Foils, the low-maintenance route
A foil is a coloured or textured surface bonded to the frame. There are eleven to choose from, and five of them give a genuine woodgrain texture rather than a flat sheen: Golden Oak, Irish Oak, Rosewood, Cream and Crystal White. On a period house those five are the ones that read as timber from the pavement.
Because a foil is a surface finish rather than a paint film, looking after it is washing it down. There is nothing to repaint every few years the way a timber sash needs, which is the practical reason most people move away from paint in the first place.
Grey, and why it took over
Anthracite grey has become the default for a reason. It suits red brick, buff brick and render equally, it flatters a modern extension and a Victorian frontage alike, and it dates far more slowly than the strong colours that come and go. If you want a contemporary look without gambling on a trend, grey is the safe and popular choice.
It is far from the only one. The point of a made-to-measure window is that the colour is a decision, not a default.
Any RAL or Farrow & Ball
Beyond the foils, a frame can be sprayed to any classic RAL shade or matched to a Farrow & Ball colour. That covers heritage greens and off-whites for a conservation frontage as readily as a bold front-door shade, so the windows can be tied to the rest of the elevation rather than fighting it.
If you have a colour in mind, tell us the RAL number or the Farrow & Ball name and it is matched to that reference rather than guessed at.
A different colour inside and out
Dual colour lets the outside and the inside differ. A heritage shade can face the street while a lighter tone or white faces the room, which is useful when the exterior needs to suit the street but the interior needs to suit your decoration.
The hardware is a choice too. Fasteners, sash lifts and inset finger pulls come in eight finishes, from chrome and satin to antique gold, so the details you touch every day can match or contrast the frame.
Colour, glass, hardware and bar layout are all specified together, which is what stops a window looking like a compromise between what you wanted and what was in stock.
Questions we get asked
Which uPVC colours look most like real timber?
Five of the eleven foils give a realistic woodgrain texture: Golden Oak, Irish Oak, Rosewood, Cream and Crystal White. These read as timber on a period elevation far more convincingly than a flat colour.
Can I have a different colour inside and out?
Yes. Dual colour is available, so a heritage shade can face the street while white or a lighter tone faces the room.
Can you match a Farrow & Ball or RAL colour?
Yes. A frame can be sprayed to any classic RAL shade or matched to a Farrow & Ball colour, worked from the reference you give us rather than approximated.
Do the coloured foils fade?
A foil is a bonded surface finish made to hold its colour, not a paint film that flakes, and it is covered by the ten year warranty. Washing it down is the only upkeep it needs.
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Talk to us about your windows
Send a photograph of the front of the property and roughly how many windows are involved, or your schedule of sizes for a supply-only order, and we will tell you what is realistic before anyone comes out.
Call 0800 861 1450, message us on WhatsApp, or email info@sashwindowfactory.co.uk.