a high level.

Finally, we cover what customers request most throughout the year, including the seasonal push for patios, walkways, and driveways as warmer weather hits, plus why garage projects can be steady year-round even if timing makes them easier in spring and summer. If you’re planning an epoxy garage floor, concrete coatings, or garage cabinets, this conversation gives you a practical framework for choosing the right solution and setting the right expectations. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s planning a garage upgrade, and leave a review with the one space in your home you’d most like to transform.

To learn more about Mile High Coatings visit:
https://www.MileHighCoatings.com
Mile High Coatings
970-314-1023 

Transcript

Welcome To Mile High Coatings

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the Mile High Coatings Podcast, where we elevate your spaces to a new peak in quality. Hosted by David Naniga, president of Mile High Coatings, this podcast explores how expert residential painting, concrete coatings, and epoxy flooring can transform garages, basements, patios, and commercial spaces across Colorado's front range. So grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and dive into the world of high-quality coatings.

Why Expand Beyond Painting

SPEAKER_02 0:36

So we're going to discuss how Mile High Coatings expanded beyond painting into high-performance coatings and storage solutions and why that shift made so much sense. Welcome back. I'm Julie Schwenzer, co-host and producer here with David Nanaga, the president of Mile High Coatings. David, thanks again for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

So let's jump in. After initially starting with painting services, which you know we talked about in the last episode, how did you get into coatings and storage?

SPEAKER_01 1:06

So um so in around 2000, so I started in 08 and probably in sometime in 2009, by towards I don't know, middle or end of the year, I I remember uh I had lunch with my paint sales rep. And I thought, hey, you know what? What else can I do besides just paint houses? You know, I'm I was in the paint store all the time, and I see all you know, there's all kinds of other, you know, products, you know, on shelves and and brochures and all this stuff. And I always knew there was more to the to the industry as a whole than than just specifically, you know, painting for for houses and and and offices and things. And so I said, well, you know, you could, you know, instead of you know just coating walls um and ceilings and and and things, you could, you know, they're you know, concrete, you know, needs needs ceiling, needs coating. Um, it's it's uh you know, they're similar enough, you know, and of course they they sell the products and actually the products and

First Epoxy Jobs And Lessons

SPEAKER_01 2:10

all that. So okay, you know, so we so we talked about uh so so really initially we talked about epoxy and we talked about concrete staining. And so so we kind of tiptoed into that. And you know, I got got some training. I had had my my rep come out, I hired a guy, I I think I'd mentioned in the previous episode, I hired someone that had experience applying the the epoxy, you know, we practiced. Um, and then you know, five, five. I mean, I was I I'm not even sure how I acquired my my first job or how how the how the weekend came about, because it wasn't a repeat customer or anything like that. Uh and and yeah, so it was a big shot for me getting an epoxy floor. And and then, you know, so gain gained some, you know, learned some lessons there. Um and then somehow, you know, we did some did some garage floors, did some concrete staining, and you know, kind of again, just you know, each project was a learning experience to figure out, okay, what works, what doesn't work, all this stuff. And and it kind of just built built momentum. And um, and then and then I started being a little bit more active about marketing it and creating awareness and everything. And and so, so it just it just sort of semi-organically, you know, I guess snowballed, you know, and and grew. And so uh so yeah, so we, you know, we were doing that for for a number of

