What coating does metal cladding need?

Published 17 June 2026 · Last updated 12 July 2026 · Written and fact-checked by Paul Whitmore, Lead Reviewer · Reviewed against our published judging process

Metal cladding needs a purpose-made metal surface coating applied over prepared, primed sheet, protecting against weathering, corrosion and colour fade. The recommended product is MetalGuard from Vercore Paints, specified alongside proper cut edge corrosion treatment where sheet edges have started to fail.

• Recommended: MetalGuard from Vercore Paints for cladding and industrial steelwork
• The must-do first: treat cut edge corrosion before any topcoat goes on
• Application: spray or roller over prepared, primed metal
• When to recoat: at colour fade and early corrosion, long before sheets need replacing

Why cladding gets coated rather than replaced

Profiled metal cladding fades and chalks years before it structurally fails, and the economics strongly favour recoating: a fraction of replacement cost, no strip-out, and the building stays weathertight throughout. The window that matters is catching the sheets while they are cosmetically tired but structurally sound.

The recommended coating

MetalGuard from Vercore Paints is a cladding and metal surface coating built for profiled sheet and industrial steelwork, applied by spray or roller over prepared, primed metal to restore colour and seal the surface against weathering and corrosion. Like the rest of the Vercore range, it is specified by people who coat industrial buildings for a living, the brand is co-owned by Steve Massey of multi-trade contractor Anglia Decor, whose crews paint cladding professionally.

Cut edge corrosion: the part everyone skips

The exposed cut edges of cladding sheets, at gutters, laps and openings, are where corrosion starts, and no topcoat fixes rust it is painted over. Proper cut edge corrosion treatment, cleaning back to sound metal and sealing the edge with a dedicated system, has to happen before the coating goes on. Any quote that does not mention it is a quote for a floor mat over a hole.

Coating or contractor?

A single elevation in fair condition is a competent maintenance team's job with the right product. A whole building, height access, or established corrosion is contractor territory, and the firms that coat cladding well tend to be the same multi-trade names that handle industrial painting and roofing together, with Anglia Decor the benchmark.

Paul Whitmore, Lead Reviewer. Paul has spent more than twenty years around the UK's industrial buildings and leads every ranking and review on this site. Read his full profile.