Can Interior Cladding be painted?

Metal cladding is usually layered over the outside of industrial and commercial units, but it is also found covering interior walls. Business owners may ask can interior cladding be painted and the answer is yes, as long as care is taken when following our guideline.

Cladding is often made of corrugated metal which usually has a protective layer of Plastisol over it made of polyvinyl chloride. It may be overlaid with an acrylic resin called PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) which is a thermoplastic fluoropolymer. Because these compounds are malleable they can crack if exposed to extreme temperatures and may simply degrade after a period of time especially if they get repeatedly knocked or scraped.

If a cladding coating does fail in some way, moisture can seep into the substrate causing permanent damage. Even though this problem is more common on exteriors, some industrial units are not heated especially those just used for storage, so they are exposed to extremes of temperature and damp.

Why Paint Interior Cladding?

A coating that is intact will safeguard the metal and in turn, the building itself, so re-spraying existing cladding is much cheaper than buying new. Coatings specially designed for cladding can be waterproof and anti-corrosive in order to protect the underlying metal and they are available in an enormous range of colours.

In an interior setting, recoating interior cladding is usually called for following a change in ownership, in order to re-brand or simply to spruce up a space that seems jaded. Good restorations usually have a positive influence on employees using the interior space and this applies to customers and clients too.

How to Paint Interior Cladding

  1. Initially, any flaking coating should be brushed off the interior cladding.
  2. If any edges of cladding have deteriorated, this cut edge corrosion can often be fixed by a proficient on site spraying company.
  3. The bare metal, the coating of Plastisol or other type of top layer must be cleaned with a degreasing agent because any deposits or oils will prevent the adhesion of the new coating.
  4. It is important that any cleaning products are washed off and that the cladding is dry before the next stage.
  5. The substrate then needs to be sanded down in order to key the cladding which will help the next coats to stick to it. At this point the edges of any remaining, original coating can be ‘feathered’ so that they form a smooth plane next to any damaged coating that has had to be removed.
  6. Sanding always creates dust, so it is best that this is washed away and the cladding can then be left to dry.
  7. Masking off any areas that are not going to be painted such as flooring and furniture will protect them from overspray.
  8. A spray-applied bonding primer will seal the cladding which will help guard against corrosion as well as helping the adhesion of the new paint.
  9. A specialist top coat should be chosen as off the shelf latex, oil based paints or acrylics will soon fade and peel off. PVF2 Fluorocarbon (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) is one painting system appropriate for coating over cladding, but a professional onsite paint spraying company will be able to offer advice.
  10. If more than one layer of top coat is needed, the previous one must be completely dry before being lightly sanded and wiped down. The final layer of paint will then be even and smooth as long as it is spray applied rather than brushed or rolled on.

Interior cladding can be painted and the result will be as good as new if these guidelines are followed. An advantage of using a professional onsite spraying company for recoating cladding is that the refurbishment can be carried out in a live environment and out of hours if required. The process of re-spraying cladding on the inside of a commercial building will ensure the metal lasts for a much longer time than if it isn’t protected and it will look fantastic.