Trade emulsion

[Christian McArdle]

Wickes isn't actually that bad. I've used it before. However, I just use Dulux Trade now. They'll mix it up on the spot to any colour you like.

Christian.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Very little. Traade is at first site cheaper, but its basically usually just thinner anyway.

We gave up and went for all Farrow and Ball. may be a little more expensive, but its solid pigment all the way through.

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, it isn't. NOTHING looks like Farrow and ball paint except Farrow and ball paint.

It really is a different class altogether.

[Mike Mitchell]

Indeed. Does anyone shop at B&Q any more? Homebase staff are far more helpful, neater, tidier, and the shops just look more inviting than B&Q sheds.

MM

[Mike Mitchell]

I don't believe it, sorry. Nothing would ever persuade me that the "posh" paints are worth the money. They trade on people who fall for the scam, just like the dressed-to-the-nines old biddies who shop at Waitrose and would never dream of buying exactly the same product much cheaper at ASDA.

MM

[Bob Eager]

Not round here. IMHO it's down to the local manager.

Also, I can put up with a lot for the considerably lower prices.

[Christian McArdle]

Sorry, I'm not a millionaire, so I can't afford to go there. Buying from Homebase and Focus makes me physically sick, as I know how much the stuff should have cost.

Apart from that, Homebase and Focus shops are much smaller and only have a narrow range of more "consumer" items. Focus sells cat food FFS.

Finally, B&Q staff are vastly more knowledgable than the Homebase and Focus, possibly because the B&Q warehouse is actually heavily frequently by trade customers, giving more learning opportunities for the staff by having to answer more technical questions.

I find B&Q prices consistently below BM prices. Sometimes they are less than half the price even after the "discount" the BMs invariably offer.

Christian.

[Christian McArdle]

Hmmm. My mum shops at Waitrose, whilst I'm unfortunately in the ASDA period of my life. The Waitrose products are vastly superior in every regard (apart from price). The ASDA fresh food looks rotten on the shelf in comparison, and you have to pay* for a trolley. I do not carry cash on me and the trolleys don't take credit cards.

I always thought it odd that Lower Earley had the Asda, whilst Whitley gets the Safeway. I'd have thought a quick swap in some backroom deal would have been appropriate.

Christian.

• I really mean pay. The trolleys are so old and knackered that you can almost guarantee that the quid will fall out unnoticed. If you want a trolley with more than 3 wheels, then you need 2 quid, so you can shuffle the trolleys about until the unlikely event you find one that actually moves in a forward direction.

[Christian McArdle]

We're talking about own brand filth here, though. Proper brand trade paint is a superior product. It's worth finding your local Dulux or Crown Trade counter to buy it.

Christian.

[Bob Mannix]

Quite - I was going to say exactly that. The sheds do sometimes carry Dulux trade. I always use Dulux trade liquid emulsion as you get a better finish (once you have got used to it).

[Mike Mitchell]

Not even superior. ASDA do their own brand of Bonne Maman Strawberry Jam (same jar, same content, same size, same taste) for 92p. Bonne Maman (at Waitrose) i-ching £1.52! Most things are more expensive at Waitrose, sometimes vastly so. Yes, the quality is good on fresh meat and fish. But cornflakes? Butter and spreads? Cheese? Bread? Cooked meats? There is no difference between Waitrose and ASDA/Tesco, except that the Waitrose product will nearly always cost more. I only know this because I park for free (as I do at ASDA!) at Waitrose while I go to the Nationwide, then I pop into the store on the way back for one or two staples like milk, which they do sell at the same price as the others.However, you do get a far better class of assistant in Waitrose, and in summer, when the schools are out, the young ladies at the checkouts are incredibly well-spoken, polite, and usually very attractive, upper-class totty. Well, yer pays yer money...

Oh, I don't agree with that at all. It does not look rotten! You must have a pretty crappy store in your area to think that.

Not the ASDA I frequent. No coins needed.

MM

[Jerry Built]

I'm with you on this one, until you get to conservation-type paints prepared in small batches with high production costs

- then there are better things to put on the inside of domestic buildings than mixtures of chalk, fat etc. anyway!

J.B.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yoiu haven't used it?

No. Thought not.

I had precisely your opinon till I was persuaded to by the other half. In this rare single instance, she proved to be correct. The pigment to matrix ratio apperas to be about three times higher than any other emulison I have used bar none. The effect is of a wall plsstered in soild coloured plaster., rather than painted.

The oil paints however are not as dramatically better than other satins and matts.

[marcborzoni]

Trade emulsion is thicker in constsistency and has a higher pigment level. Why? Basically because a painter is expected to achieve a higher standard of work than a D.I.Y. paint user and the paint does what the painter can't. Trade emulsions do vary in quality but most achieve a higher quality finish. It should also be remembered that shed retail brands (Dulux, Crown) are lower in consistency & pigment to attract D.I.Y. users with attractive prices. Trade brands (again Dulux, Crown etc.) are generally higher in cost both productive and selling but you should remember you do genuinely buy quality in most cases. Own brand shed paints have improved over the years but don't be attracted with low prices. Own brand Trade paints are acceptable but again low price doesn't guarantee high quality.

[Mike]

If you buy the "mixed in store" colours, the Dulux ones say Trade Emulsion on the base colour can and these are thinner in consistancy than the standard Dulux stuff.

[John Stumbles]

I used Unibond bathroom and shower sealant from the local shed. Expensive at 8 quid a go but it's so bloody waterproof it's v.difficult to smooth it after application 'cos it sticks to

*everything*. Flexible too, the only thing that broke it in our case was for some reason the shower tray managed to drop a few mm (don't ask why, I dunno yet!) and the stuff stretched and broke the grout on the surrounding tiles resulting in much leakage.....

The moral to this tale is if yer tray doesn't drop this stuff is good! IMO obviously.

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs

[Ian Middleton]

Not always true the base. Some B&Q stores use Trade base and others standard base !!!!

We had a problem with our lounge piant, got a Dulux tester mixed, colour was fine by SWMBO. Went to store said "yip I'll have 10litres of the colour of this sample please". Got home opened one 5l can, wrong colour very clearly, dozy staff had mixed using wrong shade base. Opened second can, looked OK, put on wall. Colour dried different from sample.

Went back to B&Q and found out that sample was mixed using standard base and

5l mixed using Trade base and machine should change the mixture to compensate. Fault reported to Dulux. Meanwhile got £100's pounds of B&Q vouchers and went to another B&Q store where after more cans of incorrect base shade eventually mixed up 10l of correct colour paint using standard (non trade) base.