Dulux Trade vs 'normal' paint

gou82
gou82 Posts: 10 Forumite
in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
Bit of a stupid question this but Brewers sell Dulux Trade paint, silk emulsion, for around £12.50/Litre, whereas the likes of Homebase’s Dulux silk emulsion is £8 for 2.5L. Presumably the trade version is better, but in what way? and would it make any difference to a layman like me in terms of ease of application, final result or value for money?
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Comments

  • Colour_Republic
    Colour_Republic Posts: 65 Forumite
    I'm not sure Brewers are that expensive for Dulux, granted buying in small sizes of 1L 2.5L is not cost effective when buying trade emulsion paints, most average size rooms take at least 5L.

    The trade paints are more durable than the retail although for the layman it many not be noticeable in terms of colour and quality. Where it really matters is the pigment, for a professional they would rather do 2 coats on the wall than a possible 3, so in labour terms it is always more cost effective to go for the trade paints. If you would rather save a few quid and take the possible risk of having to apply a third coat I would say buy the retail
  • gou82
    gou82 Posts: 10 Forumite
    That's what I was quoted by Brewers on Saturday, though it may have been £11.50, I can't remember exactly. It's only for one wall so 1Ltr should be enough. Given that I'm going over another colour it may be worthwhile to use the trade if it'll do it in 2 coats.
  • danielfulshaw
    danielfulshaw Posts: 178 Forumite
    I always use Dulux and I can tell the difference not just in terms of pigment but coverage is usually much better, depth of colour and it is much more durable. For instance, you can buy kitchen bathroom paint from dulux in homebase but the trade version is diamond eggshell and it is just a better more durable product and works out cheaper buying it in trade packs. A lot of the pack sizes will differ between retail and trade.
  • artha
    artha Posts: 5,254 Forumite
    gou82 wrote: »
    Bit of a stupid question this but Brewers sell Dulux Trade paint, silk emulsion, for around £12.50/Litre, whereas the likes of Homebase’s Dulux silk emulsion is £8 for 2.5L. Presumably the trade version is better, but in what way? and would it make any difference to a layman like me in terms of ease of application, final result or value for money?

    The whole trade vs retail area in paints can be a bit of a minefield and is often a marketing play on peoples perceptions. There's also an extra level of confusion introduced with products labelled professional and contract

    A good/bad paint is often a very subjective appraisal and its often a question of trying a few brands to see what suits your needs.

    Do not assume that because something is labelled "trade" that it is a high quality product. What a tradesman wants from a paint will vary and may be very different from the average DIYer. For instance some trade paints are intended to suit the tradesmans needs i.e. cheap, thinnable, fast application/drying and short term appearance enhancers.

    Some trade (in particular contract matt emulsion) are deliberately low quality(porous) but they are designed like that to do a specific job i.e. new plaster as an initial very opaque covering that allows the plaster to dry out. It covers easily and looks great until you brush against it and it burnishes or you splash it and the stain soaks in.
    Awaiting a new sig
  • Colour_Republic
    Colour_Republic Posts: 65 Forumite
    Sorry Artha, I was referring to Dulux Trade paints, not trade paints in general which as you say can be confusing.

    I always spec Dulux trade paints for my jobs as it is my personal preference. If I was forced to choose another paint because of cost I’d go for Johnstone or Laylands trade paints, which are much more in line for what you would pay for Dulux retail
  • leveller2911
    leveller2911 Posts: 8,061 Forumite
    Good question OP.I'm a joiner and use Dulux Weathershiled which has an 8yr guarantee from Brewers but if you buy the same Weathershield from homebase it only carries a 5yr guarantee.....Same tin, same writing same weathershield system......
  • artha
    artha Posts: 5,254 Forumite
    leveller2911 wrote: »
    Good question OP.I'm a joiner and use Dulux Weathershiled which has an 8yr guarantee from Brewers but if you buy the same Weathershield from homebase it only carries a 5yr guarantee.....Same tin, same writing same weathershield system......

    I'm not completely sure as I've never used them but I think there are two variants.One is trade the other is DIY but both are freely available retail but I think the 8 year one is more expensive. Weathershield is a system so the correct primer/undercoat/gloss combination is supposedly needed to get the durability
    Awaiting a new sig
  • gou82
    gou82 Posts: 10 Forumite
    I see what you mean artha... Dulux has two websites, one for 'normal' paint, another for 'trade products' which has an 'icipaints' url. Then there's a 'Trade Profesional' section to that site! Anyway, on the basis that expensiver=better and the recommendations previous posters Dulux Trade seems worth a punt to me.
  • artha
    artha Posts: 5,254 Forumite
    Colour_Republic wrote: »
    Sorry Artha, I was referring to Dulux Trade paints, not trade paints in general which as you say can be confusing.

    I always spec Dulux trade paints for my jobs as it is my personal preference. If I was forced to choose another paint because of cost I’d go for Johnstone or Laylands trade paints, which are much more in line for what you would pay for Dulux retail

    I don't have too much practical experience with actually using trade paints but my background is in the paint manufacturing industry. I would think that the brand reputation of Dulux would mean that quality is generally good and maintained. However,with the takeovers in the paint industry over the last 20 years the brand names are all that remains of many DIY/trade products.

    For many years now I've used water based gloss and undercoats for woodwork because of their non-yellowing properties, lack of smell, easy clean up,qiuck drying and exterior durability but they are difficult to apply(short wet edge) if you are a slow painter. Even professionals don't like them as the gloss and flow aren't the same as traditional gloss. Hence you don't tend to see much in the way of trade versions
    Awaiting a new sig
  • nickj_2
    nickj_2 Posts: 7,052 Forumite
    the dulux trade paints are thicker and have more pigment then the dulux diy store http://www.dulux.co.uk/advice/questions/faq/faq_005.jsp the diy stuff can be used straight from the can .

    dulux should make the difference clearer as many diyers presume that it's all the same
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