Paint matching
Why RAL colour names change between languages and shops
RAL numbers stay fixed while the names get translated, shortened and reused by shops. Why the four digits are what to quote, plus a checklist for ordering.
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Colour notes
Practical notes around the chart: paint counters, powder coaters, spray cans, front doors and the screens that lie about all of them. Newest first.
Workshop notes
Which primer colour to use under a RAL topcoat
Primer shade decides how many topcoats you need and whether a yellow or red ever looks right. How to pick white, light, mid or dark grey under a RAL colour.
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Colour at home
Grey and olive RAL shades for sheds and outbuildings
Six quiet greys and greens that sit well in a garden, how foliage, brick and sky shift them, and how to test a shed colour before you paint it.
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Doors, windows and railings
Choosing a garage door colour that suits the house
Match the windows or contrast on purpose, test a big card outside, and check the door maker's RAL list before you commit to a garage door colour.
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Spray and restoration
Luminous RAL colours and why screens cannot show them
The five luminous RAL Classic shades glow because their pigments turn invisible light into colour. Here is why no screen can show them and how to paint them.
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Doors, windows and railings
Spray painting metal railings in a RAL colour
A practical guide to repainting steel railings in a RAL colour: weather, rust removal, degreasing, masking, primer, spray or brush, coats and paint quantities.
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Screens, print and codes
RAL, NCS and Pantone: which colour system to use when
RAL, NCS and Pantone describe colour in different ways for different trades. Here is what each one is good at and why conversions are only ever nearest matches.
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Screens, print and codes
How to read and use a RAL fan deck
What the strips in a RAL Classic fan deck tell you, how to hold one against a wall or a part, and how to store it so the colours stay worth trusting.
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Spray and restoration
Choosing a colour for a vintage bike frame restoration
Old bike frames wore their makers' own colours, not RAL. How to find the original shade, pick a RAL number a coater can use, and handle fluorescents and decals.
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Powder coating
Powder coating gloss levels, from matt to high gloss
How powder coating gloss is measured, what matt, satin and gloss mean in gloss units, how sheen changes a RAL colour, and what to tell a coater before they quote.
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Doors, windows and railings
RAL 7016 anthracite grey on windows and doors
Why RAL 7016 anthracite grey ended up on so many window frames and doors, how it behaves in daylight, what it pairs with and when a neighbouring grey suits better.
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Paint matching
Matching a RAL number at the paint counter
What happens when you ask a paint shop for a RAL number: tinting machines, bases, product types and gloss, plus how much to order so it all comes from one batch.
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