This year of painting aluminium windows on the gold coast

Painting Aluminium Windows on the Gold Coast – What We’ve Learned From Repainting Around 40 Full Homes and 15 Partial Jobs This Year Aluminium window painting gold coast k

Aluminium window painting is still one of the most misunderstood parts of home renovation on the Gold Coast. People renovate kitchens, repaint walls, change roofs, update landscaping, even replace doors — yet the aluminium windows often remain untouched, even when they’re clearly the most dated element of the home.

This year alone, we’ve repainted aluminium windows on around 40 full homes and completed approximately 15 partial jobs, where only certain sections of a house were addressed. Across those projects, one thing became very clear: no two homes are the same, but the underlying problems with old aluminium windows are almost always identical.

This post isn’t about selling services. It’s about documenting what that volume of work actually teaches you — about preparation, finishes, colour choices, access, expectations, and why aluminium window repainting is a specialised process rather than a standard painting task.

—

Why Aluminium Windows Are Still One of the Last Things People Update

Across the Gold Coast, aluminium windows were installed heavily from the 1970s through to the early 2000s. During that time, popular finishes included:

cream and off-white powder coat

brown or bronze anodised aluminium

light silver

beige tones

These colours made sense at the time, but modern homes now favour:

white

black

neutral greys

simplified, minimal palettes

What we see repeatedly is homes where everything else has moved forward — but the windows haven’t.

After repainting around 55 homes in various capacities this year, the pattern is consistent: once the windows are updated, the house finally looks finished.

—

Full Homes vs Partial Jobs – What the Difference Really Is

When we say 40 full homes, we’re referring to properties where all aluminium windows and doors were repainted as part of a single coordinated project.

The 15 partial jobs were homes where:

only one elevation was repainted

only sliding doors were done

only upper-storey windows were addressed

windows were repainted in stages

homeowners wanted to test one area first

Both types of jobs are common on the Gold Coast, and both reveal different things about aluminium repainting.

Full Homes

Full home projects tend to highlight:

colour cohesion across the entire property

how window colour affects the whole façade

the importance of consistency

the visual impact of doing everything at once

These jobs also demand:

detailed planning

careful staging

consistent preparation standards across every window

repeatable processes

Partial Jobs

Partial jobs highlight:

how badly one section can date a house

how aluminium windows stand out once walls are repainted

the importance of colour matching

the need for seamless transitions between old and new work

They also require more judgement, because blending new finishes into existing ones must be handled carefully.

—

What This Volume of Work Reinforces Every Time

When you repaint this many aluminium windows in a single year, some lessons get reinforced over and over.

1. Preparation Is Everything

No matter the suburb, home style, or colour choice, preparation determines the outcome.

Every successful job involved:

thorough cleaning

consistent sanding

disciplined masking

proper primer selection

controlled spray application

Every issue we’ve ever been asked to fix elsewhere has traced back to shortcuts in preparation.

Aluminium does not forgive poor prep.

—

2. Aluminium Windows Are Not Walls

This seems obvious, but it still needs to be said.

Aluminium:

expands and contracts differently

has smooth, non-porous surfaces

requires mechanical adhesion

shows defects easily

reacts poorly to thick paint

Brushing or rolling aluminium windows almost always leads to:

texture

heavy edges

poor adhesion

uneven film build

short service life

Spraying is not a preference — it’s a requirement if the finish is expected to look factory-made.

—

3. Tape Removal Tells the Truth

Across dozens of jobs this year, tape removal has consistently been the moment that confirms whether the job was done properly.

Clean tape removal shows:

straight edges

untouched rubbers

no bleed

controlled film build

correct spray angles

It’s also the stage customers respond to the most, because it’s visual proof of precision.

—

Colour Choices – What 55 Jobs Actually Show

Everyone has individual taste, but real-world data still shows patterns.

Across the homes we repainted this year:

the vast majority chose white or black

a smaller number chose Monument, Surfmist, or Ironstone

very few chose anything outside those palettes

This aligns with what we see when standing back and looking at finished homes.

