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What window frame colour should I pick?

Row Star
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

i am changing all the windows. I would appreciate any advice on what window frame colour I should choose. I am also considering Changing the colour or the painted timber pergola etc. Thank you





Comments (64)

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Where do I stop.... Exactly! I don’t know the answer to that one.

  • C Lawther
    3 years ago

    Accent colours all same. Windows, garage doors, down pipes, pergola, and don’t forget the fascias and gutters in Monument or W / grey. Woodland grey does have a greener tone than Monument so Monument is my first choice.
    Trend for dark colour for homes so unless you’re rendering the brick just stay with above suggestions.
    Have you considered painting window frames rather than replacement. Save cost and you’ll see what colour looks like.

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  • julie herbert
    3 years ago

    We painted our window frames using Dulux weather shield , looks great and saved replacing windows.

  • Kate
    3 years ago

    Having reviewed this again, I’d do monument Matt, or black, but to brighten entry, a bright front door colour behind a monument of black screen
    I have woodland grey on my gutters and think it wouldn’t be right for your colours

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    This is a great help. I think that Monument or Black is going to be the best. It really helps to see it on the pictures, thank you.
    Great idea about painting the windows to test the colour. I’ll do that this weekend. We do want to change them for soundproofing however.
    Do you think the colour scheme should be
    Bricks
    Black or monument window frames and barge boards etc.
    The reddish brown down pipes we have

    If so, should I paint the pergola or leave it mission brown?

  • robandlyn
    3 years ago

    What colour will you do the garage door?

    I'm really worried black is going to be too harsh with the look of your house and against your roof. There is charcoal colour in your bricks but not dark black.

    The darkest I'd go is Monument, and I'd do all the trims, garage door, downpipes etc the same colour for conformity.

    It's all personal opinion, but you don't want it ending up like a patchwork quilt! The brick is already quite busy.

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Yes I understand what you are saying. I don’t want to much confusion of colours. So do you think just 2 elements (the monument and the brick) is enough, or should I add one more colour?

  • bigreader
    3 years ago

    Two colours only for your vintage house. Plus the garden. And if you need it a wooden deck.

  • suancol
    3 years ago

    Colours are important but if in an area of extremes please consider double glazed Upvc frames for greater comfort in living

  • robandlyn
    3 years ago

    Yes, would only go two elements - monument and brick for the actual house.

    Can add eye catching landscaping, or even some beautiful large pots in a brighter colour with plants near your front door. But keeping the house with 2 elements will look far more classy than a mish mash, that can tend to look like someone has run out of a certain colour paint halfway through and made up with whatever they had ! :)

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Yes that sounds good.
    We were going to change the front door to varnished timber. We have a deck out the back that is painted in a ‘paperbark’ colour (stone/beige). I would not want to change that to Monument or black as it would get too hot and be too dark but I have considered changing the boards them for a natural timber look.
    About the uPVC double glazing, do you know if they are better than hush laminated 6.5mm glass? We have been quoted on the laminated glass but a couple of people have since told me that the double glazing is better.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Row Star, please share some before and after photos. We’re currently facing almost the same choices for the same reasons.


    The colours your window supplier is offering seem to be a bit limited. Maybe check with another window place.


    This chart is from a search for “colourbond window colours”.




  • User
    3 years ago

    I’ve spray painted some of our window frames. It may help to see how it looks when ’Primrose’ (stale cream) frames become ‘Monument’.


    It looks heaps better on the inside - way more modern - but I’m concerned it may be too heavy for the front of the house, especially when gutters and other trims are painted in such a dark colour. See, same prob as you! Monument looks fine here, on the side of the house, but it‘s accompanied by Surfmist on the pergola.


    At one stage, I was going to paint the garage door black. I even bought the paint. Then I spotted a neighbour had already done it. It looks way, way too harsh, so I’ve got 4 litres of black Metalflex if anyone wants it! :-)





  • User
    3 years ago

    Question to Julie Herbert : Are any of

    the window frames you painted in direct,

    full afternoon sun? Have they seen a full summer yet? How did the surface hold up?


    Will a spray job survive Adelaide’s often pretty harsh summers?

  • Melissa Sinclair
    3 years ago

    I've used Monument on a warm toned brick house, and wouldn't again. It has blue undertones that I didn't notice until it contrasted with the red undertones of the bricks.


    I quite like your house the way it looks now though, and don't have experience to give a professional opinion, but I think I prefer something like woodland grey for your beautiful home.

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    In regards to the monument ‘blue tones’. This is something I am concerned with. I am worried that we would be actually introducing another colour. However, black seems so heavy. Woodland grey doesn’t really appeal to me but perhaps it is the best match and I should get a tub of that to check.
    The garage door is such a dominant part of the front of our house I’m scared to make it very dark and it sounds like you (DM Stan) have had the same issue. What colour did you end up painting the garage door? I like the monument windows, much better than cream.

