Colorbond Dune has been a mainstay in the range for many years and is still an extremely popular choice. I really like to use it for a number of reasons which I will tell you below. If you're considering a new roof or are building a new home, this may be one of the colours from their light range that you have considered. It's a popular colour for paint too. Let me show you how to use it here.
Colorbond Dune has been used as the paint on the weatherboards above and partnered with Colorbond Woodland Grey.
The light colours in the Colorbond range
The following are the light colours available through Colorbond. Depending upon the pitch of the roof and the time of day, it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart. Often you can only be sure of which colour it is by looking at the gutters.
- Surfmist – a classic white with a slight creamy undertone. You should opt for the matt finish if you prefer your whites to be slightly more grey.
- Shale Grey – an all time favourite, this is a cool silver grey which is also very neutral. The best option for replicating the look of a zinc roof if you don't want to use that product.
- Dune – another all time favourite, but in contrast to Shale Grey, this is a warm grey. More about this below!
- Windspray – starting to get a little darker, but still in the lighter grouping, Windspray is a gorgeous grey which sometimes reads blue and sometimes more green.
- Classic Cream – this is a very creamy yellow that is perfect to use for Heritage homes.
- Paperbark – this is a warm sandstone colour that works well on traditional and classic homes.
- Evening Haze – with its subtle green undertone, this is a great neutral for a classic look home.
Surfmist, Dune and Windspray are also all in the Colorbond Ultra range for use in harsh environmental conditions, for example within close proximity to breaking surf.
The underlying colour of Colorbond Dune
So, Colorbond Dune is a warm grey as opposed to its counterpart, Shale Grey which is cool. Dune has a pinkish/brown tone which I feel is closer to a greige than a true grey. Often people baulk when I say that it has pink undertones but this is just the warmth of the grey showing through and actually makes it a very soft and approachable grey to use on your home exterior.
Luke and Jasmin on The Block 2020 used Colorbond Dune for their roof and gutters and then used it in a paint finish for the trim.
Which colours does it work with?
As it has these undertones, it is perfect to use with other greige tones. Those browns that are on the cusp of being grey are the ones that look great with a light Colorbond Dune roof. These are the classic neutrals that stay on trend for long periods and create a very classic looking home. Dune is very similar to Dulux Calf Skin which has been a perennial favourite of mine.
Related: What is Greige? Find out how to use it in your home
Dune also works well with white but ensure that you partner it with a warmer white like Dulux White Exchange Half rather than a cooler blue based white. Very sharp whites like Taubmans Crisp White will also go well with Dune.
I love to see Dune with natural sandstone hues or reclaimed bricks, which are the perfect complement.
In terms of other Colorbond colours, Dune works really well with Surfmist and Wallaby. I also like to use it with Woodland Grey and it can be used with Monument, which pretty much goes with everything!
Dune is available as a matt finish
Colorbond has a small range of their colours in a gorgeous new matt finish and Dune is one of them. I prefer Dune in the matt finish as it becomes more of a grey than a brown. Kyal and Kara used it on one of their recent homes, below.
Using Colorbond Dune as paint
You can match any of the Colorbond colours to paint and Dune is a really great exterior colour. It certainly does have that pink undertone but this makes it a lovely soft tone which contrasts well with Surfmist and goes really well with other exterior brown tones.
Shown in the image above, partnered with Surfmist and Colorbond Wallaby on horizontal boards, roof and gutter.
Related: Using Surfmist as a trim colour
I like to use Colorbond Dune on weatherboards too as you get the nice shadow line to break up the paint colour.
You will notice that on all of these images, Dune can look quite different, which is a salutary lesson in not taking at face value colours that you see and love on the internet. I always recommend that when you are interested in a paint colour, particularly for an exterior, that you paint a large board with two coats of the colour and then hold it up next to your house. You should view it at different times of the day and in different locations, to ensure you love it.
You should also be able to view large sheets of Colorbond at a roofing supplier which should help in selecting the right one for your home.
You may also be interested in How to select roofs, gutters & facias.
If you are building a new home or renovating an existing one, you should check out my FREE Resource Library which has comprehensive checklists and e-books to help you with your project. You can download them for FREE here.
