Dulux Trade’s latest foray into water-based paint is its toughest yet.
Although not new technology, water-based paints have had a hard time penetrating the daily repertoire of the UK’s painters and decorators. A traditional bunch, to say the least, decorators have for a long time stuck to solvent-based paints as firmly as said paint sticks to clothes, fabrics, pets etc.
Dulux Trade, however, is determined to remove the tins of solvent-based gloss, with their ‘reassuring’ toxic smell that separates them from emulsion, and instead get painters using the altogether more pleasant, not to mention safer and healthier, tins of water-based paint.
To that end, the country’s most recognisable paint brand has launched Diamond Satinwood, for which the new water-based formulation aims to provide excellent flow for a high quality finish and professional results. We attended the paint’s launch at the company’s Dulux Academy, where the ease, speed and cleanliness of application truly took us by surprise.
The new-to-market formulation has been designed to allow decorators to “go water-based” whilst still upholding the durability promise of the Diamond range. Made for use on woodwork and trims, the water-based solution is – like the rest of the range – scuff, scrub and stain resistant.
The launch of Diamond Satinwood means the company now offers a complete range of water-based products, that all provide the brilliant finish for which the brand is known. Significant investment in research and product development has ensured that the water-based alternatives can stand up against solvent-based solutions in providing the professional finish and ease of application, whilst delivering quicker drying time and lower odour.
Now, to be fair, things are starting to change. Thanks to programmes like Blue Planet, we are all becoming slightly more ‘green’ and tradespeople especially, who see so much brought to the skip in the course of their working day, are looking for ways to help protect the natural environment. Cutting out solvent paints, which emit harmful VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), if even only on a small scale, is for many a step in the right direction. Cutting out VOCs, which produce the pungent smell of solvent paint, is also better for your health.
Competition amongst painters and decorators has grown fierce and increasingly, professionals are looking for new products to stand them apart – a trend recognised by Dulux Trade in the development of its water-based paints.
According to Dulux Trade’s market data, there was a 13 per cent increase in water based sales from 2017 vs 2016, compared to a seven per cent decrease in the purchase of traditional solvent based paints, highlighting the growth in search for innovative, high quality decorating solutions. This emphasises the growing appetite amongst painters and decorators for more efficient options, whilst maintaining the same high quality, long-lasting finish as traditional methods.
Karen Wilkinson at Dulux Trade explains, “we are continuously looking at ways we can create solutions to help painters and decorators across the country. This range was born of listening to the ambitions and needs of Dulux Trade customers who need to leave every job, proud that the finish is brilliant and it’s their name that’s on it, in order to keep their customers coming back.
“We’ve invested and researched tirelessly to make sure that our product quality isn’t compromised and our Dulux Trade customers can have the confidence to switch to water-based for good.”