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Design Dilemma
emmelinewe

From where do you buy your paint?

Emmeline Westin
9 years ago
Many discussions on Houzz are about choosing the right paint colour for a specific room in your home. Some of you Houzzers are true paint experts and have the shades down to a tee!

Is there a specific paint company you favour?

Kingston upon Thames, Surrey · More Info
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    Kitchen Republic
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago
    Without any doubt our top 2 suppliers are 'Little Greene' and 'Mylands', Mainly Little Greene for emulsions, especially their Intelligent Matt range as it is by far the most robust washable paint that we have ever tested, yet still has a low sheen value of 5%. If you want that chalky finish that Farrow & Ball are know for, then their 'Traditional Matt' range is on par with a 2% sheen value.

    As a side note and giving a balanced view, whilst we almost exclusively use Little Greene for emulsions, we rarely use the colour 'Shirting' which is their version of 'White'. For some unknown reason it is their only colour which suffers from poor coverage.

    Mylands produce one of the best water-based Eggshells in their 'Wood & Metal' range and again we've tested many through our sister decorating company which has been in the business for 18 years now, where we have seen a lot of changes in the industry since new VOC regulations came in to force in 2010.

    We choose our suppliers based on quality of product, after service, availability and most importantly, consistent results. Little Greene and Mylands are the only 2 brands we can recommend on this basis and over the years, we've tried most. There are other lesser known brands such as Tikkurila, Classidur, Keim, Bedec, which are also fantastic paints but are specialist paints which are not always easy to get hold of by the general public.

    Whilst Farrow & Ball are by far the most well known brand within the 'Designer' market, sadly we have been let down by their technical department time and again where they refuse to ever admit fault with their products.. Their was a time around 3 years ago when many kitchen painters were having issues with their eggshells, yet despite many painters over the UK complaining of the same issue, F&B refused to acknowledge there was a problem with their products. Unfortunately from that point on we have never been able to recommend their products.

    Another consideration with F&B is that they will often state that the correct process of applying their walls paints is to start with their colour matched wall primer, This stage is often missed out by specifiers, often down to cost, if you do use F&B then it is worth factoring this extra coat in your plans.

    I should add that I'm never a fan of mixing one brands colours in to another brands paint, it is never a 100% match, even if you can successfully match the colour, it is unlikely you can get an exact sheen match and as such will often present it self as a different colour in a different light for obvious reasons.

    • Comments (54)

    • hillary59
      9 years ago
      Dont pass over some of the more well known companies who also have Special ranges with paints that can compete with the above. I love Crowns "Fashion for Walls " paint in Double Denim . Its an enchanting midnight blue with a matt chalky fish and a depth of pigment which gives a lovely backdrop atmosphere and is very durable. It would be effective in a period or modern setting.
      It is a surprisingly superior mix and a cut above other household ranges .It applies well.Several other interesting shades.. I tried a match pot first.
    • Sarah Alcroft
      9 years ago
      Little Greene - such good quality and lovely finish

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    • Andrew Millar
      9 years ago
      B&q pure brilliant does the job for me. Not interested in all that fancy overpriced nonsense, what a con.
    • emmsly
      9 years ago
      Little Greene is fab, not only does it have all the finish and quality benefits already discussed, it also has a handy grouping of colours by period. If your property is from a particular period and you want to stay true to the colours from that period, the colour card has a quick reference to what colours are suited to different periods.
    • G Arnold
      9 years ago
      KitchenRepublic... Great answer... Out of curiosity what do you use for a white emulsion? Our house is white from top to bottom... We went will dulux brilliant white matt emulsion... But it marks quite badly, looking for something that can handle day to day light traffic and is wipeable with good coverage/opacity... Any thoughts?

