Can anyone use trade paint?
They sure can!
Why use trade paint?
This question is frequently asked by DIY-ers alike, and it’s an important one! Before we can share the benefits of using trade paint over standard retail, it’s worth explaining what trade paint is.
What is trade paint?
Trade paint is created specifically with professional painters and decorators in mind due to the numerous benefits it has over regular retail paint. In addition to this, painters and decorators have different requirements to standard DIY-ers with regards to the way they work with the products and the finish that is both required and expected for their customers and clients.
If you’re just a regular DIY-er looking for paint, don’t worry, you too can buy trade paint - it’s the paint industry's best kept secret that we’re letting you in on.
So... what is retail paint?
Retail paint is designed for DIY consumers - and as the title states, it’s typically sold in retail stores. Retail paint is great for home decorators because of its cheaper price point, but with the lower price, sometimes comes a lower quality.
Should I buy trade or retail paint?
That depends on several things! Trade paint has quite a few benefits over their retail counterparts. Read on to explore them.
Price
Whilst at surface level, trade paint appears to be more expensive, it actually provides better value. As trade paint is of a higher quality, your walls technically require fewer coats. In addition to this, trade paint gives a more durable, longer-lasting finish – meaning it’s better value in the long term.
Finish
Trade paint provides a better finish, because even after diluting, sometimes it can give better coverage than retail paint! For example, with Johnstone’s Matt Emulsion, you can get up to approximately 12m2 per litre, per coat, depending upon the nature and absorbency of the surface being painted, whereas with Johnstone's Trade Covaplus Vinyl Matt you can get up to 17m2 per litre per coat. Plus, there’s 20% Off and there’s 576 Mixed to Order Colours to choose from!
Better pigmentation
Alongside better coverage comes better pigmentation. There’s often greater pigmentation in trade paints providing a richer colour than retail counterparts. Trade paint is always worth considering if you have a difficult colour to paint over as fewer coats will be required.
Longer lasting finish
Trade paint often lasts longer than retail paint as it’s designed to be resistant to both fading and yellowing for a longer period of time. In addition to this, trade paint is created to be super durable, therefore suitable for high-traffic areas - making it perfect for use in both business places and busy homes as it can be wiped time and again without making a difference to the finish of the paintwork.
Easier to work with
In comparison to retail paint, trade paint performs well in more ways than one when it comes to application. As trade paint is made with professionals in mind, it is formulated to perform well in both application and finish as they’re qualities that are relied on by trade users.
Why should you use retail paints?
Variety
Retail paints are made with a number of consumers in mind, therefore, retail paint can offer a greater choice when it comes to colors, requirements and finishes, for example, in the Crafted by Crown range, you can opt for paint in a suede finish.
Price
Another benefit to using retail paints is the price. Retail paint is often more affordable and therefore accessible to all than trade paints, which makes it more attractive for DIY users, especially those who like to keep up with the latest painting and decorating trends.
So, should you buy trade paint or retail paint?
That is up to you, your price point and your project!
Tap here to explore our great range of deals on trade and retail paint!