New Water based Paints-Rubbish?

C

Carpenter

Registered User
Messages
2,607
Just recently finished some interior decorating and found that conventional solvent (also referred to as oil based) paints are gradually being phased out in favour of water based alternatives, which are lower in Volatile Organic Compounds. It appears VOCs are harmful to us, the environment and contribute to air pollution. Anyway this all appears quite good and noble, anything that minimises our impact on the environment gets my approval. So I bought "Duxlux Easycare Satin" as a finish for the woodwork and went to finish the job. What a load of rubbish! No body, no hide power and it took 2 coats to get an acceptable (but not wonderful) finish on wood work that had been well prepared and undercoated. I spoke to a painting contractor about this and he tells me the industry is in for a shakeup, labour costs will shoot up as most jobs will require double the labour because one coat of this stuff ain't worth a damn! Anyway i got onto Dulux ICI about it but I'm still waiting........
Anyone with similar experience out there? On the plus side the paints don't smell (no VOCs) and are easy to clean up, but I'd rather the oil based stuff myself (bring back red lead anyone???!!!)
 
I'm using some Dulux Easycare Satin at the moment and you're damn right Carpenter - it barely even covers any slight yellow stains (like knotting) let alone any black marks that have gotten onto the wood. And this is after two, and in some places three, undercoats!

It definitely needs two coats which never used to be the way with good old oil based gloss, but the lady gets what the lady wants.

Are there any oil based satins out there today?
 
Some stores will still have some oil based Satinwood on the shelf but within the next 6 months or so I reckon it'll all be water based product. In addition to the extra labour with this new paint there's also the cost, I paid €23 for 1 litre, a real bloody rip off!
 
Yeah they probably are crap, saw the same thing in the US about 10 years ago where a lot of States banned paints with a high VOC content. The replacement paints that the paint companies initially brought in to replace them were rubbish, very bad hiding power, but people complained , the reps listened and the manufacturers got their act together.Its a matter of the manufacturers getting the formula right and the consumer refusing to buy rubbish. The squeaky wheel gets oiled first, so start bitching.

The only thing I don't like about water base is that they don't lay down as well as oils but you can get around that with a conditioner like Flotrol.

The Irish don't complain enough about shoddy products/services, hmm I'm starting to rant.
 
Pat form Marketing in Dulux ICI rang me late this afternoon, on foot of my email. He pretty much told me the waterbased stuff (Easycare etc) is aimed primarily at the DIY market for the moment. Satinwood and other oil based paints can be still be bought in base colours and tinted in stores. Oil based paints (high VOCs) will continue to be available to the Trade until legislation banning them entirely is actually introduced, sometime around 2010, I believe. However many (former) healthboards etc insist on the use of water based paints in sensitive applicatiions like hospitals etc. Pat told me would pass my feedback on to the powers that be, can't say a whole lot more than that.
 
The best thing is to go to a paint supplier that also supplies the trade. I have used Glidden acrylic satinwood in our house (Glidden is made by Dulux I think). It is cheaper than the DIY paints, can be tinted to whatever colour you like andI found it very good quality. No smell, good coverage and dries quickly.
 
I actually noticed this last night painting my kitchen - but the health question is more important to me than the look of the kitchen so I'll just paint it over a few times.
 
Colortrend acrylic paints are excellent, I have used only this brand for the last 10 years to paint walls, woodwork and radiators and also for external use. I can highly recommend them.

No connection to the company.
 
I used waterbased Crown Eggshell and had the same problem with wear. It's a disaster - paint is chipping when you so much as look at it. The current finish is almost worse now than it was when it was plain old white gloss.

Rebecca
 
I agree with Kildrought, Colortrend are the best paints on the market. They are available in most Albany shops. It's €30 for a 3 litre tin which works out the same as paying €25 for a 2.5 litre tin of Dulux. I've painted all my rooms using Colortrend and they don't leave a lingering smell and go on very easily. I never thought to get them for my doors which I am repainting at the moment. After wasting half a tin of satinwood, I ended up glossing them the other night instead as the satinwood wasn't worth a curse!
 
I used a colourtrend colour in one room and didn't notice anything special about it one way or the other by comparison to other Dulux and Crown. I do like their shade cards however, because they are real paint and a bit more reliable than the shade cards the others give out.

I did use a B&Q own brand paint in the little loo and it was the worst paint I've ever used by far. It took about 4 coats to get anything close to decent coverage and it's still not perfect. You could see the paint preferred to stick to the rollers and brushes than the wall. Never again.

Rebecca
 
"made somewhere in Co. Kildare i believe?"

Looks like they are based in . Never knew about the connection with MRCB until now. Had an idea in my head that they were based in Blessington at some stage.
 
Colourtrend are in Celbridge, right beside the Garda Station. The building used to be an old work house. The paints are great and priced reasonable well for what you get.
 
Has anyone used Colourtrend's outdoor paints and have an opinion on their durability. I am considering them painting our house next year. Like MissRibena I think their shade cards are great.
 
We painted out house last year (a pale yellow!!) and got the paint from colourtrend as they where close by and found it was great stuff, covered a multitude of sins...then again we polybonded untill we where blue in the face!
 
Used the exterior paint last year, very happy with the finish and most importantly it dried quickly so entire house x 2 coats done in one day.

Hasn't been on long enough to comment on durability; but have used this brand for years and won't use anything else!

The best thing about Colortrend paint (I think) is that you can use it on every surface, walls, radiators and woodwork and more importantly you can scrub away at it to remove marks and it comes up perfect.

You can get a gloss finish for the doors (in acrylic), although not as shiny a finish as traditional oil-based gloss.
 
Did anyone see About the House last night? They were renovating old houses and were using Colortrend paints. I don't have any affiliation to them at all but will never use any other paint again after using them. The colour cards are hand-painted so you have a very accurate colour chart. The colours on the internet aren't 100% accurate. I find the paint glides on and you get great mileage out of the tin. I have used both the mid-sheen and matt paints, mixed and ready-mixed and can't fault them at all. I will be painting my house next summer and intend using it then also.
 
I have used Colortrends paint on a couple of ceilings only, and was impressed.

I have used their PSU (Primer Sealer Undercoat) throughout the house though (on plaster, plasterboard, and wood), as I was initially very impressed by it. However, I had issues with its adhesion on a few walls that I had plastered, although the issue there could be the plaster itself rather than the sealant. I sometimes had problems with using it as an undercoat over an existing coat of paint - it seemed to wet the old paint and cause it to bubble. That may well be the nature of any water-based finish being applied over (badly applied) old coating though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top