Most shop fronts on Cavendish Street, North Street and the smaller parades around Keighley need a repaint every four to six years, and the quotes owners get back can vary wildly for what looks like the same job. The difference is almost never the paint itself. It is the condition of the timber, how the decorator reaches the top of the fascia, and whether the work has to happen outside trading hours.
For a single-unit shop front in reasonable condition, a straightforward repaint of the fascia, pilasters, stallriser and door usually lands somewhere between £450 and £900. That assumes sound timber, a light sand, one coat of primer where needed and two topcoats, done from ladders or a small tower in a day or two.
A wider or double-fronted unit, or one where the timber has been neglected for a decade, more commonly sits in the £1,000 to £2,500 bracket. Once you are into burning off failed paint, splicing in new sections of moulding or repairing rotten sill ends, the labour easily doubles. Large or listed frontages with heavy detailing can go beyond £3,000, though that is not typical for Keighley.
Preparation is the honest answer. A frontage that has been overpainted for thirty years with flaking, brittle layers has to be taken back properly, and that is slow, careful work. If a decorator quotes you a very low figure, ask directly how much preparation is included, because painting straight over failing paint will look fine in October and be peeling by the following spring.
Access matters more than people expect. If the fascia sits above a pavement, working platforms may need signage, cones or a licence from Bradford Council, and on a narrow footway you may be restricted to certain hours. Overnight or early-morning work to avoid disrupting trade is reasonable to ask for, but expect it to add ten to twenty per cent.
Substrate changes the system too. Traditional painted timber takes a flexible exterior system such as an oil-based or modern hybrid eggshell or gloss. Powder-coated aluminium or previously coated render needs a proper adhesion primer, and skipping that is the single most common cause of early failure on shop fronts.
Parts of Keighley town centre and the surrounding villages fall within conservation areas, and some frontages sit on listed buildings. Repainting in the existing colour is normally fine, but changing colour or altering signage can require consent from Bradford Council. It is a free phone call and far cheaper than being asked to undo the work.
If you lease the unit, check who is responsible for external decoration. Many commercial leases put it on the tenant with a specified frequency, and some require a particular colour scheme. Getting that in writing before you commit avoids an awkward conversation at the end of the term.
Buildings from before 1992 may carry lead-based paint under later coats. It does not stop the job, but it does change how the surface is prepared, and dry sanding is not appropriate.
Ask every decorator for the same three things: how many coats and of what product, exactly what preparation is included, and how long the work will take. Two quotes £600 apart usually differ on preparation, not skill.
A site visit should be free, and any decorator worth using will want to look at the timber up close rather than price from a photograph. Expect a written quote rather than a verbal figure, and expect them to be clear about whether scaffolding, licences and making good are inside or outside the price.
On a south-facing or exposed frontage, every four to five years is realistic in this climate; a sheltered one may stretch to seven. Touching up chips and re-oiling threshold timbers each year noticeably extends the life of the whole system.
Usually yes. Most shop fronts are painted around trading hours or in early mornings, and the only genuine interruption tends to be an hour or two when the doorway itself is being coated.
Decorators are often quieter between November and February, so you may get better availability, but exterior coatings need surface temperatures above roughly 5 degrees and dry conditions. Spring and early autumn generally give the better finish.
Tell us about the job. We can come out, take a look, and send a fair fixed-price quote inside 48 hours.