      PS i can second Mylands for wood & metal, great paint... Flows well and is tough!
    • PRO
      Hampshire Design Consultancy Ltd.
      9 years ago
      Mylands, I wouldn't use F&Ball again I do not find it lasts well. You will love Mylands. I can supply it, incidentally. Also I use little Green Paint. But I am still a big fan of Dulux you can have any colour mixed to match whatever you like. http://www.mylands.co.uk/ideasandadvice/gallery
    • spicey80
      9 years ago
      Interesting reading. I am currently sourcing a large amount of paint for a complete renovation. I'm nervous about F&B as I've heard mixed reviews, certainly considering Little Greene. Does anyone have any experience of the more 'high street' brands such as B&Q's New Valspar range?
    • atalantah
      9 years ago
      Dulux Diamond - I live in a 16th century house and have completely renovated it using the more expensive Dulux Diamond range, which even though it's very expensive it is really worth it. I only go to the Dulux Decorator Centre, 22 Gower Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex - It's the only place I like to buy paint from and I especially value Neil there as he really knows his stuff :)
    • hazza26
      9 years ago
      Ha ha I looked at your house when I was house hunting in late 2013!
    • jamesanddeirdre
      9 years ago
      As a landlord I do a lot of painting. Farrow and Ball do lovely colours but they mark easily and can't be touched up. I find the paint from DIY stores too thick to work with quickly, my first choice is always Dulux trade paint, usually pure brilliant white but they can match any colours. Professional painters and decorators have recommended Crown trade but that is not available locally so I haven't tried it.
    • PRO
      Kitchen Republic
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      @Gary - With regards to alternative white paints, there is no straight simple answer as it depends on the requirements. As a few examples...

      - If we want a tough washable white matt finish, then we still use LG 'Shirting', however we will often base out the walls in a cheaper more economical paint first. Our favorite for this is Glidden's Trade Matt (Which is now re-branded as Amstead in the UK after a recent change of ownership), then apply 2 coats of LG Intelligent matt. (Should note that Glidden's/Amstead is also the paint we use for priming new plaster or as a base coat for strong colour changes). Yes it is extra cost in labour and far from ideal but we still want the tough finish.

      - If washability is not so much of a factor or we are painting a ceiling for example, then we use Mylands Marble matt in Pure White which has brilliant coverage.

      In your case where the walls are already white, I would suggest touching up the marks with any white emulsion (the left over Dulux if you still have it), then apply 2 full coats of LG Intelligent.

      These days almost all paint brands offer a tough washable paint... Dulux Diamond Matt, Crown Clean Extreme, Johnstones Endura, Johnstones Durable, Albany Durable, Mylands Marble Matt the list goes on....However almost all of them have a flaw in one area or another, either with a plastic type finish with Dulux Diamond or others which aren't quite as tough as they make out and suffer from 'polishing' of the surface which shows where it's been washed.

      Of course many will see the high cost of 'Designer' paints and assume you are paying for a 'Name' and in some cases you can be. We believe that isn't the case with Little Greene where the extra expense is worth paying for.

      When it comes to decorating, labour is almost always the most expensive element, so as professionals we want to be in and out with the minimum of fuss and leave the client with paint finish that will last many years. Many cheap DIY shed paints have issues with opacity where 3 coats are needed as opposed to the standard 2, others such as some Dulux emulsions can react to plastics and form lumps in the paint. Why Dulux choose to sell their paints in plastic containers is anyones guess! and the problem is compounded when most paints are poured in to plastic skuttles/trays/kettles before applying to the walls. So any small saving made by purchasing cheap paints becomes insignificant with the extra cost involved with applying extra coats or stopping to pick hard lumps off the walls when rolling.

      Of course if washability isn't a major factor to you then most brands will do a standard vinyl matt, Crown and Johnstones being maybe the favorites with professional decorators, offering a good balance between cost and quality. But even then buyer beware! Tinting machines can be funny old beasts, you can buy the same 'colour' from 2 different stores and have them turn out as 2 completely different colours when applied. Furthermore the colour can change in the same store from week to week depending on when the machine was calibrated, so ensure you buy enough paint to complete your project rather than buying as and when you need it.

      Many of the 'Designer' Brands such as LG, F&B, Zoffany, Designers Guild, Paint & Paint Library... Make their paints in large batches with quality controls in place to ensure the colour is the same from tin to tin, month to month.

