ACP & Cladding Cleaning
Aluminium composite panel, metal and profiled cladding cleaned with deionised water at coating-safe pressure — no abrasives, no alkaline chemicals, no coating damage.
Drone cladding cleaning starts from S$1.00 per square metre. Flat aluminium composite panel is nearly as efficient as glass. Profiled and deeply articulated cladding is slower, less completely covered from the air, and usually quoted as a hybrid job with pole or rope work for the flutes and recesses.
Key takeaways
- Flat ACP - excellent drone substrate, lower end of the rate band.
- Profiled or corrugated cladding - hybrid job, coverage is partial from the air.
- Coating safety comes from low pressure and no chemicals, not from gentler passes.
- Panel joints and sealant lines are the vulnerable detail, not the panel face.
- Recurring streaks usually mean a detailing problem, not a cleaning problem.
On this page
Cladding types and drone suitability
| Cladding type | Drone suitability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flat ACP / ACM panel | Excellent | Near-glass efficiency. Care at joints and sealant lines. |
| Flat metal sheet | Excellent | Continuous plane, fast coverage. |
| Fibre cement panel | Good | Reduced pressure; check for coating wear first. |
| Profiled / corrugated metal | Hybrid | Flutes trap soiling and shed angled spray. |
| Perforated / mesh screens | Partial | Spray passes through; rear face untouched. |
| Deep-fin or louvre systems | Hybrid | Undersides unreachable from open air. |
Protecting the coating
Architectural panels are protected by factory-applied coatings — commonly PVDF fluoropolymer on higher-specification ACP, polyester on budget systems. Those coatings are durable against weather but not against abrasion or aggressive chemistry.
Two things damage them in cleaning: high-pressure water, which erodes the coating and drives water past panel joints, and alkaline or abrasive cleaners, which dull the finish irreversibly. We use neither. Deionised water at low pressure does the work, which is slower per pass but does not consume the coating you are trying to protect.
The joints matter more than the panels. Cladding systems shed water at the face and rely on joints and gaskets behind. Directing high-pressure water at a horizontal joint can push water into the cavity. Low-pressure work from an appropriate angle avoids it.
Why streaks come back
Vertical streaking on cladding is rarely a cleaning failure. It is runoff behaviour: water collects on copings, sills, projecting slabs and joint lines, picks up deposits, and discharges down the panel face at the same points every rainfall.
Cleaning removes the deposit. If the detailing keeps concentrating runoff at those points, the streaks return on the same schedule. We flag detailing causes at survey so you can decide whether to keep cleaning it or fix the drip detail — the second is cheaper over a building's life.
Cladding cleaning cost
| Scope | Approx. area | Typical price (SGD) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat ACP elevation | ~2,000 sqm | From S$2,500 |
| Large clad elevation | ~3,500 sqm | From S$3,500 |
| Profiled cladding (hybrid) | varies | Near rope-access parity |
| Louvre or fin systems | varies | Quoted after survey |
Frequently asked questions
How much does ACP cladding cleaning cost in Singapore?
Drone cleaning of aluminium composite panel cladding starts from S$1.00 per square metre. Profiled or deeply articulated cladding prices higher because coverage is slower.
Will cleaning damage the coating on aluminium composite panels?
Not at correct pressure. PVDF and polyester coatings on ACP tolerate deionised water at low pressure. Damage comes from high-pressure washing and abrasive or alkaline chemicals, neither of which we use on coated panels.
Can drones clean corrugated or profiled metal cladding?
Partially. Profiled surfaces trap soiling in the flutes and shed spray at angles, so coverage is less complete than on flat panels. Profiled cladding usually needs complementary pole or rope work and is quoted as a hybrid job.
What causes streaking on cladding panels?
Vertical streaking usually comes from runoff carrying deposits down from copings, sills and joints. Cleaning removes the deposit, but if the detailing keeps concentrating runoff, the streaks return. We flag detailing causes at survey.
Cladding looking tired?
Send photographs of the worst elevation. We can usually tell soiling from coating failure before we visit.