Solid aluminium or ACP, perforated screens, corten in a humid climate, coatings, the gap behind the panels and what drives the price.
📍 We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
Metal wall cladding is a skin of aluminium or steel panels fixed on a sub-frame in front of a wall, for looks and weather protection; it is not waterproofing. In Malaysian homes and shops the usual choices are solid aluminium panels, aluminium composite panels (ACP), perforated or laser-cut screens, and weathering (corten) steel or a corten-look coating on aluminium. The coating matters as much as the metal: PVDF paints are known for gloss and colour retention, while powder coats vary with the powder grade. Real weathering steel is a poor fit for humid or salty air, where its rust layer may never stabilise. No ClickBina guide publishes a per-square-foot price for metal cladding itself, so it is quoted per wall.
Cladding is a layer that sits in front of the real wall. On a metal system, panels or sheets are fixed to a sub-frame of rails or brackets, which in turn is anchored to the brick or concrete behind. The panels give the look and shed most of the rain; the wall behind still does the structural and waterproofing work. If the wall leaks, cracks or stays damp, cladding over it only hides the problem, which is why our exterior wall cladding guide insists on fixing the wall first.
Metal cladding is popular on modern house fronts, gate walls, car porch side walls, shopfronts and feature walls indoors. Its appeal is crisp lines, a wide colour range and no rotting or termites; its weak points are dents, heat, coating failure and what happens at the joints and cut edges.
| Type | What it is | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid aluminium panel | A single aluminium sheet, folded into trays or cassettes and coated | House fronts, gate walls, porch side walls | Dents if knocked; flat panels can show waviness in strong light |
| Aluminium composite panel (ACP) | Two thin aluminium skins bonded to a core | Shopfront signage bands, facades | The core decides fire behaviour; see our ACP guide |
| Perforated or laser-cut panel | Sheet punched or cut with holes or a pattern | Screens, gate infill, car porch walls, aircon ledges | Lets air, light and some rain through; it is a screen, not a wall |
| Profiled metal sheet | Corrugated or ribbed steel or aluminium sheet used on a wall | Industrial-look walls, sheds, backyards | Cut edges and screws are where rust or leaks start |
| Weathering (corten) steel | Steel alloy designed to form a protective rust layer instead of paint | Garden walls, planters, art features | Runoff stains; may keep corroding in humid or salty air |
| Corten-look coated aluminium | Aluminium coated or printed to look like rusted steel | The corten look on a house front or gate wall | The print can fade; ask what coating it is |
ACP is a separate subject because of its core; our ACP cladding guide covers cores, fire questions and what an ACP quotation must itemise.
Both look like flat aluminium from the street. The difference is inside. A solid aluminium panel is one metal sheet, so there is no core to ask about, and it can be folded and perforated. ACP is lighter and very flat for its weight, which is why sign makers like it, but the core material is the specification that matters, and the decision on what is acceptable for a facade near an escape route belongs to the building's consultant and the fire authority, not the seller.
Perforated metal is sheet that has been stamped, punched or laser-cut to create holes and patterns. It can be made from aluminium, galvanised steel, stainless steel and other metals. At home it is used where you want privacy with airflow: a screen in front of a porch or a staircase window, gate infill, a panel hiding an aircon compressor, or a decorative band on the house front.
Because it is a screen, rain and wind pass through. Decide what the panel is for before choosing the pattern: a dense pattern hides more but blocks more air. For gates, our main gate design guide compares slat, laser-cut and perforated infill; for slatted screens that tilt air and view, see our aluminium louvre panel guide.