      As explained earlier, one of the most important aspects to us is consistent results. We want the paint to behave exactly as expected, colours to be the same every time and we want to know it will last whilst looking beautiful. If we have to pay an extra £30-£40 per room to achieve that, then to us it's a no brainer!

      Sorry I could bore you all day long with the benefits of one brand over another, I'll stop now!
    • PRO
      Hampshire Design Consultancy Ltd.
      9 years ago
      We are designers so use trade, buy direct and supply we don't 'stock' because we are are not 'hight street retail' but can get you paint but only if it's worth the while ie large quantity, through our very good contacts or as part of our design and completion service. Albany aren't too bad but very limited colour range. F&B have reputation for colours but plenty of others are as good. We also rate Crown paints for some jobs and B&Q stock them
    • PRO
      Kitchen Republic
      9 years ago
      @atalantah I wonder if it's the same Neil who used to be the manager of the Brighton store? If it is then yes he's a great guy who looked after us for many years. It was a shame we stopped using Dulux products as he was maybe the best store manager we've ever come across.
    • PRO
      Seasons in Colour
      9 years ago
      Fantastic responses from Kitchen Republic, so nice to see the Pros sharing knowledge. Well done
    • PRO
      Seasons in Colour
      9 years ago
      As an amateur decorator - 2 properties redone - I have done the mistake of going for the very cheap stuff (2 for £40 by Dulux for brilliant white) and as a result not even 3 coats were enough!

      A friend on Twitter recommended I just move on from paint tins that have fluffy dogs on them (ahem!) to Trade paint.

      I have also found that going solo in B&Q is daunting and the staff are not Extremelly knowledgable. So you may leave with more than you need or far less or not the right staff. I now use London Decorators Merchants who stock Farrow and Ball and can mix any colour of Little Greene and Dulux. I have used Little Greene on exterior wood only (very durable, see shed photo) and also used Dulux Trade, Leyland Trade and Farrow & Ball for interior walls.


      Leyland Super Leytex for ceilings was very reliable with one coat immediately after new plaster.

      Farrow & Ball especially in dark colours (mole's breath, railings) leaves marks the moment a chair touches the wall... In my new office room I had books stuck against the wall on the table and can see lines left on the wall already. I haven't used the room for more than a month...

      Maybe if you give some more info on your project (eg is it a period property?) the Pros in here can help more?

