Thinking about restoring instead of replacing your pool cage? This article covers the five things homeowners ask us most. For pricing, process and service areas, see our pool cage restoration service page.
1. Yes, a pool enclosure can be repainted
It still surprises people, but aluminum screen enclosures can be refinished. Painting a pool cage is not a matter of rolling on exterior paint: the structure lives in wind, rain and sun, so the surface has to be washed, sanded, rust-treated and primed before an industrial coating will bond to the metal. We have been painting screen enclosures since 2005 and have refinished thousands of pool cages with a multi-step process that restores the original color and gives the frame a factory-like finish. See how it is done on our step-by-step painting process page.
2. Restoring usually costs 60–70% less than replacing
A restoration that combines rescreening, repainting and fastener replacement generally costs 60 to 70 percent less than a replacement enclosure of the same size. For very large enclosures the saving is even bigger, because a new cage of that size needs engineering and a long build. For very small enclosures the difference narrows, which is one of the reasons we inspect before we quote. Our pool cage painting cost guide explains what moves the price.
3. The fasteners have to be replaced
Every restoration we do includes replacing the fasteners, and we use 316 stainless steel for two reasons. First, it restores the strength of the enclosure. A cage is engineered to carry a wind load based on the strength of its original components, and the plated steel screws most cages were built with lose a large share of their strength within a few years of Florida salt and humidity. Replacing them brings the enclosure back as close to its engineered wind resistance as possible.
Second, it protects the new finish. Paint applied over a rusting screw hides the problem for a season and then the rust bleeds through. Stainless fasteners installed while the frame is being painted keep the finish clean for years, and doing both jobs at once costs far less than coming back later.
4. Most restorations take about three days
Removing the old screen, painting the frame, replacing the fasteners and installing new screen takes about three days on most enclosures: paint and hardware on the first day, screen on the second, a cure day and the final walkthrough on the third. Southwest Florida’s summer thunderstorms can stretch that by a day, and very large two-story enclosures take longer. Your pool usually stays usable for most of the project, because we cover and protect it before any spraying starts.
5. Not every cage should be restored
Restoration only makes sense when the structure is worth saving. If the main beams are bent or crushed, the footers or anchors have failed, or a storm has left the frame unstable, the honest answer is a rebuild, and we will say so. If the frame is straight, bolted down tight and the damage is cosmetic — fading, chalking, rust streaks, worn screen and corroded bolts — it is a strong candidate for restoration.
Ready to find out which side of the line your cage is on? Request a free inspection on our pool cage restoration page, or see local details for Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice and Naples.