Trusted coatings for evolving outdoor spaces

By Jenny Yu.  

Sherwin-Williams and H&C continue to innovate as contractors demand stronger, more resilient exterior solutions. 

For almost 160 years, Sherwin-Williams has provided professional contractors and DIYers alike with coating solutions for inside and outside their homes. In a recent From the Ground Up™ episode, Karol Weyman spoke with Dan Hedberg, assistant product manager for Sherwin-Williams, about how the company and its H&C brand continue to expand their product lines to meet growing demands.  

“We've been around for a long time. We've been focusing on exterior spaces and concrete specifically for a very long time,” Dan stated. “With a brand like H&C and Sherwin-Williams, you can be assured that you're getting a company that really knows what they're doing and has tested out the market.” 

One way H&C and Sherwin-Williams have established themselves as leaders is by addressing durability concerns for outdoor surfaces that take a beating from various extreme climates. “Whether you think about northern states like Ohio, we get brutal freeze-thaw cycles and salt in the winter, and down in Florida, you have very harmful UV rays. There are unique things to consider depending on the environment,” Dan said. “But, regardless of whether you’re up north or down south, we not only want our surfaces to be protected, but we want it to be beautiful, too.”  

Another demand Dan spoke to was the importance of water resistance when engineering new coating products. “On things like pool decks, you have water immersion to think about,” Dan explained. “You have water sitting, not being wiped up right away, oftentimes with an inferior coating that’s going to lead to softening of the coating, and it’s going to fail that way. You also have discoloring and fading to worry about.” 

Furthermore, Dan discussed chemical exposures on spaces like driveways. “Think about all the nasty things that we store in our garage or that might drip off our cars: gasoline, oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, all that nasty stuff,” Dan said. “These try their best to eat away or at least stain a coating.” 

To address these growing demands and concerns, Dan expressed how Sherwin-Williams and H&C continue to be trusted partners for contractors and end-users alike with innovative solutions like their newest addition, Heavy Shield Plus. “We're testing those from top to bottom and keeping very rough and abusive conditions in mind when developing products,” Dan shared.  

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how H&C and Sherwin-Williams deliver high-performance products for evolving outdoor spaces.