How to Keep Your Shul Looking Brand New for Years
(3D renders by David Jakubowic)
If you’ve recently built a new synagogue, I’m sure you’d love to see it looking this good 20, 30, even 60 years from now! Many thanks to Shimon Rosenberg, CEO of Rose Builders Group, for sharing these important tips with us:
“There are few things that break my heart more than walking into a newly built facility and it looks like it was built over 50 years ago!
I have put together this list to help you keep your new facility looking new for many years.
1. Use manufacturer directions to clean and care
Every finish item that is installed during a construction project – such as flooring, sinks, lights, or even furniture – come with manufacturer's directions for care. Many times these directions are common sense but sometimes they are not! Pay attention to what the manufacturer recommends and this will add to the longevity and new look and feel of your building.
An example would be with flooring. if you use the wrong tools or even RPM for cleaning you can end up with burn marks and faded spots on the brand new floor.
Using the manufacturer care directions is a must!
2. Spend time doing “touch up” work
I have seen facilities that dedicate a maintenance person one day a month to walk around and do “touch up” maintenance work. Usually this includes walking around with some paint, and some spare handrail parts or other odds and ends and touching up any items that look like they need some attention.
This accomplishes two things.
A. You fix areas that are losing their luster before it gets noticeable.
B. You are shifting the mindset of your maintenance crew to always look out for areas before they actually start to look bad.
3. Reinforce with all your staff the desire to keep the look “new”
Bring it up during your training sessions. Mention it during morning meeting and other staff get-togethers. If your staff hears that it's important to you that the building stays looking “new” they will pay more attention. They'll be less likely to leave things out of place and they'll be more likely to bring things up to you before they become noticeable.
4. If anything gets damaged replace or fix it right away
Things that don't get fixed right away tend to stay there. This seems obvious but the reality is that once you don't fix something right away you get used to the fact that it's there! You may not notice it anymore but a fresh set of eyes always will!
5. When new elements are introduced ask the designer to help place them.
This is probably the most important tip of all. After a space is built there is always a new element that gets introduced. It could be signage, furniture, or artwork. Check with the designer for his or her input on where and how to place it.
6. Have the Ba’alei HaSimcha clean up after their simchas
This is a special one for shuls: when a shul member makes a family bar/bat mitzvah, bris, pidyon haben ceremony in the shul’s hall, please make sure that they take responsibility for cleaning up afterwards.
Keep in mind the designer is extremely proud of their work. They will make sure that this item gets staged in the best way possible to keep the theme and personality of the space.
Please leave your comments below if you have additional tips!
Those are my tips for keeping a new space looking new.”