Is Dulux Trade paint total rubbish?

KieraOwl · 12 Dec 2017

Please help me with a decorating dilemma!

I have researched my colours and chosen some paints with a view to getting my house decorated in Dulux Trade Diamond Matt. But a couple of decorators who came to give me a quote have said that this paint is complete rubbish and what I really should use is Valspar, as it has a better finish.

But when I go online, all I can find are reviews from people saying Valspar smells of cat urine and has to be replaced!

Please can you advise?

Bosswhite · 12 Dec 2017

Valspar Paints are sold at B & Q DIY, are the two decorators true professionals ?

KieraOwl · 12 Dec 2017

Apparently so, they regularly work with the builder who is currently doing my extension (who is very good indeed). But I have to admit I am worried.

Nige F · 12 Dec 2017

Just tell them to get the Dulux colour mixed in another paint - Not Valspar. You are in charge, get the quotes for what You want. ( it may be a bit £ more )

opps · 12 Dec 2017

As a profession decorator who tries to provide a high quality of finish. I use Dulux Trade paints because they are consistent.

I have never used Valspar. Those kind of budget paints have always struck me as a false economy. Why save 20 quid on a tin of paint if you need to charge an extra £200 to apply a third coat?

For the record Diamond Matt is a decent product but none of the scrubbable emulsions are perfect. If you scrub too frequently, you will get a shiny spot.

Waterbased eggshell might be a better option. It is less shiny than vinyl silk but it is shinier than matt (and less shiny than silk) .

I appreciate that every decorator has their own preferences with regards to paints but I would be worried about employing anyone that recommends DIY rated paints.

Apologies to the decorators- they might have valid grounds for recommending the paint, however, unless they can expand on them I will err on the side of caution. I have spent too many years correcting work done by supposidly "good" decorators to assuage my cynicism.

Robbie uk · 12 Dec 2017

With regards to the above, opps, Ive been decorating for 40 years and have used Valspar many times. Its actually been around since 1806 believe it or not. Its very good paint. The cat urine smell has been fixed. For some reason a certain ingredient was taken out which caused this , but has now been replaced and the problem solved. It is not a Diy paint at all, much the same as Dulux is not. B&Q had a fall out with Dulux and hence went with Valspar. Its far from a budget paint and their premium range is up there with the best. To be fair, if you've never used it, how do you know it isn't any good ? Not having a go

ic1927 · 12 Dec 2017

Agree with Robbie, the Valspar premium emulsion is among the best I've used in over 43 years in the trade. Their paint and prime product has unreal coverage and is a joy to use.

Mike10 · 12 Dec 2017

I'll admit to being another fan of Valspar. Their V700 range (which they used to call 'trade') covers superbly (could get away with a single coat a lot of the time, if desired and of course if applied with care), has very good opacity, thins well for cutting in and flows well when that's done. The colour range is almost infinite with their matching technology. And lastly with a trade card at B&Q I think it is a pretty good price. I recommend it to all my clients for any painting jobs and I have yet to have one who hasn't been completely happy with the results.

opps · 13 Dec 2017

Robbie uk said:
With regards to the above, opps, Ive been decorating for 40 years and have used Valspar many times. Its actually been around since 1806 believe it or not. Its very good paint. The cat urine smell has been fixed. For some reason a certain ingredient was taken out which caused this , but has now been replaced and the problem solved. It is not a Diy paint at all, much the same as Dulux is not. B&Q had a fall out with Dulux and hence went with Valspar. Its far from a budget paint and their premium range is up there with the best. To be fair, if you've never used it, how do you know it isn't any good ? Not having a go

Fair call, I automatically (read:unfairly) discounted it because of its links to B&Q.

I haven't used it but I don't concur with the suggestion that Diamond Matt is rubbish.

Thanks for the correction.

Regards

Nige F · 13 Dec 2017

Thanks guys, I'll give it a trial in my house. I like Crown too

KieraOwl · 13 Dec 2017

Wow, thank you all so much for the advice.

I'm reassured to hear that this suggestion doesn't mean that the decorators are incompetent, and that the Valspar paint is actually really good.

opps · 14 Dec 2017

Nige F said:
Thanks guys, I'll give it a trial in my house. I like Crown too

I hadn't used Crown Trade for years but recently had to use their matt emulsion. I was effed off with the fact that the paint/skin in the lid (which is white) kept falling into the tin.

You start rolling the walls and constantly have to stop to remove the white dots of phlegm.

And this was paint from a Crown Decorator Center in west London. Granted, I should have complained but the staff seem to be extras from the Walking Dead.

ic1927 · 14 Dec 2017

Find this happening a lot with the plastic tins and lids, not so much a problem with the old style metal cans though.

opps · 14 Dec 2017

ic1927 said:
Find this happening a lot with the plastic tins and lids, not so much a problem with the old style metal cans though.

Agreed, the lids were indeed plastic. However, plastic tins from other brands tend to suffer from dried paint falling in to the paint as you open the tin. The crown issue is (white) wet paint falling back into the tin.

I guess that I could wash the lids as soon as I open the tin but why should I have to?

Mind you, I recall once phoning Farrow and Ball to complain about sand sized grains of red pigment in a beige paint. Their response was that it was a "characteristic" of their paint and that all tins should be stirred for 10 minutes prior to use. I did try explain that stirring it for a whole day would not break up the errant pigments. She clearly didn't give a toss and was reading from a script.

Over the years, their reluctance to accept that my tin was faulty has resulted in me recommending that clients use alternative brands. For the sake of replacing a faulty £50 tin, they have lost hundreds (possibly thousands). of pounds in potential sales

For the record, I often ask my usual decorators' merchants to mix the paint for longer. Additionally,I ask them to shake any tin of "off the shelf" paints.

Given the cost of paints, it is quite reasonable for them to be safe to use as you pour them from the tin.

Robbie uk · 14 Dec 2017

Hate it when the dried carp falls into the scuttle. Might start pouring it through a pair of tights to sieve it !

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Is Dulux Trade paint total rubbish?

Similar threads