Hi Samantha, I am looking at using dune for my render. Would this combination work:
Window, roof & gutters – ironstone
Fascia – dune
Weatherboard – surfmist
render – dune
Front door & garage door – cedar
Hi Elisabeth Ironstone works well with Dune but I think I would consider having the facia in Surfmist as your eaves will no doubt be white? This will simplify the scheme a bit. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha. I have a Jasper roof/gutters/facia and was thinking of painting my house Dune. Would this be too bland? I do have a portico that I could do differently to add pop or could paint the front door something to add interest. I’m a little lost and don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off.
Hi Sam I couldn’t say for sure without seeing your house but Jasper and Dune do work together as they have the same base. It could be that you need either a dark tone for the Portico or find somewhere to include some white to give the house some freshness and contrast? Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha would dune work for the trim on a clinker brick house. Also would it pair with basalt. I’m looking for a lighter color for the trim as the front of the house doesn’t get a lot of light.
Hi Daniel you can use these two Colorbond colours together but you also need to consider your window colour and how much of the trim you will be painting – will it work with the windows etc? Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha,
I love scrolling through your fabulous website on how to make every house “beautiful”. Keep up the lovely posts!
We`re looking at having a Monument roof; we already have black windows and are thinking a dark timber grain colour garage door. What colours do you suggest for render on house, gutters and front door? We also have two 800 x 200mm posts at the front door, not sure whether to paint in a render colour or crazy pave these. We have already purchased pale grey outdoor tiles 600 x 600mm to match indoor that will flow to the outside pergola area.
Your expert advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Andrea glad you’re enjoying the posts! There are so many options to go with Monument and Black and the colour scheme will depend so much on whether you want a light or dark house, how much sunlight the house receives, how large it is etc. A light colour will make the house look bigger and define the black windows, while a dark colour will blend more with the black trim and make the house appear smaller. Stone on the posts could work well and this would need to tie in with your grey tiles so perhaps this could be a good starting point for you? Good luck Samantha
hi Samantha like your bit on Dune. I have a cottage green roof and eucalyptus wall exterior which makes my house look very green. painting walls dune would compliment the green roof?
Hi Donna Yes, this should work but also think about the trim colour – it may also be nice to add some fresh white to this look too. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha, I’ve had a rethink of my colours, as it wasn’t quite sitting right after reading some of your information.
Roof, gutters – ironstone
Fascia, veranda posts – surfmist
Windows – pearl white
Weather board- surfmist
Render – dune
Front door & garage – cedar
The front of the house is in the shade.
Will the surfmist and dune be much of a contrast? Or will it all be a blended grey?
Thanks
Liz
Hi Samantha. We desperately need your help please! We have a small fishing shack in North Queensland (Aus) which has been fully renovated inside following a flood two years ago. We are now working on the outside. The house has been rendered and painted in Dune…. the fascia boards we have painted in Bassalt…. eaves are painted white…. new windows are white. We have installed an aluminium slat system for privacy on the front verandah (merbau timber look)… it is all looking amazing so far! The front concrete patio is our concern (the ex tenant took it upon himself to paint it in various shapes and shades of green, red, yellow, blue white ????. Due to $$$$’s we have decided not to completely re-finish the patio using other methods and are just going to paint the existing concrete patio but have NO idea which colour to use. Your help and advice would be amazing please!??? Many thanks!
Hi Sharon The scheme all sounds great and I can see why you would want to cover up the shades of green, red, yellow and blue white! I think that given your location you need something that is light to reflect the heat. Usually I would suggest Basalt as this is a great neutral paving colour, however I think I would paint it something close to a white – possibly Surfmist. Not Dune as it would be too much with the walls. Hope this helps Samantha
Thank you SO MUCH Samantha!! And yes, our tenant was definitely a massive worry with a paintbrush in his hand ??…. you should have seen what he did to our newly painted interior (which we painted JUST prior to him moving in – took 6 weeks of our holidays to refurbish before he came here…. should not have bothered ??) Yes I have been pushing hubby’s comfort zone to paint the patio Basalt as I think it would look amazing and ‘current’ but I was also definitely worried about the dark colour with the heat up here – your insight and thought of our situation is amazing and greatly appreciated, so thank you! We are planning to paint the current ‘Colorbond Cottage Green’ tin roof with Surfmist (I bought the paint just yesterday… before I had seen your reply just now) so Surfmist on the patio will work an absolute treat! I can not thank you enough!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
Hi,
I’m hoping you can help. We are putting up a small office shed with double doors and windows in white aluminium and Dune paint on the walls ( our house is dune with ironstone on the roof ) We are undecided about using Surfmist or Woodland Grey on the roof and down pipe of the shed ( only two choices the company gives within the price range) We will look down from our balcony onto the office shed and it is only 3.2m x 2.6m . One of us thinks the woodland grey may be too dark being so small . The other thinks it is a good contrast. You can’t see the house roof from that side or where the shed is. Would appreciate your advice.
