I have been fortunate enough to have spent 35 years in the shop this year.
During that time I’ve seen enormous changes to the paints we sell, the way they are sold and the headlines behind why we do what we do.
In 1987 we were still selling large quantities of lead based paint. It seems crazy now but for the next 3 years I was selling it more regularly for exterior paint work than anything that Dulux Weathershield or Sandtex ( a Blue Circle product back then! ) had to offer. Our primary lead brand was Magnet Paints. The argument that it outlasted other paints seemed to outweigh the dangers for many decorators.
I remember the ban in 1990, I had been told by many old decorators that it would never happen but here it was! I also remember at the time trying the new water based gloss from Dulux. It felt and looked like silk emulsion! Nonetheless, the eco revolution had begun and we were all going to be part of it. Over the next few years products such as Hammerite were “watered down” and slowly moved aside by more environmentally conscious replacements. At the time many seemed like short term stop gaps but the march went on. But now, who would consider Hammerite when we have water based products from companies like Bedec, Bradite or Zinsser that perform just as well with none of the stink? We had the VOC legislation debacle in 2012, I’m sure we all remember Dulux Retail paints going yellow and the Watchdog TV grilling they got. However, we adapted and adopted…
So, this year we will see the removal of paints containing MEKO, an anti skinning agent in solvent based paints. However we’ve studied it, and now, less than 1% of what we sell is solvent based! Amazing! But the real revolution is happening as we not only get cleaner paints but paints that help clean the environment as they work. May I introduce Graphenstone to you? This is a fast forward to the future of decorating. Some of it actually absorbs CO2! We now have their new tinting system at our Buckhurst Hill shop and their full range of the most environmentally friendly paints in the world! Dare I say: the greenest white paint in the world!
(Other colours are available 
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Please ask for a colour card or information leaflet or simply go to Graphenstone’s website and join the great clean up of the paint world!
Be well.
Pat.