What is trade paint?

Trade paint is a higher-quality paint made for professional painters and decorators. Trade paints have many benefits over DIY paints as professionals require a better quality, durable and require a better standard of paint for their customers.

Trade paint is available to all. Our store and customer service teams love helping DIY customers as much as they enjoy helping professionals.

What is retail paint?

Retail paint is commercial paint designed with DIY customers in mind and is sold at high street, commercial outlets and DIY stores. Retail paint is of a lower quality than trade paint and on the surface, often appears to be the cheaper option.

Why should I buy trade paint?

Trade paint has many benefits over retail paint, including:

Coverage

Trade paint always provides better coverage than retail paint and even after thinning, trade paint will still cover more surface area than retail paint will. For example, where a Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt covers upto 17m per litre, the retail equivalent Dulux Vinyl Matt only covers 10-12m per litre.

Higher Opacity

Trade paint offers higher opacity with richer colour pigmentation than retail paint. This means a superior ability to hide the surface that you are painting, be that the colour you are painting over or the surface you are painting itself which means fewer coats are needed.

Durability

Trade paint is more durable than retail paint thanks to its higher quality formula designed not to yellow or fade over time and to withstand higher levels of wear and tear. This means it lasts longer and it can be wiped clean without compromising the finish. If you wipe a retail paint clean, you will remove the paint very easily whereas with a trade paint, you can gently wipe stains or marks off without damaging the finish or colour. Some trade paints even offer a specific durable range that can be scrubbed repeatedly without damage.

Easier to Apply

Trade paint is easier to apply than retail paint thanks to its advanced formula that ensures optimum performance and finish. Professional decorators need their paint to perform to a consistently high standard which is why they use trade paint. Retail paints will often drag when applying which results in a poor finish. They also can’t be thinned as much as trade paint can, meaning they don’t go as far.

Better Value

Trade paint is high quality, uses less coats, and has a more durable, longer-lasting finish – meaning it’s better value in the long term.

Colour Mixing

If you buy trade paint you can have almost any colour you like mixed to order. You can match a colour from fabric, wallpaper, pretty much anything and have your chosen colour mixed to order. Check out our colour mixing service

Firstly, we would like to thank you all for your continued custom over the last 12 months and we wish you all a fantastic Christmas and a happy new year from all at

Christmas opening hours

We close for the holidays on Monday 23rd December at 12pm,

So our last day for paint deliveries will be Friday 20th December.

We do not open again until Tuesday the 2nd January 2024 at 7:30am for the paint shop and 9am for interior design.

So ensure you get anything you may need over the holidays now.

Monday 16th December – 07:30 – 17:00

Tuesday 17th December – 07:30 – 17:00

Wednesday 18th December – 07:30 – 17:00

Thursday 19th December – 07:30 -17:00

Friday 20th December – 07:30 – 17:00 – (Last day for deliveries)

Saturday 21st December – Harlow 08:00 – 12:00 / Buckhurst Hill 09:00 – 17:00

Monday 23rd December – 07:30 – 12:00

Tuesday 24th December – Closed

Wednesday 25th December – Closed

Thursday 26th December – Closed

Friday 27th December – Closed

Saturday 28th December – Closed

Monday 30th December – Closed

Tuesday 31st December – Closed

Wednesday 1st January 2025 – Closed

Thursday 2nd January – 07:30 – 17:00

Friday 3rd January – 07:30 – 17:00

Saturday 4th January – Harlow 08:00 – 12:00 / Buckhurst Hill 09:00 – 17:00