Colorbond Roof Colours for a Red Brick House (2026)
The best Colorbond roof colours for a red brick house are Woodland Grey, Basalt, Monument and Ironstone for a classic dark contrast, Wallaby or Jasper for a warm tonal look, and Shale Grey or Dune if you want a cooler roof in Queensland sun. Woodland Grey is the safest all-rounder because its green-grey undertone sits comfortably beside warm brick. Pick the colour against your actual bricks, then check the heat figure for the exact roof paint, not the steel swatch.
We're R&R Restorations. We recoat tile and metal roofs in the colour you choose across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan, the Tweed and the Northern Rivers, and we fix the roof before the colour goes on.
In summary
- Classic look: Woodland Grey, Basalt, Monument or Ironstone. Dark roofs frame red brick and end the "orange on orange" look of a faded old roof.
- Softer, warmer look: Wallaby, Jasper or Dune pick up the brown in the brick instead of fighting it.
- Coolest roof that still suits red brick: Shale Grey or Dune. In BlueScope's data they absorb 0.44 and 0.48 of the sun's energy, against 0.70 to 0.73 for the dark greys.
- The trap: in a standard roof coating, the same dark colour names can absorb far more. One major range lists Monument at 0.91, against 0.73 for factory Colorbond steel.
- The order that works: brick first, trims second, roof samples outside third, heat data fourth.
What colour roof goes best with red brick?
A dark grey with a warm or green undertone goes best with most red brick, and Woodland Grey is the easiest win. Red brick is a strong, warm colour. A roof that is darker and calmer than the brick lets the brick be the feature, which is why charcoal and dark grey roofs dominate red brick forum threads and design guides.
The catch is that "grey" covers a lot of ground. A cool, blue-leaning grey can make warm brick look flat. A grey with a little green or brown in it looks like it belongs. Here is the shortlist we'd start with, with the heat figures that matter in South East Queensland.
| Colour | What it looks like next to red brick | Best with | Factory Colorbond steel (SA) | Same name in a Dulux Acratex roof coating (SA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Grey | Dark grey with a green undertone. Calm and classic | Almost any red brick, especially orange-red | 0.70 | 0.88 |
| Basalt | Mid to dark grey. Crisp and modern | Darker red and blended brick | 0.67 | 0.88 |
| Monument | Deep charcoal. Strongest contrast | Deep red, burgundy and clinker brick | 0.73 | 0.91 |
| Ironstone | Dark charcoal grey, a touch softer than Monument | Brick with brown or purple tones, timber trims | 0.73 | 0.89 |
| Wallaby | Warm mid grey-brown | Orange-red brick, cream mortar | 0.64 | not listed |
| Jasper | Earthy dark brown | A tonal, traditional look on red brick | 0.67 | not listed |
| Shale Grey | Light warm grey | Heat-conscious owners; dark red brick | 0.44 | 0.59 |
| Dune | Warm neutral with blush tones | Heat-conscious owners; brick with brown tones | 0.48 | not listed |
| Pale Eucalypt | Soft sage green | Garden settings; the "green undertone" look | 0.60 | 0.78 |
| Manor Red | Heritage red | Only where you want red on red, done deliberately | 0.70 | 0.67 |
Sources: factory figures from BlueScope's Colorbond colours and finishes data (thermal values published 23 August 2022, nominal values for new steel in Classic finish). Coating figures from the Dulux Acratex roofing colour selection, checked 28 October 2026. "Not listed" means that colour had no published figure on the page.
Solar absorptance (SA) is the share of the sun's energy a surface soaks up as heat, from 0 (none) to 1 (all of it). Lower is cooler.
Our wider guide to Colorbond roof colours covers the full range of 22 colours. This page is only about what works with red brick.
Should a roof be lighter or darker than red brick?
For looks, a roof slightly darker than red brick is the classic choice; for heat, a lighter roof wins. Most red brick sits in the middle of the light-to-dark scale, so a dark roof reads as a frame and a light roof reads as a contrast in the other direction.
Light roofs on red brick split opinion. Some owners love a pale Surfmist roof; others find it looks unfinished, because the brick ends up as the darkest thing on the house. The middle path is a mid grey. Shale Grey and Dune give you a roof that is clearly grey, not white, while absorbing far less heat than Woodland Grey or Monument.