Weathering steel, often called corten after the COR-TEN trademark, is a group of steel alloys that form a stable outer rust layer so they do not need painting. It has real limits that matter here:
For most Klang Valley homes the practical route to the look is a corten-look finish on aluminium, or real weathering steel kept to a garden feature or planter where staining and slow rusting do no harm. If you only want the colour on an indoor wall, a decorative metallic paint finish is another option; our decorative finishes guide covers it.
| Coating | What the sources say | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| PVDF (fluoropolymer) paint | High-end paint for metals with very good gloss and colour retention; used on prominent buildings such as the Petronas Towers and on metal roofing | Is it a PVDF system, and from which coating maker? |
| Powder coat | Dry powder applied and cured into a film; widely used on aluminium extrusions; outdoor and indoor powders are formulated differently | Is the powder rated for exterior use, and are cut ends sealed? |
| Anodised | Surface converted into a hard oxide layer with a metallic look | Colour range, and how scratches will be dealt with |
| Wood-grain or corten-look print | A decorative layer on a powder base | What the print is, and how it holds up in full sun |
Our aluminium powder coating guide explains why pre-treatment is the hidden step that decides whether a coating later peels, and why any hole drilled after coating is bare metal unless it is sealed.
Indoors, metal cladding is a decorative job: brushed or coloured aluminium panels on a TV wall, a reception counter front or a column. Weather is not the issue; flatness, joints and how the panels meet lights, sockets and skirting are. Outdoors, the same panel has to cope with sun, rain driven sideways by storms, and heat. A dark metal panel on a west-facing wall gets hot to the touch and passes heat to the wall behind unless there is a ventilated gap.
Strata properties need management approval before anything changes the outside of a unit, and a house front change may touch council rules; our house exterior design guide lists the checks to make before changing a facade.
Good metal cladding is usually a rainscreen: the panels stand off from the wall so that there is a cavity behind them. Water that gets past the panel drains down the cavity and the gap lets the wall dry, with openings at the bottom and top so air can rise through. A panel stuck flat to a damp wall with no gap is not a rainscreen and traps moisture.
| Problem | Usual cause | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Chalky or faded colour | Coating not suited to outdoor sun | Exterior-rated powder or a PVDF system |
| Rust streaks | Steel screws, cut steel edges or corten runoff | Compatible fixings; sealed edges; plan for runoff |
| Wavy or rippled panels | Thin sheet, uneven sub-frame or heat movement | A true sub-frame; fixings that allow movement |
| Damp or mould on the inner wall | No cavity, blocked openings or a leaking wall behind | Fix the wall; keep the ventilated gap |
| Dents near the ground | Knocks from cars, bins or bicycles | Keep the lowest band in a tougher material |
No ClickBina guide publishes a per-square-foot price for metal wall cladding, because the panel make-up, coating, wall height, sub-frame and access change the price a lot. For a sense of scale, these are the published ClickBina prices for neighbouring options (indicative 2026, Klang Valley):
| Nearby option | Indicative price | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| Balcony louvre or jalousie screen | RM200 – RM400 per sq ft of screen | Aluminium louvre panel guide |
| Aluminium pressed louvre fence panel, installed | RM200 – RM400 per linear metre | Aluminium louvre panel guide |
| Metallic or pearlescent decorative paint effect | RM700 – RM1,300 | Decorative finishes guide |
| Elastomeric coating for walls that take driving rain | RM4 – RM8 per sq ft | House exterior design guide |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. A renovation site visit is free, and a repair inspection is RM180, deducted from the bill if you go ahead. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteA cladding quotation should name the panel type and make-up, the coating system, the sub-frame material, how cut ends are treated and what wall repair is included.
ClickBina supplies and installs wall panels and interior finishes by budget and use case, and coordinates whole-house refurbishment, so the wall repair, the cladding and the trades around it can be planned together. For metal cladding on your home or shop, WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the area, property type, which wall, its rough size and the look you want. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges.
How we estimated prices: every RM figure on this page is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guides named in the table; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges for 2026 for neighbouring options, not a price for metal cladding.
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. A renovation site visit is free, and a repair inspection is RM180, deducted from the bill if you go ahead. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteTell us what you need — we reply within the hour.