We coat the outside of commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings across Gloucestershire. It’s what we do. From the M5 corridor to the A40, we see all kinds of challenges, particularly with the older buildings that often relied on asbestos cement sheets. We don’t just paint over problems; we identify the root cause of surface degradation, especially for those ageing structures where disturbing original materials carries its own risks. We’re here to help you manage and protect your building’s exterior for the long term.
Understanding why your building’s exterior has failed
We believe proper exterior wall treatment starts with understanding why existing surfaces failed. Our surveyors map moisture readings across entire elevations, not just the visible damage. They probe substrate integrity behind cracked render using non-destructive methods, identifying whether failures stem from movement, incompatible materials, or poor original application. Only then can we specify coatings that address root causes rather than just the symptoms. It’s about getting to the bottom of the problem before we even think about a coating.
Managing and protecting older asbestos cement buildings in Gloucestershire
Many commercial and agricultural buildings across Gloucestershire, particularly those built during the mid-20th century, feature asbestos cement panels on their roofs and walls. These materials, while robust in their time, now present specific challenges as they age. We often find them chalking, delaminating, or showing signs of cut-edge corrosion. Our approach focuses on safe encapsulation and protection rather than disturbance. We know that ripping out these panels is often unnecessary, costly, and creates its own health and safety issues. We help building owners meet their duty to manage these materials responsibly, prolonging their life and avoiding disruption.
Commercial painters around Gloucestershire are easy to find. What the survey adds is a written account of the wall before any paint or coating is named.
Why a comprehensive site assessment is essential
You’re just wasting money if you specify coatings without a proper diagnosis. We saw a Stroud woollen mill recently that had elastomeric paint put over damp stone and it peeled within eight months. Our survey of a Cheltenham office block, on the other hand, revealed that what appeared to be render failure actually stemmed from leaking valley gutters. Fix the source, then protect the surface. That’s our approach.
- We won’t make product recommendations without moisture content readings
- We won’t apply decorative finishes until substrates are stabilised
- We don’t make assumptions about previous treatments, we test them
- We won’t coat over active structural movement
Common commercial wall coating issues in Gloucestershire
We see three main building types that dominate the commercial wall coating needs here in Gloucestershire. First, the brick-and-block industrial units of Quedgeley and Brockworth trading estates, where pebbledash coatings from the nineties now crumble at parapet level. Second, Cotswold market town high streets like Cirencester and Tetbury, where painted render blisters behind hanging signs. Third, the agricultural buildings of the Severn Vale, grain stores and packing facilities with cement panels cracked by decades of heavy vehicle vibration. We pay particular attention to the western elevations of Tewkesbury’s riverside premises and north-facing walls in Coleford’s industrial quarter. They’re common trouble spots, and we address them directly.
Our step-by-step building exterior inspection
- We use daytime thermal imaging to identify cold bridging and hidden damp
- We take moisture content measurements at three heights across each elevation
- We do adhesion testing of existing coatings using calibrated pull-off equipment
- We perform structural movement assessment with crack monitoring gauges
- We do salt contamination testing where rising damp is suspected
This detailed process means we leave no stone unturned, providing you with a complete picture of your building’s condition before any work begins.
Crucial repairs required before any coating application
No coating system lasts when applied over unresolved defects. That’s just a fact. We often carry out preparatory work that includes cutting out and replacing blown render patches with breathable alternatives. Sometimes we install stainless steel helical bars to stabilise moving cracks. Other times we improve drainage where damp persists. In Gloucester’s dockside area, we often find original iron wall ties corroding behind render. These need cathodic protection before any resurfacing. We make sure the canvas is ready before we apply any finish.
Typical commercial building wall problems across Gloucestershire
You see a distinctive mix of weathering patterns on commercial buildings around Gloucestershire. We’ve seen salt erosion on lower brickwork at the Gloucester docklands warehouses. Cheltenham’s Victorian shopfronts often suffer from cracked render where original lime mixes meet modern cement repairs. Along the M5 corridor, distribution units from the seventies and eighties show widespread staining from failing silicone coatings. And those Stroud valley mills converted to offices often reveal damp ingress through porous sandstone, particularly where the valley mists linger longest. It’s a diverse range of issues, and we tackle them all with a survey-led approach.
Discuss your building’s needs via our free survey service or explore commercial coating solutions.
Recently — July 2026
Through the drier summer months we can programme preparation, coating and curing with far less chance of a weather delay holding the job up.
Recent work around here has been a mix of profiled metal roofs, cladding and ageing asbestos cement, each assessed on its own condition before anything was specified.
