Anthracite window frames in RAL 7016: what to know

RAL 7016 is officially called anthracite grey. It is a dark grey with a blue undertone, and that is something to watch straight away: on a warm, red brick that blue tone can stand out, while on light or cool brick it looks sleek. Many new uPVC and aluminium frames come in this colour, so it is the colour people often have in mind for an existing house too.

It can work fine on timber, and we have done it in Sneek and Leeuwarden, among other places. It is just not a colour you simply put on. On timber it behaves differently from the uPVC you have in mind as an example.

Dark paint takes up far more heat in the sun than white, and on a summer day the difference runs to tens of degrees. Wood shrinks and expands more because of it, joints pull open sooner and the sealant has a harder time. On a south or west facade in Friesland wind and rain come on top, so that is the side where you see it first.

Some manufacturers supply dark colours with heat-reflective pigments. Whether that is possible for your colour and paint system, we look at per project. On a north or east facade this hardly matters. So it is also an option to keep the sunny side lighter, although most people prefer one colour all round.

White is forgiving, anthracite is not. On a dark surface you see filler marks, sanding streaks and brush marks sooner, and in high gloss even more. That is why anthracite often takes more prep time than white. We sand with Festool at grit 150, 180 and 240, and fill and sand until the line is right.

Colour differences between parts also show sooner. That is why on one frame we work with the same paint build-up from bottom to top. The example is our house in Sneek, where we worked with anthracite in high gloss and combined the colour with RAL 9010. Satin is calmer and more forgiving, but you do not get the deep effect of high gloss with it.

Anthracite looks different after a year than white. Dust and pollen on a dark sill show sooner, certainly in an open landscape. Washing is therefore needed a bit more often, but that is also the best maintenance. A dull or chalky coat is also visible sooner on dark than on a light colour.

The guide value of 6 to 8 years for opaque paint basically applies here too. Do expect that with anthracite the south-west side may be due sooner. With a long-term maintenance plan (MJOP) you fix that in advance, and a 10-year guarantee applies to it. For this colour that can be a calming idea.

A colour change to anthracite is hard to judge from a distance, but photos do help. This is what we like to see:

• Photos of all facades, so we see which side gets the most sun.
• Close-ups of the sills and corner joints.
• The number of frames and doors, and whether the inside needs doing too.
• Your current colour, and whether you also have uPVC or aluminium nearby.
• The year of construction.

That way we can already give a first impression. We make the real choice together at the site visit, with the colour on your own facade.

The national market indication for an exterior frame is from €50 each, and exterior painting is from €35 per m2. For anthracite extra hours often come on top: the prep has to be more precise, and with a switch from white to dark the result depends on a good paint build-up.

The glass counts too: the more glazing bars and panes, the more work in taping off and topcoating. At MJA you get a fixed price after the site visit, including the agreed paint build-up. How that works for frames is at painting window frames and doors.

If you find RAL 7016 a bit too blue, also look at other greys. RAL 7021 is called black grey and is noticeably darker, RAL 7039 is called quartz grey and is warmer and a bit lighter. If you really want the hardest contrast, you end up at black window frames in RAL 9005. Each of those colours looks different on a test patch than in a screen photo.

On a house in Leeuwarden anthracite was used after wood rot repair, and the combination with white parts often remains the most timeless. If you do not know where to start, first hold a photo of your facade next to the colour card.

We are a painting and maintenance company from Mirns and we work all over Friesland with Sikkens, Sigma and Wijzonol. Mohamed looks at which facades can handle the colour well and discusses honestly where the risk is. After that you get a fixed quote with the agreed paint build-up, and at completion we walk through together whether everything is right.

Call or WhatsApp 06 3006 0558, or request a quote and send a photo of your facade along. Then we can see straight away whether anthracite suits your brick.