Best paint brand for interior walls?

VfM4meplse

Is there any difference between standard brands? I'm talking standard paints - Dulux, Johnstone's, B&Q etc, not Farrow & Ball. Are they much of a muchness?

I don't really understand why they are so expensive though. £40 for 5L feels like a lot of money IMO. Especially as it's rare to use the whole tin, there's always some left over, or not quite enough to complete the job - in which case you end up opening a new tin and wasting even more.

Fire_Fox

All of the walls in my city centre flat were painted in Johnstone's ?Trade emulsion by the developer fifteen years ago. The Johnstone's paint has performed massively better than the adjacent ceiling emulsion (unknown brand white).

The Johnstone's in my kitchen/ living area has withstood being washed down at least annually (sugar soap to remove diesel exhaust deposits & kitchen grime). With the same treatment the ceiling is smeary and patchy, and is a key reason the room is earmarked for full redecoration.

The Johnstone's has also had localised damage patched up without having to paint the entire wall - last time maybe five years ago - suggesting the colour had remained true.

Wilko own brand paint is supposed to be excellent too: I might be MSE and try that for the ceiling this time. The walls are getting Johnstone's again tho.

bris

I use whatever is on a deal at the time, they are all much the same.


As for tin sizes what do you expect them to do? Sell you a cup at a time until the jobs done.

Davesnave

If you have a branch of Brewers nearby, I find their own brand paint (made by Crown) very acceptable.

VfM4meplse

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Wilko own brand paint is supposed to be excellent too: I might be MSE and try that for the ceiling this time. The walls are getting Johnstone's again tho.

Strangely enough was in Wilkinson's just yesterday and I saw 2 x 2.5L tubs at clearance (£5 each). It wasn't quite the shade I wanted so I went to a Johnstone's supplier this evening and picked the exact colour match I was after from the fan. Although I have no intention of washing the walls down

VfM4meplse

bris wrote: »

As for tin sizes what do you expect them to do? Sell you a cup at a time until the jobs done.

1L tins would be handy for top-ups, especially if the paint is going to be mixed to order. But perhaps manufacturers don't agree with me.

paddy's_mum

If there is a paint recycling centre near you, there are many bargains to be had.

Fire_Fox

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Strangely enough was in Wilkinson's just yesterday and I saw 2 x 2.5L tubs at clearance (£5 each). It wasn't quite the shade I wanted so I went to a Johnstone's supplier this evening and picked the exact colour match I was after from the fan. Although I have no intention of washing the walls down

And, strangely enough, your thread reminded me to dig out a Wilko paint tester I bought recently! Definitely going to try their satinwood paint, thanks for the inspiration.

Never live on a major bus route! Deep cleaning here can feel like 'painting the Forth Bridge.' :wall: Last summer I opened my windows so much I had to sugar soap the entire kitchen-living area TWICE. :doh:

Norman_Castle

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I don't really understand why they are so expensive though. £40 for 5L feels like a lot of money IMO. Especially as it's rare to use the whole tin, there's always some left over, or not quite enough to complete the job - in which case you end up opening a new tin and wasting even more.

5 litres is the perfect size, its the size of the rooms which is wrong.

spadoosh

VfM4meplse wrote: »

1L tins would be handy for top-ups, especially if the paint is going to be mixed to order. But perhaps manufacturers don't agree with me.

You wouldnt buy a 1l tin of paint because it would cost about 3/4s the price of a 2.5l tin.

eg at B&Q 5l dulux is £23 (£4.60 per litre) where as 2.5l is £16 (£6.40 per litre). Their testers cost £1.70 (£56.67 per litre).


With regards to brands, its much over muchness, used them all, tested them all and compared them all as part of my job and id be willing to use more or less any paint on the market now. Obviously there is quality difference between them but the quality difference seem to align with the respective pricing quite well. Things like farrow and ball are more about brand than product but then people dont buy farrow and ball because they want a nice colour on their walls, they want to be able to tell their mates.

So if you buy cheaply expect the opacity to be lower requiring more coats. Expect the product to be less durable and therefore need touching up occasionally.

Theres more variability in quality when you move away from emulsions. And then there are more 'technical' paints that improve durability for set conditions (eg bathrooms).

Getting a good finish painting is 95%+ prep work.

VfM4meplse

Just to say that I bought 2.5L of Johnstone's (colour picked from the fan rather than the limited brochure choice) with a mind to buy another pot for £20 if I ran out. It was such a drastic colour change from light to dark that I found I needed to do a light coat to begin with, and then build up over several layers so it took the best part of a day. I was surprised to find a good 1/3 of the pot remains.

The only problem I had was slight over-enthusiasm with the masking tape which has left a hairline unpainted line above the skirting boards. I shall be spending a few minutes fixing it with an art paint brush now. Got the bug and the rest of my home beckons. Thanks all