Hi Gail I tend to think that the Surfmist would suit the shed – keeps it light and bright. Just be sure that where you look down on it that it won’t produce too much glare and consider your climate too as Surfmist is great in hot conditions but Woodland Grey will be better in a cooler climate. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha your article on the use of Dune is excellent. We have rendered our townhouse in Dune with Steel windows in Monument and window frame mouldings in Charmed White. We were thinking of painting the front brick fence in Dune also but the renderer said to use a darker colour to hide any dripping stains over time. We will be having sliding gates in Monument also so I think it would be too much to have the whole fence in Monument too. Could you kindly offer your advice as to which colour would match as we are finding it too difficult to decide? Thanks Sue
Hi Sue I think that it would be too much to have the whole brick wall in Monument and it is best to use this just as an accent. Dulux Champignon works with Dune and is darker – perhaps try a sample of that? Hope this helps Samantha
Hi, love your blog. We are looking at Dune for the exterior paint for our rendered house and with surfmist trim. We have a terracotta tiled roof though and are just not sure if this will work? House is 2 story so the roof is not so dominant.
Hi Peter I think this should work. You need to consider the gutters and fascia – if these are Surfmist, it removes more of the terracotta from the house. You can also consider a dark Monument gutter which really does make a break between the roof and the walls but I couldn’t say for sure if this would work on your house without seeing it. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha. I also love your blog and would love to know what colours would you suggest to use on our farm house,
we have decided to colour bond our exterior has well as replace our roof with a new colour bond roof. The house is
on a dirt road so its a very dusty road, I was thinking in the Grey Tones I would appreciate your ideas.
Thankyou Maria
Hi Maria You would find my How to select a roof colour interesting as I run through all the undertones of the Colorbond colours which should help you to choose the right grey to suit your look. https://www.makingyourhomebeautiful.com/how-to-select-roofs-gutters-and-facias/ Good luck Samantha
Hi Samantha, I love your blog. We have a coastal house in Victoria, which currently has a browned toned tiled roof. I have planned the color scheme around Dune. I had the brick render painted bushland grey, with grey pebble gutter and have a Dune colored garage door. The main interior white is Whisper White. We are looking to build a big shed up the back of our house, which will be colorbond and probably change the roof tiles to colorbond to maintain continuity. What color scheme do you think ? Would Wallaby walls, Dune roof and gutter. Surfmist fascia work ? Would love to change some of the house windows to aluminum so this is a consideration too ? ?
Hi Allison I love Dulux Bushland Grey as an exterior colour and it goes well with Grey Pebble and Dune. Colorbond Wallaby is definitely a colour that you can introduce with Dune and Surfmist. Good luck Samantha
This is fantastic. I’ve just come around to the colour dune and am thinking about using it for gutters and fascia. I wonder if you could tell me your thoughts.
Blonde brick house
Windows are anodic grey silver
Original concrete tile roof which is brownish in colour
I am thinking about using dune for the gutters and fascia and surf most for the eaves.
Hi Tracey I couldn’t say for sure without seeing your house but it sounds as though Dune will be right as you have brown toned roof tiles and Surfmist should work for the eaves. Good luck Samantha
Hi Samantha
I love your blog it’s so informative.
I wonder if you can help.
We are building a house with austral brick Blackbutt and was thinking to use dune as a render on the pillar and weatherboard as well, pair with Caoba garage door. We have monument window and gutters with surfmist fascia.
Was tossing between dune and surfmist for weatherboards. Any suggestion? Perhaps different colours selection?
Thanks in advance
Mel
Hi Mel I like Colorbond Dune with Austral Blackbutt bricks if you want a softer look or Surfmist if you want a crisper look. Difficult to say for sure but you need to consider that you have chosen a Surfmist fascia and at the moment you don’t have this anywhere else. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha, we’re building a house in Jindalee. The original colour selection was colorbond surfmist roof, gutter and fascia and, for a very high contrast, Dulux diorite walls and Dulux mexican-standoff timber posts to front veranda and front door.