      Good luck with your project!
      Www.seasonsincolour.com
    • G Arnold
      9 years ago
      @kitchenrepublic... Thanks for a really detailed response, most appreciated. I will be giving LG Shirting a try when i redo one of the bedrooms as durability is my number 1 requirement, followed by matt/low sheen... Thanks again.
    • PRO
      Kitchen Republic
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      No problem Gary, although I forgot to mention that if you receive advice you find helpful then the deal is you come back later and let us all know how you got on. Also not forgetting to post pictures, as let's be honest, it's the pictures we're all here for!
    • PRO
      FORTH DECORATING
      9 years ago
      Ceilings in brilliant white with bright daylight or lighting is easily the hardest coating to get perfect. After using many make,s who claim to be faultless, specifically when going around many spotlights, I find that Crown trade vinyl matt brilliant white is best.
    • Dawn Harry
      9 years ago
      Beti Biggs Cardiff Annie Sloane's Chalk paint, use the black wax she also does to distress and age a piece, fabulous for creating individual pieces of furniture.
      Can paint on any surface... ...even fabric!
      I used it to distress this sofa and paint the olive green on the contrasting wall.
    • Sam Tarry
      9 years ago
      Valspar paint is AMAZING one coat is all you need , goes on so smoothly to a chalky Matt finish , and they have thousands of colours , the tester pots are really generous too .
    • minnie101
      9 years ago
      Dawn Harry. Hi. Did you just paint the sofa frame or the fabric too? I've painted the fabric on a similar sofa and am unsure whether to sand it to try and give it back a fabric feel. I don't want to sand only to have to repaint again! I don't want to wax it as i think it ends up looking like leather which wouldn't suit a french sofa. Do you also know if you can repaint fabric with chalk paint and how to do it? Basically I painted mine with a colour i had already (was bored one day!) that does not match the bedroom. My husband now however loves the sofa ( I was going to move it to another room) and wants it to stay but I'm not happy with the colour. There's not too much online about painting fabric so I wondered if you had experience
    • thedman
      8 years ago
      Little Greene Intelligent Matt Emulsion. Expensive but well worth it!
      Sikkens BL for trim. Lovely!
    • Jonathan
      8 years ago
      buy the one your painter wants to use- having happy trades makes life sooo much easier.
    • PRO
      FORTH DECORATING
      8 years ago
      Well said. I had a client paying for my team to decorate her house buy me B&Q value white ?? POINTLESS.
    • PRO
      Fifi De Lyon
      8 years ago
      valspar, little green, ray munn Fulham http://www.raymunn.co.uk or Helen reed designs for Farrow and ball http://www.helenreeddesigns.com
    • PRO
      Hampshire Design Consultancy Ltd.
      8 years ago
      Mylands Paint ! lower sheen than Others, harder wearing, lovely palette, can have custom colours mixed. We are very particular on performance and colour and finish, so for this reason look at Mylands first.
    • Sophia
      7 years ago
      My complete house is Farrow and Ball, but when doing my kitchen refurb decided I wanted to try something different after F&B was also NOT recommended by my builder. So went to Mylands. Lucky enough that the manufacturing works is close by.

      I'm very impressed. The quality/ richness of the paint is much better than F&B, and they have some great colours, deep pigmentation and low sheen. You can also get bespoke. I'm now sold on them and will most definitely use again.
    • PRO
      User
      7 years ago

      I've been trying to carry out the same sort of survey / poll and would be grateful if all could complete that:- [Dulux Yey or Ney[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/discussions/dulux-paint-wish-i-could-use-emoticons-to-show-and-angry-face-dsvw-vd~4102942?n=6)

    • Daisy England
      7 years ago
      Johnstones without a doubt. I'm aware F&B gets lots of recommendations on here but I don't like it. It's a chalky paint and is only good used for specific things.

      Johnstones have a wide range of colours and do colour match and mix too. It's the best paint I've ever used and I've also touched up and it hasn't shown the new application of paint like Dulux and Crown do.
    • Sandra Marshall
      7 years ago

      I like johnstones paint. I like Crown trade and Valspar trade. Paint is cheap, even expensive paint is cheap. I have learnt to buy the best available. Having said that, my all time favourite paint is Homebase Soothing White, which is actually a warm pale bluesy grey,

    • Louise Williamson
      7 years ago

      We have just used Johnstones for the first time and were really impressed. Great coverage and their colour mixing is fab. We got a Farrow and Ball colour mixed up for half the price and it is an exact match.

    • PRO
      Cara Design
      7 years ago

      It depends what surface you are treating.

      My experience has been through Trade avenues and used Sikkens, Sadolin, Permoglaze and Keim Mineral paints for many years achieveing lasting results.

      My colleagues who have more experinec with the likes of Farrow and Ball find their opacity (covering power) poor for what you pay.

      The key to success is preparation of course!

      Happy to answer any specific questions.

    • Lor Mac
      7 years ago

      I would agree with the Johnstones recommendations. Love it, their matt finish especially. I have painted two children's rooms and my kitchen and will use it again. It can be bought reasonably in two for one deals.

    • catalanqueen
      6 years ago

      Valspar have a great range and the quality is very good. The shop I use now in Barcelona is Elias, near where I live, they are very knowledgeable and will get you any paint you want and mix any colour from just a swatch of fabric.

    • Toria J
      6 years ago

      I live in a rural location, so my choice of paint suppliers is rather limited and for small jobs, paying for delivery just isn't worth it.

