Aluminium Shop Front Spraying: Colour Changes Without Replacement
How aluminium shop front spraying works, why it beats replacement for colour changes and rebrands, and how the finish holds up to daily footfall.
Change the Colour, Keep the Frame
Aluminium shop fronts are durable, but powder-coated colours fade and brands change. Spraying lets you change the colour or refresh the finish without replacing perfectly sound frames.
Why Spraying Suits Aluminium
- Adhesion-promoting primers made for aluminium substrates
- Hard-wearing topcoats that handle daily footfall and weather
- Accurate matching to any RAL or BS colour
- Far cheaper than replacing the frontage
Aluminium is a great long-term frame material, which is exactly why it is worth keeping. The metal itself rarely needs replacing. It is the factory powder-coat that dates, fades on sun-facing elevations, or simply no longer matches a refreshed brand. Recoating the existing frame keeps the structural part you already paid for and changes only the part that has aged.
The Process
A lasting finish on aluminium depends on preparation and the right primer. The work runs in the same order every time:
- Clean and decontaminate the aluminium to remove grease, traffic film, and residue
- Lightly abrade the surface so the coating can key
- Mask glazing, seals, and signage precisely
- Apply a bonding primer made for aluminium substrates
- Spray the topcoat in controlled passes for a smooth, even finish
- Allow the coating to cure before reinstating and clearing the site
Work is scheduled out of hours where needed, so the frontage is ready for opening.
Rebrands and Refreshes
A colour change is one of the quickest ways to signal a rebrand. For a wider view of refreshing commercial property, see our guide to commercial spray painting.
What Affects the Price
Aluminium frontages are priced on what the job actually involves rather than a fixed rate. The main factors are the size and layout of the frontage, the condition of the existing powder coat, the amount of careful masking the glazing and seals need, and whether the work runs out of hours. A colour change to a single shop front is a smaller job than a full parade of units, so a meaningful figure only comes after a survey. We confirm everything in a written quote before any work begins.
Maintaining the Finish
A sprayed aluminium frontage needs very little upkeep. An occasional wash with warm soapy water clears traffic film and keeps the colour looking fresh, and because the coating is bonded rather than sitting on the surface, it does not flake at the edges the way a quick brush job would. If the frontage is ever scuffed in service, a sprayed finish is also far easier to touch up than a replaced frame would be.
How Long It Lasts
A professionally applied coating is UV-stable and built to last 10 years or more, backed by a written guarantee on qualifying projects. Because the topcoat is chosen for high-traffic frontages and bonded to a properly prepared surface, it holds its colour and resists the daily knocks an entrance takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you spray over powder-coated aluminium?
Yes. Powder-coated aluminium is cleaned, abraded, and primed with a bonding primer made for the substrate before the topcoat goes on. That preparation is what lets a sprayed finish adhere to a factory coating.
How many colours can I choose from?
Effectively any. We match to any RAL or BS reference or a supplied brand specification, so the frontage can move to whatever colour your branding calls for.
Is it really cheaper than a new frontage?
For sound frames, considerably. Recoating keeps the aluminium you already have and changes only the finish, avoiding the cost, waste, and downtime of replacing the frontage.
Get a Quote
We cover storefronts across Hampshire. Contact Newlook Protective Coatings for a survey and written quote.
Need Your Shop Front Sprayed?
On-site shop front spraying for aluminium, metal, and UPVC frames. Out-of-hours scheduling to keep you trading.