Since surfmist roof tin was not available we had to change to ‘dune’ colour.
What do you think about those strong contrasting colours for walls and timbers?
Thank you in advance for your opinion.
Regards,
Ben
Hi Ben The colours you have chosen are very fresh and bright and are not usually colours I would use on an exterior. Having said that it depends very much on the style of the house as will the colour for the roof as it depends on the style of it and how much you see of it as part of the overall scheme. You might be better off looking at Colorbond Shale Grey as an alternative to go with these colours. Very difficult to say without seeing the style and design of the home though. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Sam, we have a Dune colourbond roof, gutter and facia…. We’re planning on painting our rendered and cladded exterior all white and would love your top picks. Loving your website and inspiration ❤️❤️ We have timber posts and grey exterior tiles on our front & rear verandahs. All window frames are white with white plantation shutters.
Hi Kylee you could go with something like Grey Pebble Quarter or half with Dune as they have the same undertone. Try out a large sample first though to check you like it and that it is the right tonal level. Good luck Samantha
Hi Samantha. Really enjoying reading your beautiful insights on colorbond exteriors. We are building a large, loft-type, shed house in a bush setting. Keen to use Dune colorbond walls. Wanting a low solar absorptance roof colour. Was hoping to avoid Surfmist from a dirt perspective. This left us with Shale Grey. My concern is a clashing between the pinker Dune & cooler Shale. Thinking of Woodland or Monument for windows. Also will have redwood pillars for balcony, matching surrounding angophoras. Could really use your help. Thoughts on Dune with Shale Grey? Many thanks, Amy
Hi Amy I like to use either Dune or Shale Grey – I don’t use them together. There is no reason that your roof and walls shouldn’t be the same and you could add a trim with the gutters to match your windows. Woodland Grey works really well with Dune. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha, I am looking at using dune for my roof and Gutters. Please would this combination work well.
Roof & gutters – Bune
Render and Windora– Surfmist
Bricks- Urban One
Really appreciate your feedback.
Thank you????????
Hi Mariam Dune and Surfmist work really well together so I am sure this will look great. Good luck with it all Samantha
Hi Samantha,
We’re considering painting our roof, gutters and fascia wind spray and walls dune. Our windows are Caulfield green. We have timber verandah posts and handrails with stainless steel wire.
Do you think this would work?
Thank-you,
Belinda.
Hi Belinda I don’t recommend using Windspray and Dune together. Windspray has a green/blue undertone which doesn’t work with the warmer pinkish tones of Dune. Perhaps the more neutral Shale Grey might be worth looking at? Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha,
As always, another very helpful article. We are renovating a mediterranean/spanish/greek house and tossing up between shale grey, dune and basalt. Do you think one or other is better for that era of house? If we go with Dune we are thinking of White Beach Quarter for the walls.
Hi Annabel I think Dune could work. You traditionally think of these houses with terracotta roofs so it is going to look different but I think that the grey of Basalt or Shale Grey would be too harsh so the softer tones of Dune sounds like it could work. Samantha
Hi Samantha,
I hope you are well. You assisted us with colour selection when we built in Woy Woy a couple of years ago.
Could you please kindly assist me with choosing the right colours for the exterior of our new house? Would you recommend the dune colour for the cladding?
Roof tiles: cool smoke
Facade Brick: dark and stormy
Mortal: joint off-white
Facia/gutter: monument?
Window frames: white
Front door: natural clear stain
Garage door: monument?
Water tank: dune
Cladding: dune
Thank you.
Melinda
Hi Melinda Colorbond Dune is a nice choice for external walls and will work with Monument and white. Difficult to say for sure without seeing plans and looking properly at the roof and bricks. If you would like a colour consultation I do these online if that would help? https://www.makingyourhomebeautiful.com/e-consulting/ Thanks Samantha
Hi Samantha,
Just looking for some advice on a colour to paint our exterior render. We have a Dune roof and gutter and surfmist fascia. Our windows are powdercoated in ‘textura white’. We are trying to achieve a mediterranean style.
Thankyou
Hi Maddi For a Mediterranean style you should look at either a soft white like Dulux Natural White or a warm neutral like Dulux Vintage Beige. If you need more specific help for your project I have an online consultation service https://www.makingyourhomebeautiful.com/e-consulting/ Cheers Samantha