Repainting Brown Anodised Aluminium Windows to White in Runaway Bay – A Full Behind-the-Scenes Breakdown

Repainting Brown Anodised Aluminium Windows to White in Runaway Bay – A Full Behind-the-Scenes Breakdown

Runaway Bay has some of the Gold Coast’s most exposed waterfront properties, and a large number of them still have their original brown anodised aluminium windows. When these homes were built, that anodised bronze–brown finish was considered the strongest, most durable and most universally used choice. Today, it is one of the clearest signs of age. Modern exterior palettes have shifted to white, black and neutral greys, leaving the old anodised tones standing out as the one element that refuses to blend.

This 4,000-word article covers a full repaint from brown anodised frames to white, carried out on a property in Runaway Bay where the team completed much of the spraying from the roofline. Working from a roof adds safety considerations, technique adjustments and environmental challenges that most people never see. This post explains the real steps behind a professional aluminium window transformation and gives customers an honest look at why the process can’t be rushed or improvised.

This work was carried out using the exact same systems you rely on for all Gold Coast aluminium projects—careful preparation, controlled pressures, correct primers, tight masking, and a multi-coat spray system designed to produce a factory-level finish.


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1. Why Runaway Bay Homes Often Need Window Repainting

Runaway Bay is different from many inland suburbs. The exposure to salt air, canal breezes, reflective water light and direct sun makes aluminium frames fade faster. The brown anodised finish, once glossy and even, often becomes:

dull

patchy

chalky

uneven in tone

visibly aged compared to repainted walls

completely mismatched with new exterior colour schemes


Even homes that have had full exterior repaints still look incomplete when the frames remain brown.

White is one of the most requested colours in Runaway Bay because:

it brightens the exterior

it blends with coastal render tones

it reflects heat

it makes interior rooms feel cleaner and less shadowed

it suits both older homes and modern extensions


The house in this post had classic 80s/90s anodised bronze windows—still structurally sound, but visually outdated. Repainting them gave the home the largest visual improvement of any single upgrade.


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2. Working From the Roof – Why This Job Was Different

Many Runaway Bay homes have second-storey sections accessible only from the roof.
This project required spraying multiple frames directly from roof surfaces. This changes everything:

access must be safe and properly stabilised

harnessing points and footing positions matter

wind behaves differently at roof height

masking must be anchored tighter

spray angles must be adjusted

overspray control is stricter

the roof surface itself must be protected


We planned the job with the safety of the team first. That meant defining walking paths, protecting tiles where needed, and ensuring every mask, drop sheet and tape line remained secure even under roof-level breeze.

Spraying from a roof is something that appears simple in video form. In reality, it requires discipline, technique and an understanding of how lacquer behaves in less forgiving positions.


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3. Cleaning and Preparing the Brown Anodised Frames

Brown anodised aluminium is harder than standard powder coat. Over time, however, it oxidises.
Oxidation creates a powdery surface that must be completely removed during preparation.

Cleaning involved:

wax and grease remover

degreasing detergents

scouring pads

fine brushes around seals

blowing out corners and tracks

wiping every edge thoroughly


The cleaning stage reveals how much airborne salt and grime builds up on canal-side properties. Runaway Bay homes in particular collect salt film, fine grit and wind-blown dust.

If this contamination isn’t removed, no primer can bite correctly.


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4. Sanding – The Most Important Step Before Spraying

Sanding brown anodised aluminium requires more effort than sanding powder-coated surfaces. The anodised layer is harder, and sanding must break the surface enough to create mechanical adhesion for the primer.

We sanded every:

mullion

transom

frame edge

sill

underside fold

internal reveal

slider track

colonial bar (if any)

corner return


Sanding removes:

shine

contaminants

micro-pitting

oxidation flakes


The entire frame must have a matt, keyed texture before priming.

On a roof job, sanding technique also changes. Stability on the roof affects pressure and angle. Care must be taken not to disturb masking, and dust must be directed away from lower tiles and freshly painted walls.


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5. Masking Under Roofline Conditions

Masking aluminium windows correctly is one of the hardest parts of repainting. At roof height, it becomes even more demanding.

We secured:

glass

brickwork

render edges

lower tiles

soffits

sills

drips edges

roof sheets or tiles directly below

gutters that could catch falling dust


Masking must not lift when wind moves across the roof. Every corner is triple-checked. Edges are burnished to prevent paint bleed. Loose surfaces are reinforced.

Good masking defines the final result.
When the tape comes off, sharp lines are what tells you the job was done properly.


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6. Priming the Aluminium Frames

Brown anodised aluminium requires a primer suited to bonding with a slick, non-porous metal.
Because this Runaway Bay job allowed the necessary drying time with windows removed or able to remain taped for long periods, we used a 2-Pack epoxy primer on the frames.

Why 2-Pac primer works particularly well in coastal suburbs:

it locks down any remaining oxidation

it prevents corrosion in salt-heavy air

it gives strong adhesion to aluminium

it tolerates movement and expansion

it forms a hardened base for topcoats


Primer must be sprayed in controlled, even coats. Too heavy and it runs. Too light and it doesn’t bond correctly.

