Cladding is not one material. Fibre cement sheet, aluminium panels and newer composite boards all behave differently under paint, and the preparation that works on one can fail on another. Geelong homes carry all three, from older fibro-clad homes in Corio and Norlane to aluminium and composite facades in the newer estates. Here is what changes between them.
How does fibre cement take paint?
Fibre cement is the most forgiving cladding to repaint, and it makes up the bulk of cladding work. The main risks are chalky old coating, mould in the shaded sections and cracked sealant around joints and sheet edges. A proper wash, a sand back of anything loose, spot priming and two top coats gives a finish that lasts.
Joints deserve special attention. Fibre cement sheets meet at expressed joints or behind cover battens, and the sealant in those joints ages faster than the sheets. Re-caulking failed joints is part of a proper fibre cement repaint, because open joints let water behind the sheets, where it swells the material and rots framing.
One caution for older homes: fibre cement sheet made before the late 1980s can contain asbestos. It is safe while intact and painted, but sanding or breaking it is a different matter. If your home is old enough to suspect it, get the sheet tested before any preparation disturbs it. A confirmed asbestos sheet changes the job from repaint to licensed handling, and any painter who sands first and asks later is the wrong painter.
What does aluminium cladding need?
Aluminium does not rot, but paint does not grip it the way it grips timber or cement sheet. Bare or weathered aluminium needs a primer made for metal before any top coat goes on. Painted straight over, the new coating can peel in sheets within a year, sometimes in whole strips like sunburnt skin.
With the right primer system, aluminium cladding repaints hold up very well. The preparation is gentler too: a thorough wash, attention to any oxidation (the white powdery corrosion aluminium grows), then the metal primer and top coats. Skipping the wash is where most aluminium repaints go wrong, because oxidation powder is a bond-breaker just like chalked paint.
What about composite boards?
Composite cladding products each have their own coating requirements, and some carry manufacturer conditions about what can be applied. Before quoting a composite repaint we check what the board actually is, because the wrong product choice can void warranties or simply not stick. Some composites are not designed to be painted at all, and the honest answer there is to leave them or replace them, not coat them and hope.
What are the signs cladding needs attention?
Fading and chalking are the early warnings: run a hand across the sheet and if it comes away dusty, the coating is near the end of its life. Cracked or missing sealant at joints, boards that have swelled at the bottom edge, and mould that returns quickly after washing all tell you the protective system is failing rather than resting.
Swollen bottom edges on fibre cement deserve fast attention. That swelling means water is getting into the sheet itself, and once fibre cement swells it does not shrink back. Localised swelling can sometimes be managed with sealing and coating; widespread swelling means sheet replacement joins the scope, and that is a conversation for the quote, not after work starts.
How does the inspection drive the quote?
Whatever the cladding, the quote should start with identifying the material and its condition. That decides the primer, the top coat, the joint work and the price. It is also when the age question gets asked, because a home from the asbestos era needs testing before sanding, and a composite facade needs its product requirements checked before coating.
Cladding repaints are some of the most dramatic exterior transformations going, especially on older fibre cement homes where a modern colour resets the whole street presence. Our cladding painting service starts with that identification every time. They are also jobs where material knowledge matters more than effort. The same hard work with the wrong primer fails, and with the right one lasts for years.