Windows, doors, conservatories, fascias, soffits and guttering
uPVC Window and Door Spraying in County Down
Recolouring uPVC is an outdoor coating job, not a decorating job. It lives or dies on adhesion, on the weather window it was applied in, and on how thoroughly the surface was cleaned first. All three are things we control rather than hope for.
Why uPVC is its own discipline
Coating a Surface Designed Not to Be Coated
uPVC is manufactured to shed dirt, water and ultraviolet light. That is exactly what makes it a difficult surface to paint. Nothing keys into it mechanically the way it keys into timber, so the bond has to be chemical. That is the job of an adhesion promoter, and skipping it is the single most common reason a resprayed window looks fine in June and is flaking by the following spring.
The second variable is the weather window. Northern Ireland gives you a genuinely narrow one. A coating applied to a frame that is below the dew point, or in the two hours before a shower, traps moisture behind the film. We read surface temperature rather than air temperature before we start, and we will move a day rather than force one.
Third is what is already on the frame. Older frames on the County Down coast carry a chalky bloom, which is the surface degrading under years of ultraviolet and salt. It rubs off on your hand. Coating straight over it puts your new finish on a layer that is already letting go, so it has to be washed back to sound plastic first. On properties near Ardglass, Killough and the Strangford shore we allow more time for this stage than on an inland job, because the bloom is heavier.
What We Spray
- Window frames and sashes, inside and out, or externally only where that is all you need
- Front doors, back doors and composite doors, including the frame so the colour reads as one unit
- Garage doors, both up and over and sectional, which are usually the tiredest thing on the front elevation
- Conservatory frames and roof bars, where a dated white plastic frame ages the whole rear of a house
- Fascias, soffits, bargeboards and guttering, sprayed to match rather than left as a white line above a dark frame
What Has to Be Fixed First
A blown double glazed unit, a dropped sash, or perished rubber gasket needs sorting before spraying. Coating around a fault does not repair it and it makes the eventual repair messier. We flag anything we find at the survey, and we would rather lose a week to a glazier than hand you a good looking window that still does not close.
How the work runs on site
Five Stages, Usually One to Two Days
A typical semi detached house with front and rear windows, a front door and fascias runs to two days. A single door or a conservatory frame is often a one day job. We give you the number of days in writing at the quote, not on the morning we arrive.
- Step 1
Survey and weather planning
We check frame condition, look for chalking and blown units, and pick days with a workable forecast. Being honest about a bad week is cheaper for everyone than a failed finish.
- Step 2
Deep clean and decontaminate
Frames are washed down, degreased and stripped of chalky surface residue. On coastal properties this stage takes noticeably longer, and that time is in the price rather than an extra.
- Step 3
Mask and contain
Glass, brick, render, sills and anything planted underneath are masked and sheeted. Overspray on a neighbour's car is the fastest way to sour a job, so containment is not optional on a terrace or a tight driveway.
- Step 4
Adhesion prime
An adhesion promoter is applied to give the topcoat something to bond to chemically. This is the invisible stage that decides whether the job lasts one year or ten.
- Step 5
Topcoat and demask
The colour is sprayed in thin coats with proper flash off. Once it has hardened enough to handle we remove masking cleanly, cut in any edges and walk the elevations with you.
Coastal County Down Is Harder on Coatings
Salt in the air is abrasive and hygroscopic, which means it pulls moisture onto the surface and keeps it there. A property in sight of the Irish Sea or Strangford Lough works its exterior coatings considerably harder than one a few miles inland, and the specification should reflect that rather than being identical everywhere.
- Heavier surface preparation. Coastal frames chalk faster, so the decontamination stage is longer and is priced that way from the start.
- South and west elevations first. These take the most ultraviolet and the most driven rain, so they are the elevations we inspect hardest at the survey.
- Wash it, do not leave it. A rinse with clean water two or three times a year removes salt deposits and does more for the life of the finish than any product you can buy.
- If your property is listed or in a conservation area, a change of external colour can fall inside the consent regime even where the work itself is only decorative. Check with your district council or with the Historic Environment Division before committing to a colour.
- If you are in a managed development, read the covenant before choosing a shade. Some estates specify external colours, and that is a much easier conversation before the frames are sprayed than after.
