It is easy to consider mechanisms and materials as replacement garage door options, but colour is what typically stands out to people first. Decorative colour choices can compliment a home, while harsh colour choices can detract and even dare to clash with a home’s structural elements. For residents in Warrington, Cheshire, and the North West region, here’s how to balance that choice.
Start with what your brickwork and render is made from.
What your home is built with is the best indicator of what colour your garage door should be. Properties in the North West can vary, from traditional brick facades, to stone cottages, to modern render. Each lends itself to varying colour combinations.
Yellow brick and render can be complemented by many colours: mid greys, dark blues, slates, and sage greens.
Red brick can be complemented by warm white, dark greens, blacks, and anthracites. Cooler colours like blues or silvers should be avoided.
White render can be complemented by many colours, especially darks: charcoals, blues, and blacks.
The Anthracite Grey Question
Anthracite grey (RAL 7016) became extremely popular in the UK in garage door sales over the last ten years because of its ease of use with window frames and front doors. A strong case can be made for its versatility and its beautiful appearance in photographs.
In Warrington and across the North West, it is still the colour selling the most, by a large margin.
Anthracite is so popular that it no longer ensures a unique appearance. If you want your property to stand out rather than just blend in, then maybe choosing an alternative colour, like sage green, slate blue, or dark bronze, is a better idea.
Matching the Front Door
Coordinating the garage door with the front door does not necessarily mean they both have to be the same door. In fact, doors that are the same colour can look boring. A more interesting design can be achieved by choosing the same finish as the front door (both RAL colours or both woodgrain), and then choosing a complementary colour instead of what is identical. A dark green front door along with an anthracite grey garage door looks better than two anthracite garage doors side by side.
Practical Considerations in the North West Climate
Warrington and the surrounding area is not the most sunny area of England. When deciding on a door colour, one must consider how the colour will look in not so sunny weather, as well as in not so dull weather. Some colours that appear striking in not so dull surroundings look dull and flat in a grey Cheshire sky. Dark colours are more forgiving in low light than pastel or mid-tone colours.
Also worth knowing: in direct sunlight, dark doors get very hot and are responsible for elevated temperatures of the surface of steel and GRP doors.
Most manufacturers use UV-stable powder coat finishes. These finishes reduce the fading effect of sunlight and minimise the distortion caused by heat builds up. Ask about this when considering south or southwest facing doors.
Woodgrain Finishes
Many old house owners want the appearance of wooden doors but do not want the maintenance that comes with real wood. GRP and steel door manufacturers have developed woodgrain finishes that are very convincing and can be installed in a variety of shades. If your house has traditional features like bay windows or decorative brickwork, wood grain finishes are most appropriate over contemporary flat colours.
Sample Before You Buy
Colour seems to change with the light source and the materials surrounding it. A small colour chip looks different to a large painted panel. Ask your installer for a sample of the finish you intend to install. This could be a large panel painted with the finish you intend or the panel painted in the RAL or BS finish you have selected. Most local installers are flexible and provide this at little cost and can prevent you from making a major mistake.
An off-white gray or dark charcoal finishes are the most conservative and low risk choices that are universally appreciated, but the right choice can enhance the exterior of your house if you think about it thoroughly.