Why Black Is So Popular

Black:

hides the frame against the glass

reduces visual clutter

makes windows appear larger

suits modern renovations

works well inside and out

Why White Still Dominates

White:

brightens interiors

blends with shutters and blinds

works with most wall colours

reflects heat

suits coastal homes

Across 40 full homes, these two colours dominate because they solve the most common problem: outdated aluminium standing out for the wrong reasons.

—

Gold Coast Conditions Change How Jobs Are Done

Painting aluminium windows on the Gold Coast is not the same as doing it inland.

Conditions we work with constantly include:

UV exposure

coastal air movement

humidity changes

hillside wind

dust from construction and landscaping

salt carried inland

These factors influence:

cleaning requirements

sanding effort

tape adhesion

drying times

spray pressure

timing between coats

It’s one of the reasons aluminium repainting here needs experience rather than guesswork.

—

Access Matters More Than Most People Expect

Out of the 55 jobs this year:

many were two-storey

several required internal scaffolding

some required roof-level access

others had restricted ground access

Good access allows:

correct sanding angles

proper masking

consistent spray distance

safe working conditions

Poor access almost always leads to compromised results.

That’s why access planning is part of the job, not an afterthought.

—

Screens, Doors, and the “Connected Parts” of the Job

One thing that becomes obvious after doing this many homes is that aluminium windows don’t exist in isolation.

They are connected to:

sliding doors

security screens

flyscreens

handrails

tracks

rollers

seals

Partial jobs often turn into larger projects once homeowners realise how much better everything looks when these elements match.

This year, many of the 15 partial jobs involved:

repainting windows first

then addressing screens

then servicing sliding doors

then finishing adjacent aluminium

The improvement isn’t just visual — functionality often improves as well.

—

What We Don’t Do — And Why

Volume doesn’t change standards.

Across all jobs this year, we’ve remained consistent in what we don’t do:

we don’t rush

we don’t brush aluminium windows

we don’t spray over dirt or oxidation

we don’t paint rubbers

we don’t leave screens on for spraying

we don’t promise unrealistic timelines

This consistency is why finishes look the same whether it’s the first job of the year or the last.

—

Why People Choose Repainting Instead of Replacement

After working on dozens of homes, the reasons people choose repainting are clear.

Repainting:

avoids structural work

avoids plaster damage

avoids tile disturbance

avoids disposal costs

avoids long lead times

preserves existing joinery

For most homes, replacement isn’t necessary — the frames are still structurally sound. They just don’t match the house anymore.

Repainting solves that problem cleanly.

—

Suburbs Represented Across This Year’s Work

While we don’t tie specific job counts to suburbs, the work this year spanned much of the Gold Coast, including areas such as:

Mudgeeraba

Reedy Creek

Robina

Varsity Lakes

Burleigh Waters

Palm Beach

Parkwood

Arundel

Ashmore

Carrara

Bonogin

Worongary

Southport

Helensvale

Across all of these suburbs, the underlying issue was the same: aluminium windows that no longer matched the home.

—

What This Year Confirms Going Forward

Repainting around 40 full homes and 15 partial projects in a single year reinforces a few simple truths:

Aluminium window painting is specialised work

Preparation determines longevity

Colour choice affects the entire home

Access planning matters

Spraying is non-negotiable

Clean edges define quality

These aren’t theories — they’re conclusions drawn from real jobs, real conditions, and real results.

—

Looking Ahead

Going into the next year, the focus remains unchanged:

do fewer things properly

maintain consistent processes

keep sharing the work transparently

avoid shortcuts

keep standards high

Every home deserves the same level of care, whether it’s a full repaint or a small partial job.

—

Final Thoughts

Aluminium windows are often the last piece of the renovation puzzle. Once they’re updated, the home finally looks cohesive.

After repainting approximately 55 homes in total this year, that pattern hasn’t changed — and it likely won’t.

This post exists to document that experience honestly, without hype, and without pretending aluminium repainting is something it’s not.

It’s detailed work.

It takes time.

And when done properly, the result speaks for themselves