uPVC window spraying for the whole house
uPVC window spraying is usually a whole-elevation job. People rarely want one frame changed. They want every window at the front, or every window on the house, to go from yellowed white to grey, black or green so it suits a repainted front or a new door. Our decorators spray the frames where they are, and the sealed units stay in place.
It's a very different job from a door. A door is one item at ground level. A house of windows means dozens of panes, metres of rubber gasket, sills, first-floor frames and often a bay, and most of the effort goes into masking and access rather than the spraying itself.
Masking every pane, gasket and vent
Each pane of glass is masked right up to the gasket, and the gasket itself is protected so it stays soft and keeps sealing. Trickle vents, handles, hinges and restrictors are covered. Outside the frame, the brick or render reveals, the sill and whatever sits below the window, such as a path, a flower bed or a car on the drive, are sheeted against overspray.
Masking a house this carefully takes time, but it decides whether the finished frames have crisp edges or a fuzzy line of colour on the glass. Done well, the tape comes off and there's nothing left to scrape.
Opening casements need a decision. The faces you see with the window shut are the main job. The edges that only show when a window is open can be sprayed too, but that window then has to stay open while it dries, so Graham will go through which faces are included before work starts.
Upstairs frames, bays and access
Ground-floor frames can be reached from steps. First-floor windows need ladders with stand-offs or a tower, and over a porch roof, a conservatory or a steep drop, scaffolding can be the safer option. Access is one of the biggest variables in the price, and Graham assesses it at the visit rather than guessing.
Bay windows have more joints and mullions, and often a uPVC-clad roof or fascia above. Older bays sometimes have cracked sealant at the joints. That's cut back and renewed, so the new colour isn't sitting on top of a failing seal.
Neighbours come into it too. Spraying outdoors on a terrace or a close-set estate means watching the wind and protecting next door's car, wall or window as well as your own.
Inside faces and sills
Most people have only the outside sprayed and keep the inside white, which suits most rooms and halves the masking. Spraying the inside as well is possible, but it means working room by room, moving furniture away from each window and ventilating while the coating dries.
uPVC sills can be sprayed with the frames or left white. Stone, concrete or tiled sills are a masonry job and are painted separately if you want them done.
Worth checking before you book
A few things can change whether spraying is the right answer for your windows:
- Misted or blown sealed units: a coating won't clear them, so get the glass replaced first
- Window guarantee: if the windows are fairly new, ask the installer whether painted frames are still covered
- Very dark colours on south-facing frames: they run hotter in the sun, so follow the coating maker's guidance on dark shades
- Conservation areas and listed buildings: changing the colour of windows may need permission, so check with the council's planning team
- Cracked frames, warping or split corner welds: these need repairing or replacing, not coating
What decides the cost of spraying windows
The quotation is built from the number and size of frames, how many panes there are to mask, whether the inside faces are included, the colour change, and the access each side of the house needs. A plain casement at ground level is a very different job from a first-floor bay above a porch.
Sills, fascias and doors sprayed at the same time are listed separately, so you can see what each part adds and decide what to include. Our guide to decorating costs explains the wider factors.
From the first visit to the finished frames
Graham walks round the house with you, counts the frames, checks the glazing and seals, and looks at what each elevation needs for access. You'll get a written quotation, usually by email, listing the windows included. Spraying is booked for dry, mild weather, and Belinda will keep you informed if the forecast moves the date. You pay once you've seen the finished frames and are happy with them.
Timber windows on the same house are painted by brush, which our exterior window painting page covers, and period sashes are on our sash window restoration page. A matching front door can be done on the same visit through our door spraying service, and the main uPVC spraying page explains the process from start to finish.