Climbing wall paint guide.

The Prowall range and Coo-Var collaboration

Rockcity's wall paint offer is built around the Prowall range, developed in collaboration with Coo-Var — a Hull-based industrial paint manufacturer with decades of experience in specialist industrial coatings. The collaboration is significant because most general-purpose wall paints are not formulated for the specific demands of a climbing surface: they either offer too little texture for consistent friction, or too much grit which accelerates hold and rubber wear. The Prowall range was developed specifically to address this.

Being based in Hull alongside Rockcity means Coo-Var has been able to develop and refine the formulation with direct feedback from commercial gym environments — not from laboratory testing alone. The result is a paint system that Rockcity can specify with confidence for gyms, wall builders and refurbishment projects.

Why wall paint matters for route setting

Paint affects setting in ways that are often underestimated until they cause problems. A smooth, low-friction surface makes footholds unreliable and forces setters to compensate with larger, more positive foot placements — which narrows the difficulty range available on a given wall section. A surface that is too rough accelerates rubber wear on holds and shoes, increases maintenance costs, and can make the wall feel punishing for beginner climbers.

Colour consistency also matters operationally. A wall that has been repainted in sections over time — particularly one where the original paint specification is unknown — often shows visible colour variation that makes route colour-coding harder to read. Using a consistent paint system from the outset, and documenting the specification, makes future repaints straightforward.

For competition walls, paint is an explicit part of the wall specification. Setters need to know that the surface will behave consistently across all panels, that foothold friction is predictable, and that the finish will photograph and broadcast cleanly. The Prowall system has been used in commercial and competition environments where these requirements apply.

Surface preparation

The quality of the final painted surface depends heavily on preparation. New birch plywood should be sanded to remove any nibs, rough patches or raised grain from the manufacturing process. Any holes, dents or damage should be filled and sanded flush before painting — imperfections in the substrate telegraph through paint coats and become more visible once holds are removed during resets.

For panels that have been previously painted, assess the condition of the existing surface first. If the old paint is sound, a key coat and light sanding to improve adhesion is usually sufficient before applying new finish coats. If the old paint is flaking, blistering, or shows significant chalk penetration into the surface, full removal back to bare ply gives a better result.

New panels should receive a primer coat before the finish system is applied. Primer seals the ply, reduces absorption variation across the panel surface, and improves adhesion of subsequent coats. For large new-build projects, priming all panels before they are fixed to the wall frame is more efficient than priming in place.

Texture coat

Texture coat is a key component of the Prowall system. It adds a controlled surface grit that improves foothold friction without the abrasiveness of a heavy aggregate finish. For commercial gyms, texture coat on the primary setting areas — overhangs, competition boards, bouldering walls — creates consistent surface behaviour that setters can rely on from one reset to the next.

The texture coat is particularly valuable when repainting sections of an existing wall. Without it, repainted panels often feel noticeably slicker than surrounding panels until they wear in — which can take weeks of heavy use in a busy gym. Applying texture coat to repainted areas eliminates most of this inconsistency immediately.

Application guidance and the appropriate texture specification for your wall type should be confirmed with Rockcity before ordering — the right texture level depends on the primary use of the wall (competition, training, beginner circuits) and the substrate condition.

Colour selection

Wall colour affects how routes read and how the overall gym presents. Most commercial gyms use a neutral mid-tone — typically a grey, stone or warm white — as the base wall colour, because neutral backgrounds make hold colours readable from a distance and work across the full range of hold palette colours. Strong or dark wall colours can reduce the visibility of darker holds and make some colour combinations harder to distinguish under artificial gym lighting.

Custom colour matching is available through the Prowall system for operators who want the wall to fit a specific interior scheme or brand colour. Rockcity can discuss colour options and provide samples before committing to a large order. For a new build or full repaint, ordering a sample panel and testing it under the gym's actual lighting before signing off on the colour is strongly recommended.

When to contact Rockcity

For a standard repaint of an existing wall with a known substrate and previous paint history, the general guidance above covers the key decisions. For anything outside this — a new build, an unusual substrate, a wall with existing problems (persistent flaking, moisture damage, or chalk that has deeply penetrated the surface), or a competition wall with specific friction requirements — contact Rockcity before ordering so the right system and specification can be confirmed.

Wall paint is a relatively small part of the overall cost of a gym build or refurbishment, but the consequences of using the wrong product or specification are significant and expensive to reverse. Getting the specification confirmed upfront is straightforward; repainting a wall that has failed is not.