08 / cleaning
DOFF superheated steam, chemical, jet wash and soft-wash cleaning for facades, cladding and hard surfaces. Method chosen to the substrate. Heritage-safe is the default, not an upgrade.
When this is the right route
Scope · included
Scope · not included
Sectors
Process
01
Substrate type confirmed (stone, brick, render, cladding), soiling type assessed (atmospheric, biological, paint, soot), test-area agreed with client. Pressure or steam method confirmed before any work begins.
02
DOFF steam for heritage or sensitive substrates; chemical biocide for biological growth; jet wash for hard surfaces where pressure won't damage; soft-wash where pressure and chemistry both need controlling. Run-off pH and disposal route set out.
03
Project-specific RAMS: chemical handling, PPE matrix, run-off containment plan, exclusion zones during application, pedestrian and vehicle protection. COSHH for any biocide or neutraliser.
04
Containment bunded, test area cleaned and signed off by client, full application by elevation. Neutraliser applied where chemical spec calls for it. Public access protected throughout.
05
Before/after photo record, cleaning record (method, products, pH readings where relevant), condition note if coating or restoration work is to follow.
On the books
Tesco · Canton
Canton, Cardiff · Uplands Retail Ltd
Case study
Canton, Cardiff · Retail
DOFF cleaning and internal decorating package for the Tesco Canton store in Cardiff. Mobilising June 2026 under Uplands Retail. Approximately 280 m² of external facade to be DOFF cleaned with fixed scaffold access. ACM zones identified and covered by RAMS v4.
This case study supports searches for live-site commercial decorating, retail refurbishment, on-site spraying and aluminium frame restoration by showing the kind of programme, access and handover constraints A Star Decorators handles for national estate clients.
Read project →Built for the people who buy decorating
We are a specialist sub-contractor, not a turnkey fit-out outfit. We deliver decorating, spraying, restoration and coatings under main contractors and direct estate teams.
For main contractors
Variations priced ahead of the request. Per-store handover record. AFPs delivered on the day they're due. We run the way you run.
For estate + FM teams
Survey to handover without closing the unit. Powder-coat restoration with a 5-7 year service life. Run-off, masking and reopening tracked store-by-store.
For retail estate leads
Brand-matched paint stacks against the estate spec. KPI reporting per store. Programme that survives shopfit slippage instead of inheriting it.
Find the right route
Most visitors arrive with a sector problem before they know the coating system. These routes match the way buyers search: home and residential work, retail fit-out programmes, and industrial painting or warehouse coatings.
Domestic and residential decorating
We come from commercial sites: Primark stores, Tesco superstores, occupied warehouses. That discipline carries into residential work. A proper survey before quoting, written dust-control plans, and a room-by-room handover that does not leave loose ends.
Retail decorating contractors
Retail decorating is not about paint. It is about working nights around store teams, matching brand colour exactly, absorbing late variation instructions without losing the handover date, and walking away with a signed snag list. Not a punch list left for someone else to close.
Industrial painting contractors
Industrial and warehouse scopes need the coating system specified by substrate condition, not by what is cheapest to apply. We survey the floor, the cladding, the steelwork and the roof before recommending a system, then plan MEWP access, exclusion zones and drying-time sequencing around live operations.
How we deliver
Twenty years finishing commercial buildings across the UK. Director led, directly employed crews, one programme and one point of contact from survey to handover.
01
Stores stay open. Surveys, masking and run off planned around foot traffic.
02
Night programmes on retail and hospitality estates. Clean before doors open.
03
Rolling 4 to 12 stores a week against a national programme.
04
Offices in Poole and London. Crews mobilised across England, Scotland and Wales.
05
Decorating, on site spraying, powder coat restoration and floor coatings under one PM.
06
Before and after record, gloss readings and written service life on every scheme.
Frequently asked
Yes. Superheated steam at low pressure removes soiling without abrading the substrate. We sample-clean a test area and agree the result before proceeding.
Contained, captured and disposed in line with the chemical spec and site drainage rules. Set out in the RAMS pack before mobilisation.
The cleaning regime is matched to the substrate. If the intention is to preserve the existing coating, we confirm that in the spec. If it's a preamble to re-coating, we can strip in the same pass.
Yes. MEWP or scaffold access, chosen at survey based on elevation height and run-off management requirements.
The chemistry is substrate-specific. The same stone on two different buildings can behave differently due to previous treatment, weathering or salt contamination. A site visit takes 30 minutes and prevents a specification that damages the facade.
Start a conversation
We will review the service route, access, preparation, finish and likely next step before the job is priced properly.
Related services
05 / coatings
TOR coatings. TOR liquid coating systems for flat and profiled commercial roofs. Approved-applicator status. Up to 20-year system warranty. Access and edge protection planned in RAMS before the first operative goes up.
07 / coatings
cladding coatings. TOR and spray combination systems for profile sheet, rainscreen and curtain-wall cladding. DOFF-cleaned substrate, RAL-matched finish. 10-year service-life options on sound metal cladding.
02 / restoration
powder coated frame restoration. Faded shopfronts, curtain walls and entrance frames recovered to a matched RAL or BS finish. Works carried out around live trading. Written service-life expectation with every scheme.