A quick way to choose:
- You care most about the look and your house is well insulated: go dark (Woodland Grey, Monument, Basalt).
- You have hot bedrooms under the roof and patchy insulation: go mid (Shale Grey, Dune).
- You want a darker look without the full heat penalty: go dark, but ask for a heat-reflective version of that colour and its published SA figure.
How do you match a roof colour to your brick's undertone?
Look at what the red leans towards: orange, brown or purple. Then pick a roof that shares that warmth or calmly contrasts with it. Get this right and the kerb appeal follows. Bricks marketed as "red" can be anything from salmon orange to near-burgundy, and the undertone decides which greys work.
Stand at the kerb in daylight and hold a sheet of white printer paper flat against the brick. The white gives your eye a neutral reference, so you can see whether the red leans orange, brown or purple. Then use this table.
| Your brick looks... | Roof colours to sample first | Usually skip |
|---|---|---|
| Orange-red or salmon | Woodland Grey, Wallaby, Dune | Cool blue-greys, which can make the brick look brassy |
| Brown-red | Ironstone, Jasper, Woodland Grey | Very pale roofs, which can look washed out |
| Deep red, burgundy or purple (clinker) | Monument, Basalt, Shale Grey | Warm browns, which can turn the house muddy |
| A blend of several reds | Woodland Grey, Basalt | Strong single-tone colours such as Manor Red |
Two more things change the answer more than people expect.
- Mortar colour. Cream mortar makes the whole wall read warmer, so warm greys and Wallaby sit better. Grey mortar cools the wall and suits Basalt and Monument.
- Everything you're not repainting. Gutters, fascia, window frames and the garage door all sit between the brick and the roof. If they're staying Surfmist or Classic Cream, your roof sample needs to look right next to those as well as the brick.
How much hotter is a dark roof on a Queensland house?
A lot hotter at the surface. BlueScope's thermal performance bulletin TB-39 (May 2023) says a light-coloured roof's surface can run up to 35°C cooler than a dark one in hot, sunny weather. That's surface temperature, not your lounge room, but in Gold Coast and Brisbane summers it can show up in the rooms under the roof.
Here is what most red brick owners miss. The heat figures you see on a Colorbond swatch are for factory-finished Colorbond steel. BlueScope builds its Thermatech solar-reflective technology into every core colour except Night Sky (TB-39). When you recoat an existing roof, the paint is a different product that happens to share the colour name. In the Dulux Acratex figures above, the standard coatings in Monument, Woodland Grey, Basalt and Ironstone absorb 0.88 to 0.91 of the sun's energy. That's close to nine-tenths. The same names on new steel sit at 0.67 to 0.73.
The lighter options narrow that gap. Shale Grey is 0.59 in the coating and Surfmist is 0.36, so moving from Woodland Grey to Shale Grey on a recoat cuts the absorbed energy by roughly a third.
So if you love Monument against your red brick, you don't have to give it up. Ask which product is being quoted, and whether a heat-reflective version of your colour is available with its own SA figure. Our guide to heat reflective roof paint explains how to compare them.
Can you paint a tiled roof on a red brick house a Colorbond colour?
Yes, if the tiles are concrete and sound. Major roof coating ranges offer Colorbond colour names, and Dulux says its Acratex roofing colours are available for metal, concrete and terracotta roofs. You get the look of a new Colorbond roof without replacing a single sheet or tile.
Terracotta is different. A lot of red brick homes still wear their original terracotta tiles, and terracotta holds its colour in the fired clay. Sometimes the right answer is a clean, new pointing and broken tile replacement, with no paint at all. A colour change on terracotta needs its own assessment, and we'll tell you honestly whether coating your tiles makes sense. Read more in our guide to repainting roof tiles.
If you're thinking of tearing the tiles off for new Colorbond sheets, that is a re-roof. We don't re-roof, but the colour advice on this page applies either way.
How we recoat a roof on a red brick house
We fix the roof first, then apply a three-coat colour system in the colour you choose. A new colour over cracked tiles, crumbling ridge pointing or rusty screws looks good for a season and then lets you down, so we don't paint a roof we haven't prepared.
