Bates Offices in Chelmsford asked Anglia Decor to carry out a full exterior redecoration. The scope covered all Crittall windows, external woodwork, and metal staircases across the building. Crittall is a distinctive feature on many commercial and heritage buildings, but the slim steel frames demand careful preparation and the right protective coating system. Get either wrong and the corrosion is back inside 18 months.
Preparation and timber repairs
Full risk assessments and method statements were compiled before any work started. Our decorators worked through every metre of external woodwork, identifying areas of rot and timber decay. Where defects were found we prepared a separate quotation for prior-to-paint repairs and agreed it with the client before proceeding — this kept the cost transparent and stopped any surprise variations on the main contract.
The repairs themselves were carried out using the RepairCare system, a two-part resin product that bonds to existing timber and provides a durable, long-lasting structural repair. RepairCare is a step beyond filler — it is the right answer when the timber is structurally important but only locally damaged. All defective putties around the Crittall glazing were removed and replaced as part of the same prep.
Access without scaffolding
We hired a 21-metre and a 12-metre cherry picker to provide safe access across all elevations. This saved Bates the cost of a full scaffold installation, which on a building of this footprint would have been a substantial line item. Cherry pickers also let the team move faster between elevations and finish the project in 5 weeks rather than the longer programme a scaffolded job would have taken.
The coating specification
The system we specified was the Dulux Weathershield range on all woodwork. Weathershield is engineered for exterior exposure and gives an expected redecoration lifespan of around 8 years on south-facing elevations — longer on protected aspects. The Crittall windows and metal staircases were treated and decorated using appropriate metal primers and finishes to protect against corrosion specific to thin-section steel frames.
The expected lifespan we quoted at the time was 5–8 years, with the south-facing elevations likely to need attention sooner because of UV exposure. The project was completed in 5 weeks and was subsequently featured in The Decorator, the PDA's industry magazine.
The 7-year proof
Anglia Decor returned to Bates Offices in April 2022 to carry out the same programme of works after 7 years. That return visit is the real test of any external coating specification — not what it looks like on completion day, but what it looks like after most of a decade of British weather. The Bates redecoration held up exactly as quoted, which is why the client trusted us to handle round two.
Read the full Bates Offices case study or contact us about commercial painting and decorating projects involving heritage windows or specialist substrates.