We aim for what your stored technical notes specify:

30–40 microns DFT per coat,
usually applied twice to form a durable foundation.

Extremely important on roof-level windows exposed to both moisture and sun.


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7. Spraying the Tack Coat of White

Once the primer cured, the next stage was the tack coat of white lacquer. This is where the colour first becomes visible.

A tack coat is not a covering coat. It is a bonding coat.

It provides:

surface tension

uniform grip

the right base for wet coats

reduced risk of runs

better gloss flow-out


On roof surfaces, the tack coat must be sprayed with even more discipline than usual because:

wind shifts rapidly

gravity changes angle

lacquer dries faster

overspray risk is higher


We controlled pressure (around the same controlled setting you normally use for tack coats) and maintained consistent distance and speed.

The tack coat sets the stage for the flawless white finish that follows.


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8. Building the White Colour in Full Wet Coats

After the tack coat flashed off, we began layering the white lacquer. This involves:

slow, steady passes

consistent overlap

watching corners carefully

preventing heavy build at the top edge

maintaining pattern control in breezy moments


White is one of the hardest colours to spray well, even harder on anodised aluminium, and harder again on a roof. It highlights imperfections instantly.

To achieve a factory-level finish, every coat must:

level evenly

dry uniformly

build gloss without flooding

sit tight against masking edges

wrap cleanly around underside folds


When spraying a two-storey exterior from the roof, the flow-out of glossy lacquer must be monitored closely — white can dry patchy if not applied correctly.

This is where experience makes the difference.


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9. Why White Works So Well in Runaway Bay

The switch from brown anodised to white completely reshapes a Runaway Bay home visually.

White works because:

it reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it

it modernises outdated architecture

it suits canalside palettes

it blends with white soffits, trims and interior blinds

it increases the sense of brightness inside rooms

it pairs well with renovated brickwork and render


While black and Monument are Gold Coast favourites inland, canal suburbs like Runaway Bay often lean toward Pearl White or similar tones because white stays visually cool in direct sunlight.


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10. Tack Coat and Wet Coat Drying in Coastal Conditions

Drying conditions on the coast differ from inland suburbs.

Factors include:

ambient salt

fast temperature swings

gusty airflow between houses

reflected sunlight off water

sudden humidity changes


White lacquer dries quickly in heat, but too fast and the gloss can lose depth.

We allowed controlled flash times between coats, monitoring:

tack level

gloss response

temperature rise

humidity on the day


Each stage is adjusted slightly depending on the weather. This is why true aluminium window painting cannot be scheduled mechanically or treated like wall repainting.

Technique must adapt hour to hour.


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11. Tape Removal – The Moment That Shows Everything

After curing, tape removal reveals the quality of the work.
If the preparation, masking and spraying were correct, the lines will be:

straight

razor clean

factory-tight

free from bleed

smooth against glass


Many of our most-viewed videos online show tape removal because it proves the result without needing explanation.

On roof-level frames in Runaway Bay, clean tape removal meant the finish was flawless even in the most exposed areas.


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12. Reinstalling Screens and Sliding Doors

After drying, we reinstalled:

security screens

flyscreens

sliding door panels

rollers (if servicing was needed)

track hardware


Runaway Bay homes typically have large multi-panel sliders facing the water. White frames made the glass sections look larger and more open.

Reinstalling everything back into position completes the transformation — the aluminium now matches the style of the home, not the era it was built in.


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13. Why Spraying Was Better Than Replacing

Replacing the brown anodised frames would have required:

removing plasterboard

changing interior timber trims

disturbing tiles

altering roller tracks

massive waste disposal

high installation costs

significant disruption

roof access complications


Spraying avoided all of that.

The end result looks like new windows, but without the structural work or expense.


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14. Runaway Bay’s Architectural Style Makes Window Colour Critical

The suburb features:

waterfront homes

mid-century brick houses

80s and 90s two-storey builds

renovated modernised façades

houses with multiple extensions

balcony sliders exposed to sun bounce


In all these cases, aluminium frame colour becomes a dominant visual element.
Brown anodised frames no longer match modern design in any of them.

White brings them into line with current Gold Coast styling.


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15. Suburbs with Similar Window Styles

This type of job matches homes in:

Coombabah

Paradise Point

Hollywell

Biggera Waters

Labrador

Southport

Helensvale

Arundel

Coomera Waters

Hope Island


All share similar window ages and anodised finishes.


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16. Why We Share This Work Online

We share these stages—cleaning, sanding, priming, tack coats, full coats, tape removal and reinstalling screens—because most homeowners have never seen aluminium sprayed properly.

We aren’t here to sell a product.
We are here to show the real solution to a common problem:

“Your windows don’t match your home anymore.”

Every video and post exists to explain the process honestly.


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17. Final Result of the Runaway Bay Project

The transformation from brown anodised to white made the home look newly built.
It brightened the façade, improved the interior light levels, modernised the architecture and tied every surface together.

Working from the roof required skill, control and planning, but the finished result was worth it.

The windows now look:

smooth

sharp

crisp

even

factory-finished


Exactly how aluminium should look when sprayed correctly.