Lancashire Hill Subway, Stockport

After an underground subway in Stockport fell victim to graffiti, Cladding Coatings re-sprayed the inner walls of the tunnel to remove the vandalism.

At Cladding Coatings, many of the projects we work on are commercial properties or industrial buildings. However, on occasion, we have diverted from the property sector and worked on transformation projects that are slightly different from the norm. One of our more recent unusual projects was the refurbishment of an underground subway tunnel at Lancashire Hill in Stockport.

The subway is a 4-way link under a busy main road and roundabout on the outskirts of Stockport city centre. The four different entrances and exits in the subway lead to the main roads, shopping areas and housing estates, allowing pedestrians to avoid the busy, dangerous road. However, though this walkway is high beneficial to the public, it was also very unappealing and a terrible eyesore to passers-by. The tunnel had suffered years of paint neglect and had become the victim of graffiti and vandalism.

As the graffiti problem worsened, it was time to put a stop to the damage and restore the subway back to its former glory. The once bright and attractive subway was going to undergo full on-site spraying refurbishment to remove all signs of vandalism and paint deterioration.

After arriving at the site and assessing the damage, we liaised with the client to organise a refurbishment schedule that caused the least amount of disruption to the public and allowed as much pedestrian access as possible. We also spoke about colour options: the client requested a bright, vibrant yellow to allow the underground to look inviting to pedestrians, as opposed to a dull, dark colour, it would hopefully make pedestrians feel at ease, and safe when travel, even at night. The schedule and colour system were agreed, meaning refurbishment work could commence.

Four of Cladding Coatings’ specialist coating applicators arrived at the site to begin on-site spraying the internal tunnel walls. Beginning at each entrance and working inwards to the subway centre, the concrete walls were coated in the protective yellow Rust-Oleum system. We chose the Noxyde Rust-Oleum paint due to its exceptional coverage and high protection qualities. The paint system was sprayed directly onto the walls, applying two coats for a full, even coverage. As well as spraying the walls a yellow colour, we also painted the ceiling with a white-coloured paint to match the newly restored walls. We also painted the electric box door black, to allow it to stand out against the bright walls.

Despite this being a slightly different project for us at Cladding Coatings, the full refurbishment was carried out with the same care, quality and precision as our building maintenance projects. In order to keep the subway open for public use during the refurbishment, we allowed two weeks for the renovation completion, which we achieved.

All graffiti and vandalism have now been removed, and the subway has a far more appealing and attractive appearance than pre-refurbishment. Get in touch to find out more about our on-site spraying services.

Services Involved 

Wall Coating