Paint quality

[JohnN]

Can any of our numerous experts out there settle a discussion, please?
If one buys a pot of branded paint or preservative (eg Dulux, Cuprinol etc), is it the same stuff wherever you buy it? One of our friends (pretty clued up) says the stuff you get in B&Q, Homebase or Wickes, generally at a lower price, is not as good quality as that bought through a specialist supplier (eg Brewers), even though the can looks the same. Any definitive answers?
John N

[richard p]

i wouldnt touch b&q paint with a bargepole. usually use wickes, i wouldn't pay extra for a brandname.

[Tigger]

We always go for Dulux, International, Cuprinol, Sadolin or Crown. Tried the Homebase/B&Q/Whoever's own but always found you need more coats of a cheaper product, so it doesn't save money and it's more work.

Personally, I prefer Dulux for paints and Sadolin for stains.

We had a wood-lined shower, sealed with Sadolin, for 23 years. Foolishly, we decided to tile it and we're just about to re-do it after just 3 years!

[Geoff]

Pity people can't read John but I think they are the same but have no definitive knowledge.
Most paints are rubbish since they went water based.

[naturediva]

I usually use Dulux and occasionally Crown paints as over the years when I thought I'll save a bit of money I have bought store's own ie: Focus, Woolworths, B & Q or Wilkinsons etc. only to find that the quality of cover is just not quite the same, also, sometimes I have found that some of the colours and tones do not seem to appear quite 'right' when dried on the wall; and so then had to go out and buy Dulux paint to cover the first lot which is not only annoying but false economy in money, time and energy.
I guess it's like buying own brands of food from supermarkets, we are often led to believe that it's produced by manufacturers of leading brands and yet they rarely taste quite the same as there often appears to be something lacking in flavour or consistency etc. Occasionally it is possible to buy own band of something quite flavoursome only to find they change the manufacturer and once again the taste is just not 'right'.

[lizzie]

I use the B&Q Anywhere range of paint and it's fine. It goes straight onto plaster and i've never had any problems at all. Coverage is fine and it just needs the one coat. I don't use their value range cos it's rubbish, way too thin.

For stains i've used the Cuprinol on the greenhouse and it was fine, although it does now need redoing after about 5 years.

[PLUMPUDDING]

It seems that no one knows John. I wouldn't think they would deliberately make a lower standard batch with their brand name for B & Q etc. to sell, but who knows what they get up to. Crown, Dulux etc still seem to be superior to own brands wherever you buy them. If you decorate frequently then I shouldn't think it matters what you buy, but if you are lazy like me then it is worth paying for the better stuff that lasts longer.

[glallotments]

Would it be legal?

[Johnboy]

It's really like own brand coffees in the supermarkets. A few years ago Nescafe' actually had to put out an announcement to say that they do not make Coffee for anybody but their own brands. Similarly there are many small paint producers in the UK who make paint for other people simply because they cannot compete with the Duluxes of this world. Generally speaking they are lacking the high quality of the larger manufacturers and their specifications are below the standard of the proprietary brands.
I for one only use paint from recognised companies and would go a million miles to avoid buying any mortal thing from B & Q not just paint. To me they are the pits.
JB.

[Primrose]

Have used the B & Q stuff to to a cheap and dirty preservation job on some very old fencing that needed a helping hand when it wasn't worth spending a lot of money. Have used Cuprinol on some new fencing and whilst it was more expensive I have the impression that it lasts longer. The B & Q stuff doesn't seem to last very long, but I suppose it's better to put a cheap coating of preserving stuff on than nothing at all. It's a case of getting what you pay for, and generally if you've spent a lot of money on something like fencing, etc. it's worth buying a better quality product to lengthen its life.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear JohnN, i think a phone call to Brewers might be the only way to give us the answer!

[donedigging]

Dear JohnN,

I think you might find that the bigger shops i.e B & Q can buy in larger quantity so therefore can pass on the saving to the customer. The paint inside will be exactly the same as say, the tin at wilkinsons down the road for £2 more. The only thing to watch out for is the use-by date, the closer you are to this when you purchase it, the more the item will have deteriorated.

[John]

A friend of ours who is a painter and decorator says that there is only one type of paint really worth buying and that is the Dulux trade paints that you can get in the builders merchants. The colour range is a bit more limited and the tins are larger apparently but quality is excellent.
I agree with the others that DIY sheds own makes are not usually very good.

John

[alan refail]

The only thing to watch out for is the use-by date, the closer you are to this when you purchase it, the more the item will have deteriorated.

That's a new one on me DD. I've never seen a use-by date and there isn't one on any of the dozen or so tins of Dulux trade we have been using in recent redecoration.

John

Our decorator would say the very same thing: "Dulux or nothing".
The whole discussion reminds me of the wise Welsh saying:
Prŷn hen, prŷn eilwaith - Buy second-hand and you'll be buying another one soon

Same applies to a lot of "cheap bargains" - you get what you pay for

[richard p]

ive often used paint that has been years or even decades old. sometimes gloss paints get a skin on top that needs removing , having said that anything less than an inch deep in the tin will probably go hard all the way through, its probably do do with the amount of air in the tin relative to the amount of paint . but most stored paints will revive after a good stir, a piece of bent wire coat hanger in an electric drill can do a good job if you cant liberate the blender from the kitchen.
i can remember my father painting his window frames with a blend of most of the part tins out of the shed, never seen a colour quite like it anywhere else..