The power of colour
Guy Hubble, joint managing director at RegaLead, talks about the power of colour and how demand for it has driven the new Engineered Doors market opportunity.
Colour is powerful. It can impact our mood and our decisions. It helps us to recognise brands and products. It’s used for identity and style and it’s practical, helping us to differentiate things. It’s like a secret visual code that we all use, day-in, day-out without any awareness.
The world of PVC-U colour is no different. Ever since colour foiling was first introduced to the window and door market, homeowners have used it to create kerb appeal, show-off their personal style, and differentiate their homes from the other properties in their neighbourhoods.
While white is still popular in casement window styles, it’s in the premium market where colour is really dominant. Tommy Trinder’s 2024 Annual Colour Trends Survey found that more than a quarter of PVC-U windows quoted by installers feature flush sash frames. And it’s these premium, timber alternative style windows that are bucking the white trend.
The survey said that 65% of standard casement windows were quoted in smooth white, while almost 75% of PVC-U flush casements were foiled, proving that colour is a huge driver for the premium window and door market.
No wonder then that PVC-U systems companies have been leading on foiled colour ranges as a core USP and there are circa 150+ colour foil options available for windows – some common, like anthracite grey and Chartwell green – and some unique to each supplier, where they are trying to give their fabricators and installers a competitive colour advantage.
In the door market, it’s an even bigger story. Ever since the start of the composite door boom, suppliers have grown their ranges to include hundreds, if not thousands of colour combinations. And it’s still not enough. Our coatings division has supported plenty of manufacturers to install their own paint and spray booth facilities to deliver custom colours.
It’s all with good reason. Homeowners may be keen to differentiate with colour on their windows, but they are absolutely determined to make a statement with their front door. PVC-U doors just haven’t been able to keep up with this colour demand.
Foiled panels weren’t available in the right range of colours, on fast enough lead times, and low enough order quantities. Where colours were available, they were on flat, non-decorative panels – definitely not what those discerning homeowners were looking for in their grand entrance. There were other holdbacks too – colour-matched trims, astragal bars, cills and other add-ons weren’t readily available, and they didn’t have the design features that could mimic the traditional timber styling that was possible with windows.
This is exactly what has driven the Engineered Door Components range.
Fabricators and installers needed an easy route to the engineered door market, without any expensive investment in new machinery or changes to production processes. They needed low minimum orders, a large colour range available fast, and enough design options to deliver the premium, timber-alternative door product that was in the same league as the flush casements that had already proven so popular.
Our Engineered Door Components panel range includes flat, tongue and groove, and raised and fielded door panels all available in a range of thicknesses, with an ABS security core that ensures they pass the stringent requirements of PAS 24. They can be utilised to create an incredible number of door designs with options to incorporate and a selection of plant-on detailings, including Bolection mouldings for authentic timber-style.
Crucially, the panels are manufactured here in the UK, with 78 stock colours, on rapid delivery, and more than 100 special order colours, all with minimal order quantities. All panels are available as cut to size to minimise wastage.
In just 12 months of building the business in this new sector of Engineered PVC doors, we’ve seen incredible uptake. Colour has driven the creation of this new market and our range of components and glass, combined with a full marketing package, is helping the industry to take advantage of this golden opportunity.