Durable Matt Emulsion? - Dulux Trade Diamond or other?

[SproutsDad]

Can anyone help please?

Good paint - I frequently read queries regarding which paint to use and the answers mostly state that trade paints are the best and retail DIY paints are rubbish! - that blunt quite often. I have also read up a lot on it, and I do understand the argument for the trade paints.
Q -But are the DIY/retail ones so bad?

The project - I have a large house to paint, walls & ceilings, all in white, but I am unsure which paint to select for a good matt surface. Matt usually shows every mark and won't wipe clean without showing scrub marks. I have put a lot of work into the prep, so I don't want to 'spoil the ship .......'.

Best paints? - But the best paints are extremely expensive, and for a whole house I can see it rising to the £1,000+ mark just for the paint.
Q? - But maybe that's the price I need to allow for a good job?

Price - But for us DIYers , Brewers and similar trade outlets are wickedly expensive. We don't get any discount without an account, which needs a company to set it against, I think?

Q? - Are there any reasonably priced alternatives to some of those paintsfavoured by the trades/ decs? Some of them are close to £100 for 5L? e.g. Sikkens.

I have used Crown contract matt for a mist and the first coats in a new large kitchen diner - it is very cheap, £16 for 10L, has mostly good reviews, covers quite well. But I’m not sure how good it would be as a top coat for good opacity?

I then used Dulux Trade Diamond matt for the top coats in this high traffic area. But at £67 for 5L I couldn't afford that for the whole house.

Q? - Are there any alternative durable matt white, or maybe eggshell paints? Something that doesn't pick up every mark and can be wiped, without costing the earth like Diamond?

I have heard of Leyland, Armstead, Albany, Johnstone, but are their durable paints just as expensive as Dulux Diamond? If so then I might as well use Diamond.

All advice gratefully received.

Many thanks

 

[opps]

You can apply waterbased varnish over the emulsion. The Polyvine matt is pretty good stuff. Not cheap but it goes far
*****

edit.

All "scrubbable" matt paints become shiny when "scrubbed". Be warned...

A light wipe with a damp cloth should be ok though.

 

[SproutsDad]

Thanks Opps. I'm pretty much sold on the Diamond matt which I can get cheapest at Screwfix for a reasonable £38 for 5L. Apart from the crazing which I sent photos of on a separate post, but as you said it's probably the caulk or other problem.

On the 'scrubbable' emulsion, I don't really understand how the trend in the paint world has almost gone full circle from vinyl silk to matt to scrubbable matt, and it's usually not fully matt anyway but has a sheen !!
Vinyl silk is definitely not fashionable, but was that it's only sin! It was relatively cheap and very durable, but a bit naff and shiny in the new trend which is, the more matt the better, but it picks up every mark anyway.

As an experiment on a small back bedroom I have been all over the new plaster with Crown Contract matt on walls and ceiling, then a topcoat of Dulux soft sheen that has been hanging around from a few years ago.
With a good roller it has come up really good, semi silk/matt, very flat and with a medium Hamilton roller has hardly any orange peel, almost looks sprayed on!

And as it says it is a soft sheen that only catches the strongest light and wipes clean easily without marks. It's a success and I don't know why it isn't more popular? And this is the normal retail soft sheen at £19 / 5L. Can't fault it on top of matt contract white.

Diamond matt costs a lot extra just to be wipeable and a bit more matt!?

Thanks again.