      In the last year, I've bought paint from Argos (Johnstones), B&M (Johnstones and Dulux) and Screwfix (their trade range).

      I would prefer to buy local but their prices were double that of the above and couldn't justify it. They also don't have a website specifying what they sell - I do a lot of my shopping online.

    • sam irwin
      6 years ago
      Just painted most of the downstairs in johnstones paint as this is what my painter recommended. He said it’s great paint to work with. He did all my skirting and doors too in Johnstones. Delighted with the results
    • Sam Potter
      6 years ago
      This is a fascinating discussion, albeit a bit confusing. What's the best paint for an amateur to slap on their walls? I just did my kitchen ceiling with wickes trade matt emulsion and that went on OK . I can't afford a decorator so is there any point in me buying posh paint? I'm particularly wary of the dark walls I'm planning for the living room as I made a mess of painting a dark wall in my last house. I just couldn't get it even. Each extra roller stroke showed up against the bits that had less strokes and when I tried to paint over the joins I just created more uneven patches.
    • catalanqueen
      6 years ago

      It can be personal choice but a painter and decorator once told me that rule of thumb is never scrimp on the paint. The better the quality the better, if that makes sense? Buy cheap, buy twice.

    • PRO
      Fifi De Lyon
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      Catalanqueen I have to disagree. Bought Farrow & Ball flat matt and it has been a disaster for one of our jobs whereas the mat finish paint from Dulux easy care was superb. Price has nothing to do with the end result..... Same with decorators. Some take £500 a day and their work is average..............................

    • Toria J
      6 years ago

      I've heard, more than once, of decorators refusing to work with F&B.

    • catalanqueen
      6 years ago

      I stand corrected. Personally I don't like f&b paint. Maybe I was advised incorrectly ‍♀️

    • PRO
      Hampshire Design Consultancy Ltd.
      6 years ago

      Mylands is one of the best used in the TV and film industry, lower sheen than F&B, harder wearing, thicker paint, can mix any colours, or choose from their own range - but get a tester, as it behaves different in different lights due to the more natural lower sheen colours - can come in any surface appropriate paint, inside/outside.

    • catalanqueen
      6 years ago

      Ooooh thanks will keep that brand in mind

    • Juliet Docherty
      6 years ago

      I would just add that whilst mixing to match a colour works out ok sometimes, it doesn't work exactly. I wouldn't risk trying to colour match unless there was a margin for error that I wasn't bothered about. Little Greene and Paint and Paper Library are the best in my opinion.

    • PRO
      Roger Connolly
      4 years ago

      Does anyone else have the problem of the decorator complaining about F & B quality of paint? Apparently it is filled out with chalk which is what is used in poor quality paints.

      The customers love it and choose a colour then I have grief from the decorator about using it, every time, not just occasionally.

    • PRO
      FORTH DECORATING
      4 years ago

      This is an old post.
      Paint has changed and keeps changing.
      The only paint I now use for white ceilings is AR2 by Tikkurila a game changer! No flashing and touches up perfectly.
      Tikkurila has a huge range of special paints and customer service is the best I’ve ever experienced.

    • PRO
      Roger Connolly
      4 years ago

      I know it’s old but F&B is everywhere to be seen on here and this showed up as unanswered. This is now a new post. Thank you for your comment.

    • dianahartaboyne
      4 years ago

      Mylands.

    • anitabenita
      4 years ago

      Mylands. You always regret your economies. I've repainted this kitchen 4X over the years, and last time was in Dulux which wore so poorly. Just custom mixed a new vibrant duck egg to paint my kitchen in marble matt walls, eggshell woodwork, and floor paint. Mylands matched impeccably. It was a dream of coverage, and looks spectacular. The quality of the pigment shows, looks the money, nothing like synthetic mediocre pigments in cheaper paint. It's a big improvement.

    • E D
      4 years ago

      I often get my paints through eBay.

      Can take long before you find what you need, but bargains can be had. :-)


      This 5 litre tin cost me all of £2

      Then again, doesn’t look like I’m ever going to use it, haha.

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