    If I had the money I think I’d get a wood grain look garage door!

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    A timber door would look great as you say at a cost, I would suggest trying one of the following three colours for the door.

    I would paint the gutters, barge boards, pergola as shown and matching the tiled roof that can be seen from the street, important to take that into consideration. Windows black


  • User
    3 years ago

    Row Row, I'd prepared these before I saw siriuskey has already done something similar. At the risk of repetition, I'll post the mocks up showing dark, medium and light options - they may still be useful.


    I haven't replaced or repainted our garage door yet. I was going to paint it black until I realised that would be a mistake. We're at the same stage as you - scratching our heads, nervous about making the wrong choice. I'm even considering rendering the street frontage, to open up more options and minimise the number of colours going on. Have you considered that too?


    It looks like our homes have got similar coloured brown roof tiles. They will dictate to both of us to varying degrees. You're lucky, you're flat roof doesn't make the brown as obvious as our pitched roof - unfortunately, the pitch makes the roof color dominate. Great, isn't it; as soon as you start trying to update homes of this era, everything around the improvement suddenly needs doing as well. $$$$. All the best with your decision making :-)






  • Sam Triglone
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Here's the color scheme I went with on a house that was a similar color scheme as you can see in the before pic. I used Dune on the facscias and Woodland Grey on the gutters, the window frames themselves I spraypainted a light grey but I think Dune on the frames would have a similar effect. I chose the grey because I needed to match a new anodised sliding door that I couldn't paint and grey was the closest match.



  • Margaret Barkley
    3 years ago

    I like the lighter Dune colour in the last picture above by Sam T. It brings out the lighter colours in the bricks and doesn’t look so heavy.

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Wow thanks for all the images. It does make it clearer to picture. Dm Stan and siriuskey the garage door images make it much easier to visualise. And Sam Triglone your colour scheme works nicely in a more gentle way. My mind is now quite confused.
    I guess the good thing is, I can paint the garage and if it doesn’t work I can repaint it.
    Over the weekend I spent a bit of time driving around looking at similar brick houses to mine. I saw this one which had painted everything black (I think). It looked good. I also saw one (which I didn’t get a pic of) that painted everything in a dark grey that had a bluish undertone, which was perhaps monument. It was not so good.

  • robandlyn
    3 years ago

    I'm confused! I agree that the house in the picture painted above does look really good - but to me that certainly doesn't look like black! (could just be the way it is showing on my screen?) It looks like a dark grey with blue undertones - which is what makes it look so good, it brings out those exact colours in the bricks. If it was proper black it would look way darker even in the sunlight.

    If that house is in your area you could try leave a note in the mailbox or knock on the front door to ask the colour - most people are very obliging :)

    But colour aside - it does give you an idea of how good it looks to have everything apart from the bricks in one colour.

  • julie herbert
    3 years ago

    Yes the painted window frames are in full sun and cop the four seasons in a day Melbourne sometimes gives us, painted 6 years ago and still look great, also painted our pull down sun blinds using same paint and a roller, still look great.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Thanks, Julie. That’s mega helpful info. Can I clarify one thing? What material are the blinds? Metal roller shutters? Canvas awning?


    Apologies to Row Row for the little side convo within your thread. :-)

  • User
    3 years ago

    Row Row, top idea to go around the neighbourhood to see what colours look good on similar bricks to yours. If you see something you really like, maybe go back at different times of the day - full sun and shadow.


    I’m with robandlyn, the fascia boards above the windows don’t look black on the house you found. Balconies could be ??


    You‘ve mentioned Monument throwing blue. Are you sure it’s not Ironstone you’re thinking of? I’m only suggesting that because I’ve got Monument fences. They don’t throw blue in any light. I’ve painted window frames Monument and until I added a top coat of clear gloss they threw green, not blue. Although that may have been due to the Primrose colour I was covering. Maybe talk to someone at (say) Bunnings paint dept. They’ll be able to tell you the dominant tones in each colour.


    In the meantime tho, this may help. Here’s the 2 colours together. The RGB shows how much red, green and blue the colour has. Monument has a tiny amount more blue (51) than red and green (50). Ironstone has more blue (76).



    That medium option I sent (of the garage door) was based on Dune.


