Professional Builder visits the Bromsgrove production facility of Hamilton Decorating Tools
If you were to list all of the things that climate change could potentially impact a paint brush is unlikely to feature very prominently. Interestingly, that’s just what’s happened, and Hamilton has the solution.
Founded in 1776, the Hamilton brand has a heritage of nearly 250 years but has recently witnessed some of the biggest changes in its history. In 2023, the decorating tools expert launched a major rebrand. That’s delivered a much bolder visual presence in merchant stores with the amount of single use plastic used in the packaging vastly reduced. Painters, decorators and multi-skilled contractors can now trade up through the Hamilton portfolio, with three distinct ranges to choose from – For the Trade (which has replaced Performance), Prestige, and Perfection, each of which are colour coded for easy identification.
Visual augmentation software was used to design the packaging. What amounts to heat mapping for the eyes, it allows what each product should be used for to be communicated more effectively. The real break with the past, however, came with the decision to discontinue the use of natural bristle. Thanks to a warming planet the quality and availability of the hog’s hair that has been used in brushes for millennia can no longer be guaranteed. The animals simply don’t need as much or as thick and long a coat and, with an increasing scarcity of the raw material, that also means that the price is only going one way.
In order to demonstrate that the new synthetic brushes are just as good as natural bristle the manufacturer distributed more than 7,000 individual and free samples of its Perfection CleanEdge™ to the trades in just one year– an initiative that successively won over the sceptics.
This is not the only reason for a company like Hamilton to continually improve upon its product range. Paints are also changing, with new formulae being introduced to meet the demands of environmental legislation. It’s fair to say that paint brushes have not developed in parallel, but Hamilton wants to change all that. With so many different paints available just one brush or roller is never going to cut it. Instead, specific solutions are required.
That’s why the CleanEdge™ brush is part of a Perfection range that also includes MaxStroke™. The former features firmer, shorter filaments and is designed for use with higher viscosity solutions where the brush can be more easily pushed and dragged through thicker paint, whether oil- or water-based. The MaxStroke™ is a super soft brush with outstanding paint pick up and a measured release, whilst the elimination of splaying increases your accuracy.
The key driver for the proliferation of new paints has been environmental considerations, but it’s also a factor in brushes. Every Hamilton wooden handle is FSC® Certified, for instance, and the longevity of the product is itself a positive sustainable attribute.
Trade loyalty
The manufacturer is a firm believer in developing relationships with its end users, providing a premium product for professional tradespeople who want to achieve a quality finish and it’s a loyalty which is reciprocated. The firm’s own research has revealed that more than two thirds of decorators consider Hamilton to be their brand of choice.
That same research also showed that, when using oil and solvent-based paints, more than 50 per cent of decorators had already made the switch to synthetic brushes because the natural alternative does not perform as well with many of the new types of paint. Again, the majority identified Hamilton as their preferred option.
If a product has a nickname amongst trade professionals, then it’s reached the level of industry institution and the ‘Hammy Green’ Perfection Sleeve enjoys that status. Indeed, with more than321,000 of the 9in. sleeves manufactured at its Bromsgrove production facility in 12-month period it’s clearly the trusted choice. It’s the higher density polyester mix in Hamilton rollers that makes for an even finish on smooth surfaces, whilst maintaining excellent levels of paint pick up, coverage and consistency.
In addition to the factory floor Professional Builder was also treated to a tour of the Hamilton laboratories, an experience which underscores the quality that is designed into the product. When using a roller the bane of any decorator is lint shedding onto the surface being decorated, or onto the paint tray. If these fibres are visible on the wall or ceiling it’s going to detract from the finish, which is why Hamilton undertakes extensive testing to ensure that lint loss is not a problem with its products.
The analysis of its brushes in a purpose built lab is just as rigorous, including regular checks on what’s rolling off the production line. Brushes are tested for optimal paint pick-up. Durability is assessed in both new and used brushes with a tensile gauge that pulls the filaments from the resin, whilst microscopes view filaments in minute detail.
In the testing area the advantage of the firmer, shorter synthetic filaments of the CleanEdge™ are demonstrated, with a brush that can effortlessly manipulate even very thick paints for a flawless finish. The MaxStroke™’s longer, softer filaments will glide thinner water-based paints across a surface with no brush marks.
Through its long history Hamilton has advanced the decorating tools sector with some significant innovations. The Worcestershire-based company introduced the vulcanised rubber process to UK manufacturing and was the first to introduce a stainless-steel ferrule. Two and a half centuries since its inception it’s a tradition that is being proudly continued to this day.
For further information on the Hamilton Decorating Tools range visit https://www.hamiltondecoratingtools.co.uk/.
