White uPVC is cheapest and yellows slowly. Coloured and woodgrain finishes are foils laminated onto the board, not paint, and a good foil holds its colour for decades. Dark colours get appreciably hotter, so the board specification matters more. Match the roofline to the windows rather than to the roof.
- Coloured roofline is a laminated foil, not paint. Quality of the foil is what decides fade.
- Dark colours run hotter and expand more. Fixing and expansion allowance matter more.
- Match the windows, not the tiles. The eye reads the openings and the roofline together.
- Guttering does not have to match the fascia, and often looks better when it does not.
Foils, not paint
The first thing worth understanding is how coloured uPVC roofline is actually made, because it explains almost everything about how it performs.
A white board is white all the way through. A coloured or woodgrain board is a white board with a decorative foil laminated onto the visible faces under heat and pressure. It is not painted and it is not a surface coating that can be touched up.
What follows from that:
Quality of the foil decides everything. A good foil from a reputable manufacturer holds colour for decades and carries a meaningful guarantee. A cheap one fades, particularly on south-facing elevations, and once it has faded there is nothing to be done short of replacement.
Cut ends show white. Where a board is cut on site, the core is exposed. Good installers use matching end caps, cover trims and colour-matched cut-end sealers. A job with white cut ends showing at every corner was done quickly.
Screws and fixings should match. Colour-matched pins and caps exist and cost very little. White screws down a black fascia is the clearest sign of a rushed installation.
You cannot repaint it later. Painting uPVC is possible with the right preparation and specialist paint, and it is a maintenance commitment rather than a solution. Choose the colour you want to live with.
Dark foils absorb more heat, which matters for expansion. More on that below.
When comparing quotes, the foil manufacturer and the guarantee length are more informative than the colour name. Two black fascias can be very different products at a similar price.
The common finishes
| Finish | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| White | Standard, bright, cheapest | Yellows slowly with UV; easiest to match later |
| Anthracite grey | Contemporary, matches grey windows | Currently the most requested; runs hot |
| Black ash | Dark with a woodgrain texture | Softer than flat black; hides dirt well |
| Rosewood | Deep red-brown woodgrain | Traditional; common on older estates |
| Golden oak | Light brown woodgrain | Warmer; dates more noticeably |
| Cream | Softer than white | Suits render and period properties |
| Grey woodgrain | Grey with texture | Middle ground; less stark than anthracite |
| Black | Flat, strong contrast | Shows dust and pollen more than black ash |
Anthracite has been the dominant choice for some years, largely because grey windows became standard on new build and refurbishment. That is worth knowing both ways: it reads as current now, and a strongly fashionable colour is the one most likely to read as dated later. White does not have that problem.
Dark colours and heat
A practical consideration that rarely comes up at the quoting stage and should.
Dark surfaces absorb more solar radiation. A black or anthracite fascia on a south-facing elevation reaches a considerably higher temperature than a white one in the same position, and uPVC expands as it warms.
That has consequences:
More thermal movement. Longer boards move more, so expansion gaps at joints and trims matter more than they do in white. A dark board fitted tight on a cold day will distort or push its joints apart in summer.
Fixing matters more. Fixings have to allow movement rather than pin the board rigidly, which means the right fasteners in the right positions, not simply more screws.
Board quality matters more. Better-grade boards with higher heat resistance handle it; the thinnest budget boards can bow visibly on a hot south elevation.
Guttering too. A long run of dark gutter expands noticeably, and the expansion gap at each union has to be set correctly or the joints open in winter and push apart in summer.
None of this makes dark roofline a bad choice — it is fitted on vast numbers of houses and performs well. It does mean that the cheapest quote for a black fascia is a worse bet than the cheapest quote for a white one, because the margin for poor materials and rushed fitting is smaller.
What to match
- Match the windows first. The eye reads the openings and the roofline together as the 'trim' of the house. Anthracite roofline with white windows looks unresolved; anthracite with anthracite windows looks deliberate. This is the single most useful rule.
- Then the doors, including the garage door if it is prominent.
- Consider the render or brick, not to match but to contrast sensibly. Dark roofline against white render is a strong, current look. Dark roofline against dark brick can disappear.