Adding Garage Cabinets And Storage

SPEAKER_01 3:38

years. And then in so 2016 was when we started doing cabinets. So so it was either in 2015 or 2016, I I was really because we were sort of I I'd say living in garages, we did so many garage stores, we would paint, you know, so it a lot of times customers would ask us, you know, do you do you have any anybody you'd recommend for storage or for cabinets and and all this stuff? You know, I get that quite a bit because maybe, you know, obviously they're they're uh they're they're upfitting, upgrading their garage and they want storage and everything. And so I didn't really have a great answer. And I knew that there were a couple of companies that did storage, but they also did floor coatings. And so I didn't want to necessarily give, you know, a potential customer the name of a competitor. Um, because so so anyway, so so I thought, you know what, maybe this is something we can look into. So I I I did a lot of research and came upon the company that we use, organizers direct. And um, I talked to the owner. He he had uh owned and sold California Closets, which was a huge custom closet and garage storage company, and and then you know, retired and then got bored and uh of retirement and started direct. And so so so once that happened, I I I I you know considered it and I thought, you know what, I'm gonna go down and and and visit them and and then had a they had a training. And so I brought on my one of my employees with me. And so we went down to Arizona, uh, where one of the advanced is, and and I did a week of kind of their software and design training, and and then my employee went out with their local crews and actually installed some closets and garages, and so he got first, you know, hands-on experience learning how to actually install it. And um, and he was a quick study and he picked it up right away. And um, and then of course part of my training was a little bit of what of install too. Yeah, we toured the plant, and so so I was really impressed. Um, they they've got it dialed in. The the quality of their products is is kind of insane. It's really, that's really high quality stuff. And um, and yeah, I was I was really fortunate and I'm I'm happy that I chose them as the manufacturer because it because there's there's certainly a number um of different options that I could have pursued. So anyway, um yeah, I came back and and kind of similar type of deal. I you know, I started promoting a little bit more and talking to customers and and and then when people would say, Oh, do you have recommendations like actually we we can you know design a cabinet system or or whatever for you and so it kind of just uh that that's kind of how it happened, really. So so it was it was uh I guess just recognizing the fact that there was a by existing customers and and just sort of seizing that opportunity and and and and you know making it part of our service uh offering. So and then yeah, since 2016, uh we've we've been doing cabinets and we do or we install more and more each year. I mean it it kind of just continues to grow and and uh yeah, I've got them in my own garage, I've got them in my shop, and they're phenomenal. Never had an issue um with them. They're they're just a really high quality product.

Training And Quality Control Mindset

SPEAKER_02 7:20

Were there any big challenges when you did expand into the new service areas that stand out to you?

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Um I think that I was very anytime I've done that, uh that I've expanded out, I I'm very I I feel like I'm very measured and and very um slow to to to dive in. I I I want to make sure that if we're gonna do something, you know, uh that that we do it right and that we have that we're competent and that you know I'm my employees can handle it, you know. Um like for instance, um, you know, we've never uh done uh painting a big bridge on a highway. You know, that that's a thing massive companies. Uh there's companies that paint massive bridges and stuff like they've got that figured out. I would never just go bit on a bridge and be like, oh yeah, we can we can do that because I wouldn't be comfortable, you know, having my guys do it. I'm not familiar with the new outs and the ins and out. So so so I would say that yeah, anything that that I've done, I've you know, wanted to have training, I've sent guys to demos, I've attended demos, I you know, I I hound my my sales reps and try to absorb as much knowledge as I can so that that we're so if we're suggesting a product or an application that it is actually the right uh solution for for that particular you know uh problem or or or or you know area. So so yeah, I mean, of course there's always challenges, there's things that you don't expect that that come up, but um just try to handle them as best you can and and and have a dialogue with the customer and and work through it uh ultimately. So and it usually works out. And um yeah.

What Customers Want Most

SPEAKER_02 9:09

So just to wrap it up, do you see the most demand from customers for um maybe one or two services that complement or complement each other that you offer? Or is it like there's there a standalone service that is, you know, requested more?

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Um depending on the time of year, so is it what kind of flows, you know, we do a lot of patios and walkways and driveways. So it's it's so we're kind of approaching summer now, and so there's a lot of uh just activity there with people thinking about outdoor projects. And so as we as we get into to the summertime, uh those I would say become uh you know on you know uh at the front of of people's priority list. And uh and then of course garage for us too. And we can do since we can do those year-round, I mean they're they're it's more steady, but also people that have existing homes, um, meaning they're not moving into a new home and they're just you know they have all their stuff in their garage and they need to move it out. Obviously, summertime or springtime is is is a little bit more ideal to to be able to clear stuff out with the weather being nicer as opposed to doing it on a you know 20-degree cold day. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

It's uh a beautiful cold wintry day with all the elements, the wind, the snow, everything. Oh, well, uh yeah, David, thank you so much for walking us through how you expanded your business and why you did it. I think it's very helpful, very helpful to everyone listening.

Free Quote And Closing

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Thanks for tuning in to the Mile High Coatings Podcast. Ready to give your space a fresh, durable finish? Visit MileHighCodings.com for a free price quote or call 970-314-1023. At Mile High Coatings, we're not just painting walls, we're setting a new peak in quality. Until next time, keep your standards high and your coatings higher.