Cladding spraying in Lancaster
Cladding spraying in Lancaster has to cope with some of the wettest weather in England. The city sits between Morecambe Bay and the first rise of the Pennines, and the rain that drives in off the Irish Sea finds every weakness in a tired external finish. Faded profiled steel, chalky composite panels and streaked fascias are familiar sights on commercial buildings across the district, and in most cases they can be put right with an on-site spray-applied coating rather than a full strip and reclad.
National Coating Specialists works on a survey-led basis. We inspect the cladding first, report honestly on its condition, and only then discuss coating it. That order matters, because spraying over a failing substrate wastes everyone’s money.
The cladding we typically see around the city
Lancaster’s commercial stock is varied for a city of its size: industrial units on the estates close to the M6, trade counters and retail sheds on the edge of town, storage and agricultural buildings in the surrounding Lancashire countryside, and more recent composite-clad premises. The surfaces that most often justify a spray refurbishment include:
- Profiled steel sheeting that has faded, chalked or developed cut edge corrosion
- Composite and sandwich panels with patchy or weathered factory finishes
- Curtain walling, window frames and shopfront framing due a colour change
- Fascias, soffits and barge details that let down an otherwise sound elevation
- Roller shutters and personnel doors that no longer match the building
How a survey-led project runs
Every project starts with an inspection. We assess the substrate, test how well the existing finish is adhering, map any corrosion, and pay particular attention to cut edges, sheet laps, gutter lines and fixings, because that is where steel cladding usually fails first. You receive a clear account of what we found and what we recommend, including anything that needs repair before a coating goes anywhere near the building.
Preparation follows: washing down, treating corrosion, priming bare metal and masking everything that should not be sprayed. The coating itself is applied in controlled passes to build an even film, with weather windows watched closely, which is a genuine consideration this far north west. We are based in the South East and carry out work across England, and survey visits to Lancaster can readily take in Morecambe, Garstang, Kendal and Preston, which suits operators with more than one building in the area.
When we advise against spraying
Not every cladding problem is a coating problem. If the original factory finish is delaminating across whole elevations, if corrosion has perforated the sheets, or if panels have deteriorated to the point where their integrity is in doubt, a coating will not save them, and we will tell you so plainly. The same applies where water is getting in through failed laps, flashings or fixings: that needs repairing first, not painting over.
A spray coating also cannot alter the fire performance of a panel system. If that is the question hanging over your building, you need specialist fire engineering advice rather than a decorative or protective finish.
Why the survey comes before the quote
Anyone can put a rate per square metre against a photograph. The figure means little if nobody has tested adhesion, checked the cut edges or looked inside the gutters. Surveying first lets us specify the right preparation and primer for the actual substrate, set realistic expectations about the finish, and price the work as it really is rather than as it looks from the road.
If you manage or own a clad building in Lancaster or elsewhere in Lancashire, the sensible first step is a condition survey. It costs you a conversation, and it tells you whether spraying is the right answer before you commit to anything at all.
