Perusing British residential streets in the last decade should show you the decline of beige, brown, and white garage doors. In their place, you’ll see anthracite grey. It seems to be everywhere on garage doors. It has become the dominant garage door sales colour in the UK and you can see why, although part of the reason for its dominance is starting to make some owners look for the rare garage door colour.
Anthracite grey shines in most circumstances and brings a feeling of sophistication and contemporary design. When bland beige or brown doors are replaced with this colour, homes immediately remodel the appearance. It is neutral enough to compliment almost every exterior colour, and offers a modern alternative to the mid-gray colour. It also doesn’t have the negative effects of navy, green, or black, which show every hand print.
The reason for anthracite grey’s popularity is because of the trend of contemporary exteriors — flat render, aluminum windows and clean sightlines — which gained popularity first in new construction homes and then renovations. This colour complemented homes that would otherwise look out of place in designs like the 1980s brick semi.
The popular colour that was once versatile because it complemented so many designs has dulled the appeal of homes since it is so common.
In some areas, certain dark colours read as the default. It’s fine if you want to blend in, but not very distinctive.
It’s important to keep in mind the surface texture of the finish. Very dark colours show surface imperfections, like efflorescence (salt deposits from nearby brick). So if your house is adjacent to old brick, this is something to consider.
There are other options that provide a dark, contemporary colour, but steer clear from the default choice on the block. Here are some alternatives:
* RAL 6009 (Fir Green): A dark blue-green colour that looks fantastic with red brick and render. It’s a little darker than anthracite, but still a good choice.
* RAL 5008 (Grey Blue): A dark gray colour with a lot of character, but still reads as a dark gray in low light. Looks fantastic with yellow or buff brick.
* RAL 8019 (Grey Brown): A dark brown colour. Looks fantastic with red brick.
* RAL 9005 (Matte Black): An excellent choice as long as it is used with other contemporary finishes. Would not look great on imperfect surfaces.
Dark colours when used correctly look fantastic.
A gloss grey finish would be different from the same colour in a satin or textured finish.
Most high-quality garage doors have a satin or low-sheen powder coat, which looks sophisticated in daylight and is less affected by variations in the surface. Woodgrain finishes in dark greys also have a touch of texture and work better against brick than a flat finish.
Fading and Longevity
Darker colours will fade faster than lighter colours due to more solar energy being absorbed. High-quality steel and aluminium doors use a powder coat with UV-stabilized pigments, drastically slowing the actual fading. If your doors face south or southwest, where they will experience the greatest amount of fading from the sun, it is worth asking the manufacturer about the fading resistance of the specific colour.
A good quality powder coat in a dark gray will last 10-15 years in a domestic setting. Cheap imports that have a thin finish will start to look dull in 5 years.
The Verdict
One reason Anthracite Grey is so popular is because it really does look good on most British homes, and it is difficult to match that combination of weight and neutrality. If you’re determined to have anthracite grey, go for the high quality and good powder coat finish, and it will bring many years of pleasure.
But if you want to break away from the monotony of the rest of the neighborhood, then choose colours like deep green or slate blue and still enjoy an equivalent upgrade in quality over the rest of the monotone houses in the neighborhood.
