Toomey in Rochford asked us to look at their cladding. The original quotes they had received were largely for full panel replacement — strip, scaffold, dispose, re-clad. The cost was significant and the disruption to their site was even bigger. We took a different view, and after surveying the building we made the case for cladding spraying instead.
When replacement is the right answer — and when it is not
Profiled metal cladding fails in two fundamentally different ways. The first is structural: the metal itself is corroded through, panels are perforated, fixings have failed, or the insulation behind has water-damaged to the point of needing renewal. In that scenario, replacement is the only real answer.
The second is cosmetic: the underlying panels are structurally sound but the original factory coating has weathered, faded, chalked, or started to peel. The metal underneath is still doing its job. The problem is the surface. In that scenario, replacement is wildly disproportionate — you are throwing away a perfectly good building envelope to fix a paint problem.
Toomey's building fell firmly into the second category. The panels were sound. The coating had reached the end of its service life.
The economics
Cladding spraying typically comes in at a fraction of the cost of full replacement. There is no scaffold-and-strip phase, no waste disposal of large panel sections, no replacement panels to procure, and the programme runs in days or weeks rather than months. On a building like Toomey's the saving was substantial, and the works could be carried out without interrupting their operations.
The other point worth making to clients in this position: a properly specified spray system on sound cladding gives a 10–15 year life before recoating is needed. That is the same maintenance cycle they would be planning for any new panel installation anyway.
How we approached the works
The cladding was prepared in our standard sequence — degrease, pressure wash, rub down, prime any bare metal — and then sprayed with the appropriate top-coat system for the substrate condition. The result was a building that looked new, with the original sound panels retained and protected for another decade-plus of service.
The honest conversation worth having
If you are sitting on a quote for full cladding replacement, ask the contractor providing it whether the panels themselves are actually failing or whether it is the coating. If it is the coating, get a second opinion from a specialist spraying contractor. The numbers and the disruption are very different.
Read the Toomey Rochford case study or contact our cladding spraying team for an honest assessment of whether your cladding actually needs replacing.