    I‘m as confused about which colour to pick as you. Perhaps we need to share a vino! :-)

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Ha ha, yeah! When I scrolled down and saw those two colours, before I read the names, I was sure that it was black on the left and monument on the right! So there you go, my understanding of these colours is way off. I think I will try and knock on the door of that house and ask them the colour.
    When I was outside it looked black all apart from some of the concrete horizontal edges. But now I look at the photo, I agree, that doesn’t look black. The balcony rails are black - definitely, I think :)

  • User
    3 years ago

    Before I get to the point of sample pots, I’m going to take a close up of our bricks, print it out and take it to the paint shop to match it with colour cards with the hope of narrowing down the possibilities. I’ll then grab a heap of each of those colour cards, stick them together to make a large sample that I can attach to (say) the gutters or fascia, and then stand back on the other side of the road to see what it really looks like. A 6x5cm sample just ain’t gonna cut it!


    When you door knock, check how long ago it was painted. The fascia board could have faded a bit. :-)

  • HU-925555113
    3 years ago

    I like the dark option in your mock ups DM Stan. And Row Row, I like the colours in the neighborhood house that you posted.

  • julie herbert
    3 years ago

    They are canvas pull down blinds, I trimmed the scalloped edging off them so they have a more modern look. Still looking great.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Thanks, Julie. That’s encouraging news. I was a bit worried that our paint selections would be restricted to a degree by the colour of our awnings. If they can handle a paint job too, that’s great. Ta!

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Hey, I saw another house that seemed to make a good job of choosing colours to work with the bricks. It looked like they had 4 colours
    Brick
    Dark grey or black (roof edge)
    Paperbark pale beige colour (garage door)
    Mushroom brown grey colour (fascia above garage)

  • Castlemaine Renos
    3 years ago

    A deep Indian Red or a charcoal gets my vote 😊

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Well, the gutters are a deep red so that would be a convenient colour scheme!

  • N T
    3 years ago

    Definitely Monument window frames.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Here‘s (a very dusty) Monument fascia on the left, Surfmist pole on the right of multi-coloured brick.




  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Very nice

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Frames are black? Fascia monument?

  • User
    3 years ago

    Yep, the fascia is monument, but it's only had one thin coat (thanks to a lazy, slap happy painter) and I think he used a flat paint, not semi gloss, plus in that pic it's got a layer of paver dust all over it - all meaning it looks different to the high gloss frame right next to it. The window frame is the manufacturer's equivalent of monument. It's a very very slightly different colour. You're right, it looks a lot darker than monument (more like black) in the pic, but it's not in real life.


    Hey, what colour is your mortar? That may help (or be a factor to consider) in your selection.


  • User
    3 years ago

    It's hard to get an accurate pic today - the weather is bluggh.


    Here's close ups of 2 different window frames - a new powder coated kitchen window, and an old window frame that's been spray painted.


    This is the manufacturer's equivalent of Monument. It looks different from top to bottom, as the light and shadow changes. The colour level with the bottom of the top brick is a pretty good representation. Hopefully, it displays the same on your screen!





    Here's what was a Primrose (stale cream) frame that's been spray painted with Dulux Metalshield Monument. The area level with the mortar is a pretty good representation.




    The tiny diff between the powder coated frame and the spray painted frame is even harder to spot when you see the bigger picture. The guys who installed the outdoor blinds told me I'd done a fantastic job of painting the kitchen window!



    My dilemma is, do we paint the trims and gutters on the rest of our place the same colour as the pergola, or go Monument, or neither?

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Wow, very nice

  • User
    3 years ago

    Thanks, Row Row. A warning tho - installing a wood fire outside makes wine evaporate very quickly!


    How are you going with your colour selections?

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Sounds great! Wood fire plus wine, that’s living :)
    I think we will choose the monument for the windows. I’ve not made any other colour choices. I’ve got a stack of colour cards so hopefully will get to it.

  • purplekristi
    3 years ago

    We have had the same dilemma with lighter multi colour bricks. We used an interior designer to help.... We painted large sheets of cardboard with colour and put them against the brick... Bought sample pots of colours as cheaper than making big mistake... Monument was recommended against our Sandstone & red/brown fleck bricks... No blue in sight. Other idea is to match a colour in your brick to draw out that colour as per the neighbourhood photo - take a brick to paint store to match. We will use red in brick as feature colour on garden walls.

  • julie herbert
    3 years ago

    Great job, looks fabulous, go with Monument, looks very stylish.

  • purplekristi
    3 years ago

    This sort of thing helped us 🌟

    How Do I... Identify my Exterior Style? · More Info


  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    Update. We ordered ‘ash black’ frames. Which looks like monument. Thanks for everyone’s help. I’ll post a picture when they’re in.

  • Row Row
    3 years ago

    New windows went in! I’m quite happy about the colour. In the end there wasn’t much choice of colours for the windows we were getting and this monument colour was the best. I now need to paint the roof beam the same colour.
    Thanks for all your help.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing the outcome, Row Row. Looks great! :-)

  • bigreader
    3 years ago

    They look good.

  • julie herbert
    3 years ago

    Gorgeous.