- Do not try to match the roof tiles. Tiles weather and vary, and a near-match looks like a failed match. Contrast is better.
- Look at the street. On a terrace or a uniform estate, roofline is read across several houses at once, and one house in a markedly different colour stands out more than the owner expects.
- Check for any restriction. Conservation areas, Article 4 directions and estate covenants can all control roofline colour, and new-build estates frequently have conditions requiring a particular finish.
- Think about the gutter separately. Black guttering against a white fascia is a traditional and attractive combination, and it is often better than matching both.
That last point is worth expanding. There is no requirement for gutter and fascia to match, and on many houses they historically did not — a painted timber fascia with black cast iron guttering is the classic arrangement. Black half-round gutter on a white fascia reads as deliberate and period-appropriate on an older house, where all-white can look flat.
Keeping it looking right
uPVC roofline is low maintenance rather than no maintenance, and a small amount of attention keeps it looking new for far longer.
Wash it. Once or twice a year with warm water and a mild detergent. Most of what makes roofline look tired is atmospheric grime and algae rather than degradation of the material itself, and it comes off.
Avoid abrasives and solvents. Scouring pads, cream cleaners and solvent-based products scratch the surface or damage a foil, and a scratched foil cannot be repaired. Soft cloth or sponge only.
Be careful with pressure washers. They can force water behind boards and into the roof space, and at close range they will damage a foil. Low pressure at a distance, or not at all.
Deal with algae growth early, particularly on north-facing soffits where it takes hold. A proprietary uPVC cleaner handles it.
Clear the gutters, because overflow running down a fascia leaves streaks that are much harder to remove than ordinary dirt.
Expect white to yellow slowly. It is UV and it is gradual, and it is more noticeable where one section has been replaced beside older boards — a reason to do a whole elevation rather than patch.
Restorer products exist for faded white uPVC and can improve appearance for a time. They are a cosmetic measure, not a repair.
What it costs
These are the roofline figures published across this site:
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full uPVC fascia, soffit & guttering (semi) | £1,000–£1,500 | Supply & fit |
| Per elevation (fascia + gutter) | £400–£700 | Front or rear |
| Labour | ~£30/hr | Qualified roofline fitter |
| Gutter clean & reseal | £80–£200 | Clears blockages, stops overflow |
Coloured and woodgrain finishes typically cost somewhat more than white, both in material and because the installation needs matching trims, caps and fixings to look right. The difference is modest against the access cost, so it is a poor thing to economise on if you want a particular colour.
Match the windows rather than the tiles, and ask who makes the foil. Those two decide whether it still looks right in fifteen years.
Frequently asked questions
Is coloured uPVC roofline painted?
No. It is a decorative foil laminated onto a white board under heat and pressure. That is why the quality of the foil decides how well it holds colour, why cut ends show white unless properly capped, and why you cannot touch it up if it fades.
Does anthracite roofline fade?
A good foil from a reputable manufacturer holds its colour for decades and carries a meaningful guarantee. A cheap foil fades, particularly on south-facing elevations, and there is no remedy short of replacement. Ask who makes the foil and what the guarantee covers.
Do dark fascias get hot?
Appreciably hotter than white on a south-facing elevation, and uPVC expands as it warms. That makes expansion gaps, correct fixings and board quality matter more than they do with white. Dark roofline performs well, but a cheap dark installation has less margin for error.
Should my fascias match my windows or my roof?
The windows. The eye reads the openings and the roofline together as the trim of the house, so anthracite roofline with white windows looks unresolved. Do not try to match the tiles — they weather and vary, so a near-match reads as a failed match.
Should the guttering match the fascia?
It does not have to, and often looks better when it does not. Black guttering against a white fascia is the classic arrangement on older houses, echoing painted timber with cast iron, and it reads as deliberate where all-white can look flat.
How do I clean uPVC roofline?
Warm water and a mild detergent with a soft cloth, once or twice a year. Avoid scouring pads, cream cleaners and solvents, which scratch the surface or damage a foil permanently. Be cautious with pressure washers — they force water behind boards and can damage the finish.
Match the windows, check the foil
Two decisions that determine whether the roofline still looks right in fifteen years. We will show you the actual board before you choose.