Costco Watford needed a full external cladding spraying across 4,000m² of wall and roof cladding. The existing coatings had deteriorated and the building no longer reflected the standard expected of a major retail warehouse operation. Anglia Decor was appointed through the Toureen Group, who managed the wider refurbishment programme. The branch never closed for the works.
The overspray problem
Cladding spraying on an empty building is a controlled environment. You mask, you spray, you check, you move on. Spraying at a live Costco branch is a fundamentally different exercise. There are customer cars in the car park, trolleys moving, deliveries arriving, signage and glazing that cannot tolerate so much as a single dot of overspray, and a brand reputation that does not have any tolerance for problems traceable back to your trade.
Get overspray wrong on a job like this and you are not just repainting a few panels — you are valeting customer vehicles and explaining the situation to a national retailer. The whole methodology has to be built around preventing it in the first place.
Access and preparation
We set up controlled access using cherry pickers supplied by JPS Platforms Ltd, giving safe and efficient coverage across the full elevation and roof areas. All cladding surfaces were degreased and pressure washed to remove dirt, oxidation, and any loose or flaking coating. We then carried out a thorough rub-down of the substrate to create a sound mechanical key for the new coating system.
Masking and sheeting were installed to all glazing, signage, and adjacent surfaces before any spray equipment was brought to height. On a live retail site this stage is non-negotiable — every panel of glass, every metre of branding, every nearby vehicle approach is sheeted off, and the perimeter is checked again at the start of each shift.
The coating system
We applied Zinsser Allcoat Exterior in satin finish across all 4,000m² of prepared cladding. Zinsser Allcoat delivers excellent adhesion and long-term weather resistance on profiled metal cladding, and the satin finish gives a uniform, brand-appropriate appearance. All application was by on-site spraying to keep film thickness consistent across the full elevation.
The outcome
The respray was completed on schedule with zero overspray issues. That last point is what we measure on this kind of project. Costco kept trading, the Toureen Group kept their programme on track, and the Watford branch was handed back with a refreshed exterior in line with brand standards.
Live retail spraying is as much a planning and methodology exercise as it is a coating one. If you are planning works on a trading site, the conversation has to start with how the trade will protect customers, vehicles, and reputation — not with the price per square metre.
Read the full Costco Watford case study or speak to our cladding spraying team about projects on operational sites.