Off-Black Accoya
garage doors —
York.

The brief

Our client is a Yorkshire housebuilder who'd got fed up of his previous window and door supplier and asked if we'd take on two sets of garage doors — one for his own home, where he wanted an oak cart-lodge frame he could park a tractor in, and one for a renovation he's putting back on the market. Both to the same specification, both in black, both to be fitted in a single visit.

What we specified

Full Accoya frames with insulated Tricoya panels — that's the acetylated MDF sister-product to Accoya, dimensionally stable, moisture-resistant, and paint-friendly. Vertical tongue-and-groove face to match the traditional look; 6-pane top lights on the pair sitting in the oak frame to bring daylight into the cart-lodge; solid boarded across the second pair for the renovation. Sprayed in-house in Farrow & Ball Off-Black to a factory finish. Hung on heavy black T-hinges bolted through the oak posts and brick reveals.

Why Accoya and Tricoya on a black door

Dark paint on timber is where cheap doors give themselves away — they cup, they split at the joints, and the paint film cracks within two summers. Accoya is a modified softwood that stays dimensionally stable in heat and rain, and Tricoya panels won't swell, delaminate or wick moisture the way plywood panels do. Paint on Accoya lasts roughly three times as long as paint on unmodified softwood. On a south-facing frontage in black, that's the difference between refinishing every three years and refinishing every decade.

Ironmongery & security

Coastal Bow-back door handles in black, matching the T-hinges. Full multi-point locking with hook bolts top and bottom, concealed steel dead bolts at head and threshold, and an anti-snap Euro cylinder. Internal beading on the top-light glazing means the panes can't be lifted out from outside. Configuration is PAS 24-compliant — useful on the renovation resale where the buyer's surveyor will want to see it, and future-proof on the client's own home if he later builds attached accommodation.

"Loved them — asked us on the day to come back and measure up for two gates."

Trade, architect & developer work

We regularly supply architects, builders, developers and self-builders across Yorkshire on a supply-only or supply-and-fit basis. Everything to PAS 24:2016 for new-build and Approved Document Q where required, with NBS-ready specifications available for tender. If you've had enough of chasing your current window and door supplier, or you want a spec that actually holds up on a black finish, get in touch — we survey free and quote on a fixed price.