- Clean. We clean the whole roof, with the method matched to the roof material and its condition. That removes the dirt, moss and lichen and shows the faults.
- Repair. Broken tiles are replaced and ridge caps are rebedded and repointed. On metal roofs we treat rust and replace failed screws.
- Prime and paint. The roof is primed, then finished with a three-coat colour system in your chosen colour.
That order is what makes an old roof look new, not just freshly painted. Rodney Petersen put it simply in his Google review on 22 April 2024 (spelling tidied):
"Alex from R&R Restorations … gave me the best price of all the quotes, he turned up on time and did an awesome job, turned my old rusty roof to look brand new. Thanks Alex, will definitely be recommending you."
And Julie, on 20 October 2026: "They did a phenomenal job bringing our tired roof back to life, including fully cleaning it and completely repointing the ridge caps."
See the full scope on our roof painting service page.
How much does it cost to change the roof colour?
On our published guide, a tiled roof restoration typically runs from about $6,500 to $9,500 for a medium home and $9,000 to $13,000 for a larger roof. A metal or Colorbond roof restoration usually sits between $5,000 and $12,000. Roof painting is quoted as part of the roof restoration, because the cleaning and repairs are what make the colour last.
The colour you pick doesn't set the price on its own. Roof size, pitch and height, the condition of the tiles, ridge caps or sheets, and access do. If you want a heat-reflective product, ask for it to be named in the quote with any price difference. Our roof painting cost guide breaks the factors down.
Is R&R Restorations right for you?
We're a good fit if you have a sound but tired tile or metal roof on a brick home and you want it repaired and recoated in a colour that suits the house. We're owner-operated by Alex Rowe (QBCC Licence No. 15404087), we work across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan, Tweed Heads and the Northern Rivers, and every quote is itemised so you can compare it line by line.
We're not the right call if:
- you want brand-new Colorbond sheets in place of your tiles or old metal. That's a re-roof, and we don't offer it.
- your metal roof has rusted through across most of its area. A new colour won't save it, and we'll say so at the assessment instead of painting over it.
- you only want colour advice for a house outside our service area. The tables above still work for you; take them to a local roofer.
Pick R&R if you want a roof that looks right with your red brick from the street and is sound underneath, so you get the house you're proud of without paying for a new roof.
FAQ
Does a black roof go with red brick?
Yes, visually. Night Sky and Monument give red brick a sharp, classic contrast. Night Sky has the highest SA in the core Colorbond range, 0.95 on new steel (BlueScope, 2022). In Queensland, Monument or Woodland Grey give a similar look with less heat.
Is Woodland Grey or Monument better with red brick?
Woodland Grey suits more red bricks because its green undertone works with warm, orange-leaning reds. Monument is better with deep red, burgundy and clinker brick, where you want stronger contrast.
Does Shale Grey look good with red brick?
Yes, especially on darker red brick. It gives a lighter, modern look and absorbs 0.44 of the sun's energy on new steel, against 0.70 for Woodland Grey (BlueScope, 2022). On orange brick, compare it beside Dune before deciding.
Should a roof match red brick?
Usually not exactly. A red roof on red brick can look like one block of colour. Most red brick houses look better when the roof is calmer and darker than the brick, or a soft warm grey.
Can I change my roof from terracotta red to grey?
Concrete tiles can be recoated in a grey once they're cleaned and repaired. Terracotta tiles need their own assessment, because the original fired colour is often worth keeping and not every terracotta tile suits a coating.
How do I test roof colours against my brick?
Get physical samples of the roof coating, not printouts. Hold them against the brick outside in morning, midday and late-afternoon light, next to the gutters and fascia you're keeping. Look from the street, where you'll see the roof every day. BlueScope's online visualiser helps narrow the list, and check any estate or body corporate colour rules before you commit.
Get your red brick house a roof that suits it
Send us your suburb, a couple of photos taken from the ground and the two colours you're torn between. We'll check the roof, tell you what it needs before any colour goes on, and quote the work line by line. Call us on 0422 630 075 or start with our roof painting service.