Choosing a colour
What Actually Suits a House Here
The most common request we get is anthracite grey, and it does look sharp against white render. It is also a dark colour on a plastic frame in direct sun, so it is worth understanding the trade offs before you commit an entire elevation to it.
Anthracite and Dark Greys
Dark shades absorb more heat than white, and a south facing sash gets warm. Modern coatings handle this well, but it is a reason to use a proper exterior system rather than a general purpose paint, and a reason we will not spray a dark colour onto a frame we have doubts about.
Two Tone Front Elevations
Dark frames outside with white kept inside is a popular compromise and it works, because the internal face is never exposed to weather. It also cuts the masking work indoors, which brings the price down against a full internal and external respray.
Matching Fascias and Guttering
This is the detail that separates a considered job from a half done one. Spraying frames dark and leaving white fascias above them draws the eye straight to the line between them. Quote the two together even if you space the work out.
Woodgrain and Foiled Frames
Foiled frames with a woodgrain texture can be sprayed, but the texture stays visible under the new colour. That reads beautifully in a warm shade and slightly oddly in a flat modern grey, so we will show you the frame close up before you decide.
uPVC Work From County Down
Frames, doors and fascias from our own recent jobs.
Where to Go Next
uPVC spraying is usually part of a wider exterior refresh. These are the services it sits alongside.
Questions we get asked
uPVC Spraying Questions
Which parts of County Down do you cover?
Downpatrick and the surrounding Lecale area is our home patch, and we work across County Down as well as Belfast, Lisburn and Newry. Exterior work is weather dependent, so for properties further out we tend to group jobs into the same run of dry days.
How do I get a price for spraying my windows?
Count your window units, note whether you want inside as well as out, and tell us if fascias and a door are included. Photographs of the front and rear elevations get you a guide figure quickly, and we survey before anything is confirmed in writing.
Are you insured for working at height on fascias?
Yes. We are fully insured and we provide a workmanship guarantee. Fascia, soffit and gutter spraying is access work, so it is set up properly with the right platform rather than reached off a ladder at arm's length.
Will overspray get on my car or my neighbour's?
It will not, because containment is part of the job rather than an afterthought. Cars, paving, planting and neighbouring boundaries are sheeted before any spraying starts. On a tight terrace we will ask you to move a vehicle for the day as an extra precaution.
How long before I can open the windows again?
The coating is touch dry within hours and windows can normally be operated the same day. Full hardness comes over the following days, so avoid slamming a sash or resting anything against a frame for the first week.
How long does sprayed uPVC actually last?
With correct decontamination and a proper adhesion primer underneath it, a coated frame holds its colour for many years. What shortens that is contamination left on the surface, a coating applied in the wrong conditions, or skipping the primer. All three are preparation faults rather than paint faults.
Can you spray a conservatory roof as well as the frames?
The frames and roof bars, yes. The glazing panels themselves are masked, not coated. If your conservatory has plastic roof sheets that have gone brittle and yellow, spraying them is a false economy and replacement is the honest answer.
Does the colour change void my window guarantee?
That depends entirely on your installer's terms, and it is worth checking the paperwork before you book. Frames still inside a manufacturer warranty period are the one case where we suggest reading the small print first rather than after.
Can you match a neighbour's frames or an existing door?
Yes. We mix to RAL and British Standard references, and anthracite grey in particular exists in several near identical shades. Bring us something physical to match, such as a spare trim offcut, rather than a colour name from a brochure.
What is the difference between spraying and a wrap or foil?
A foil or wrap is a film applied to the frame and it can lift at edges and corners over time. Spraying puts a bonded coating onto the plastic itself, so there is no edge to peel and repairs blend in. Spraying also reaches shaped beading and gasket lines that a film cannot follow cleanly.
Do I need to be at home while you work?
For external only work, no, as long as we have access to a tap and to both elevations. If you are having internal faces sprayed we will need access to the rooms, and we will agree the timings with you in advance rather than turning up.
Request a Free Estimate
Tell us roughly how many window units you have, whether you want inside as well as out, and where you are in County Down.
Price Up Your Windows and Doors
Send a photograph of the front and rear of your property and tell us whether fascias and a door are in scope. We will come back with a realistic price and an honest view on whether your frames are worth coating.