Yes. The aluminium parts of a flood barrier can be powder coated to any RAL colour, so a barrier can be finished to match your garage door, front door, gates or window frames.
In practice the rails are usually the part that gets powder coated. They are permanently fixed and permanently on show, so coating them is what changes how the barrier looks day to day. Panels can absolutely be colour matched as well, and we are happy to do it, but it is less common. Panels slot in and out of the rail system every time the barrier is deployed, and that movement against the rails can scratch a coated surface over time. If the panels will be stored and deployed regularly, coating the rails alone is usually the more practical choice.
This guide covers how to find the RAL reference for your existing doors, what the coating process involves, and the finish details worth getting right first time.
Colour matching at a glance
You do not have to choose between protection and appearance
You have spent money on anthracite grey windows, a matching composite front door and a set of powder coated gates. The idea of bolting bare aluminium across the front of that is enough to make people put the whole thing off.
Two things make that concern smaller than it looks.
First, a demountable barrier is only deployed for a handful of days a year at most. For the rest of the time the opening is clear.
Second, the part that does stay in place is slim, and it can be finished in a colour that already exists on the building. Fitted properly and coated to match, most people stop noticing the rails.
In our experience of surveying and installing since 2012, appearance comes up repeatedly as a reason households delay, particularly for measures on the front of a property. It is a solvable problem.
What a RAL colour is
RAL is the colour standard used across the European window, door, garage door, gate and architectural metalwork industry. It started in 1927 with a set of forty colours defined by a German standards committee, and the four digit numbering used today was settled around 1940.
The first digit tells you the family:
- 1xxx yellow
- 2xxx orange
- 3xxx red
- 4xxx violet
- 5xxx blue
- 6xxx green
- 7xxx grey
- 8xxx brown
- 9xxx white and black
RAL Classic, the collection most manufacturers work from, contains just over two hundred standard shades.
In practice a handful of references dominate UK residential work:
- RAL 7016 anthracite grey, by far the most requested finish on windows, doors and garage doors
- RAL 9010 pure white and RAL 9016 traffic white for rendered and painted frontages
- RAL 9005 jet black for traditional ironwork and gates
- RAL 6009 fir green and RAL 6005 moss green for heritage and rural properties
- RAL 8017 chocolate brown and RAL 8019 grey brown for timber effect schemes
If your garage door or windows were made in the UK or Europe in the last twenty years, there is almost certainly a RAL reference behind them.
Finding the RAL number for your flood barriers
Three routes, in order of reliability.
- The original order paperwork or quotation. Window, door and garage door orders almost always record the RAL number, because the manufacturer needed it to make the thing.
- Ask the manufacturer or installer. Most keep records against an address or an order number and will tell you over the phone.
- Match from a physical sample. If the paperwork is long gone, a small sample or an offcut can be matched against a RAL fan deck.
If you cannot find a reference at all, send us a photograph anyway as a starting point and we will talk through the likely candidates. Most properties land on one of the six or seven references above.
What can and cannot be matched
A barrier is an assembly of several materials, and they do not all behave the same way. Being specific about this up front avoids disappointment at delivery.
Aluminium components: any RAL colour
These are the parts that matter visually, and they can be coated to any RAL colour:
- The side rails, which are the permanently fixed and therefore permanently visible part
- The removable panels
- Packers for side rails, these add depth where needed for side rails
- Post covers
Because the rails are what stays in place year round, coating them delivers most of the visual benefit on its own. Some households do exactly that and leave the panels in standard finish, on the basis that nobody sees the panels except during a flood. It is a sensible way to keep the cost down.
Fixings and hardware
Fixings and hardware are not powder coated, because they are moving parts and a coating would wear off in service.
How powder coating works, and why it lasts
Powder coating is not paint. A dry powder is applied electrostatically to the aluminium and then cured in an oven, where it flows and cross links into a hard, continuous film bonded to the metal.
It is far more durable than wet paint on an exterior component. It resists chipping, it never needs repainting, and it holds its colour well for many years.
Getting the finish details right
Details to decide when you ask for a quote
Specify the colour when you order
Coating happens during manufacture, before the barrier is assembled and before the seals are fitted. A change of colour after the components have been made means new parts, with the associated cost and lead time.
Get the gloss level right
The same RAL number in matt, satin and gloss looks noticeably different. Most modern UK windows and doors are a matt or low sheen finish, and a high gloss barrier next to matt anthracite doors will not read as a match even with an identical RAL reference.
Tell us the sheen as well as the number.
Listed buildings and conservation areas
For a listed building, or a property in a conservation area, appearance moves from preference to consent.
Local authorities generally take the view that permanent installations or alterations to a listed building will require Listed Building Consent, while removable or light touch measures are more likely to be supported, assessed case by case. Heritage guidance emphasises retaining features that contribute to the significance of the building, and using materials and details that are compatible with it. Measures that do not involve removing or altering historic fabric are viewed most favourably.
This is one of the strongest arguments for a demountable barrier on a heritage property:
- The permanently visible element is limited to slim rails
- Those rails can be coated to match surrounding stone, brick or joinery
- The barrier itself is absent for all but a few days a year
- Nothing needs removing from the historic fabric
Practical advice for heritage properties:
- Speak to the conservation officer at your local authority before you specify anything. It is free and it prevents wasted applications.
- Take a proposal that shows the rails and the proposed finish, not just a product brochure.
- Be prepared to discuss fixing methods, because how the rails attach to historic fabric matters as much as their colour.
Our article on building a wall as a flood defence covers the permissions side in more detail for permanent structures.
Looking after a coated finish
Very little upkeep is needed.
- Wash the rails down a couple of times a year with warm water and a mild detergent, more often in coastal or heavily polluted locations. This is the single biggest factor in how a coating looks after ten years.
- Avoid solvents, abrasive pads and pressure washing at close range, all of which can damage the film.
- Keep the rail channels clear of grit and leaves. That is mainly about deployment, but a clean channel is also one that is not holding moisture against the coating.
Key takeaways
- Aluminium flood barrier components, including the permanently visible side rails, can be powder coated to any RAL colour.
- Seals and fixings stay uncoated, because compression performance matter more than colour.
- RAL 7016 anthracite grey is the most requested finish, matching the most common colour of UK windows, doors and garage doors.
- Find the RAL reference from the original order paperwork or the manufacturer.
- Colour must be specified at the point of order, because coating happens during manufacture.
- Ask about gloss level as well as RAL number. The same colour in gloss and matt will not read as a match.
- Listed buildings and conservation areas need an early conversation with the conservation officer, and removable measures are generally viewed more favourably.
Next step
If you have the RAL reference for your doors or gates, send it with your enquiry and we will quote the barrier in that finish from the start. If you do not, send a photograph and tell us roughly what you are matching, and we will work it out with you. Get in touch and we will talk through the options for your property.