Speaking of Heidi
- Mark Lipton
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The water was drained at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington last week, exposing our nation’s coatings shame. That our government is so dysfunctional that it can’t write a good paint spec, nor can it adhere to a bad one, raising further concerns.
With the water removed, adhesion failure becomes immediately evident, including delamination visible at the expansion joints, suggesting an incompatibility with the filler, only adding to the list of failures this “inspection” receives.
Also clear from evidence available online is a more generalized failure around the pool, with mass delaminations visible, as would be expected considering the multitude of failures. Most notably that the coating specified requires a monolithic application, which did not happen here according to the video evidence. Making this coating system destined to fail, though the speed at which that occurred was accelerated by other issues, including exposing the substrate for weeks after preparation and before application. Allowing the concrete to absorb contaminants which one day would have caused the paint to peel, had the contractor not already fucked up this job so badly, bringing that on even sooner.
And was I the only one who noticed the cars parked on the surface after the preparation? A no-no which did not contribute to this coating’s failure, but rather mechanically caused it.
The story came back in the news last week after the pool was drained in preparation for repairs, which cannot be done on that coating as it requires a monolithic installation. Leaving removal of that finish and any primers put in place as the only path forward for the contractor-in-chief, though he has already awarded a no-bid contract to touch the paint up. To the same guy responsible for the original application, who the national media reports is a longtime donor to Trump’s campaigns, which the Federal Election Commission (FEC) confirms.
Reporters from the Washington Post who visited the pool on June 25th noted seven areas where delaminations could be seen weeks before the pool was filled, with non-adhered segments as long as six feet, aligning with the seams created while applying this coating in sections. Quilting a blanket when the instructions called for an afghan to be knitted from a single strand, with no magic touch-up possible which could turn one into the other.
A striking metaphor for how our government is currently functioning, which evidence suggests is not according to specification.
Speaking of Heidi
Global specialty chemical manufacturer Evonik announced 3,200 layoffs last week, 2,150 of which will be in Germany, where the up-the-supply-chain provider of industry-standard coating additives is headquartered. The rest will be spread across Evonik assets worldwide, likely costing a few in North America their jobs, though I expect that number to be small. This comes on top of 2,400 layoffs in December of 2024, combined representing 20% of Evonik’s worldwide staff. A staggering reduction only partially explained by advances in efficiency, with the rest explained by forecasted decline in the demand for coatings. Making these cuts Evonik’s response to what they know is coming, which is concerning for our segment.
And while that action is too far up the supply chain to impact many readers here, it is a concerning presage of the forecast for architectural coatings, which remains dire enough we will all be effected. A forecast parroted by Sherwin-Williams CEO Heidi Petz who says “softer for longer” when speaking to demand for architectural coatings, and Evonik got that message.
Speaking of Heidi, only three of her employees accused her of sexual harassment to me last week, down from a dozen the week before, each unsolicited providing reason enough to justify further investigation. One I hope Petz herself will save me from doing, by announcing an impartial review of Sherwin’s work environment and publishing those results. Which would be the right thing to do, explaining both why that’s my plan and why I’m not expecting Heidi to do it. Because Petz cares more about her money than she does about the plight of her female employees. Or the people of Rochester or her store managers, nearly all of whom are victims.
When Do it Best announced their “strategic partnership” with Sherwin-Williams, it brought an end to the co-op’s relationship with Benjamin Moore. Which was among the topic of my podcast this week, giving me a chance to explain why that had to happen. And what True Value Paint dealers should do now that Sherwin-Williams is their partner. Before they become victims, which Sherwin also makes of their consumers.
So I encourage them to #BoycottSherwinWilliams and replace True Value Paints with a better brand, one made by an ethical manufacturer which can be counted on to engage in true partnership. Manufacturers which exist throughout the United States, independent and family-owned businesses which offer better brands than True Value, now down to $75,000,000 a year, according to my sources. Barely enough to justify the label, making this a change that is likely coming anyway.
Some of these manufacturers could even be willing to invest in sales growth initiatives for any dealer considering the switch, making this an opportunity for True Value Paint retailers to do more with those departments. An opportunity which is not knocking but pounding at their doors, so I wanted to make sure they answered.
On the episode, I offered free consulting and introductions to a manufacturer to any True Value retailer considering making THE switch. Those who are interested in hearing more, can start making that money here.
