Grey cladding: how to choose your door

Will you match, complement, or contrast your door with your cladding?

Cladding is having something of a moment and grey is the new black don’t you know? Whether you’re allowing your cladding to grey over time or going for a ready-made option, choosing a front door shouldn’t be a chore. Grey is neutral, like black and white, which means it’s a blank canvas and works with almost everything. If you’re ready to narrow your options down, consider the frontage of your home in terms of the following:

Window colour – will you match or contrast your window and door choices?
Roof colour – this is another opportunity to match, complement or contrast.
Different finishes – is there brick, zinc or render on your property? Picking one of these features and matching your door to it works well.
Home style – is it contemporary or are you adding a modern extension to a traditional house? The front door could tie the two elements together for example.
Door location – is your door set within the cladding or elsewhere?

Ideas to try

Go the opposite way of the cladding on your front door or vice versa.
Choose a bold colour for your door.
Consider metallic finishes, even if there are no other such finishes on the exterior of your home.
Match the front door to your windows but opt for a lighter or darker tone to give your door individuality.
Choose a timber that’s different from your cladding. All woods look great with grey cladding but specifically, iroko and fumed oak are excellent choices.

If you decide to match the door to your cladding by using the same timber, be aware that a front door won't weather at the same rate as cladding. The rate and extent of weathering will depend on whether the door is protected by a canopy, whether it’s north or south-facing, and whether the timber is horizontal or vertical.

A great example of the impact you can create by matching door and cladding.

The iroko cladding works beautifully with the fumed oak front and garage doors.

Technical considerations

Consider fitting your door frame flush with the cladding on your property. This creates a seamless look and is very elegant. Bear in mind that flush doors do need an overhang.
Consider cladding your front door with a thermally treated wood, which might be the same as your cladding. We offer a Raw door that can be clad on site (and features a painted RAL colour on the inside).
If you want your door to sit flush with the cladding and for the door grooves to line up with the cladding grooves, make sure this has been thought through and drawn in DWG before your door is ordered.

Free moodboard design service

Great design is one of the foundations of Urban Front and we understand that visualising choices can help with the decision-making process. We offer a free moodboard service to help bring your ideas to life, which can include photoshopping our door onto your CGI or coloured render, if available. A moodboard is a quick way to bring your design ideas to life and check whether they will work. Or give us a call if you prefer to discuss your project. We’re keen to help! 01494 778787.