What’s the colour of the year?

ICI paints and AkzoNobel have come up with the upcoming trends for the coming year, through their international research they have come up with a range of colours they think will be in trend throughout 2012.

The colour of the year 2012 is……. 10YR 21/436 (also known as Firecracker 4).

“The Colour of the year is a blushing, lively, juicy red

Red is held in high regard around the world for its many symbolic purposes.

The colour red offers many possibilities: contrasting one colour, bringing out a certain depth or cool quality in the next, allowing a third to recede. Like the jester in a deck of cards, it can change the game in an instant and brighten your outlook in unpredictable ways.”

Quote from Dulux Trade website

You can see more of this years colour schemes here:
Dulux Trade website or here:
http://www.colourfutures.com and download the Colour Futures book.

If you would like to work out how much of the colour of the year (10YR 21/436) or any other colour you need to buy, use our FREE Paint Calculator.

A review of Dulux Trade Diamond Matt

“A tough, washable matt emulsion with 10 times the durability of silk emulsions” – quote Dulux Trade

I was recently asked by TradeXpress to review the Dulux Trade Diamond Matt, Pure Brilliant White emulsion; I used this product both on a ceiling and walls to review this product.

As I opened the tin I thought it had more odour then the normal trade paint, but maybe that’s just me. It isn’t a strong smell and doesn’t linger so wasn’t an issue. I was impressed by the opacity and how it covered the artexed ceiling I painted. I was also impressed with the whiteness, it certainly was a pure brilliant white.

The paint went on well; the coverage is on par with normal Matt emulsion although slightly less at 16m² per litre. However, drying time is increased with a recoat time of 4-6 hours compared to 2-4 hours of vinyl matt. Touch dry will obviously depend on the conditions in which you are working but for me it took around 3 hours for each coat to fully dry.

Durability and Stain Resistance

The big selling point of this paint is of course it’s durability and stain resistance and the fact you can wash marks off without getting that ‘buffed sheen’ look you normally get from vinyl matt emulsions. I have tried rubbing a small area of the wall I painted and I couldn’t see any obvious signs of a sheen appearing.

The Dulux Trade datasheet (447) for this product states it is suitable for use in Kitchens and Bathrooms due to it’s moisture resistant properties. For this review I used Dulux Trade Diamond Matt Pure Brilliant White on a Kitchen ceiling and walls in a cupboard. I am confident this paint will hold up well in the area’s I used it.

The Product comes in 2.5 and 5 litre cans and of course you can have any colour mixed with colour tinting.

The only downside I can see would be it’s price, at over £15 per 5L can more than traditional Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt and the colour mixing prices at around £70 for 5 litres. However, saying that, I feel if the job calls for a tough durable stain resistant paint I would use this product.

For more information see the TradeXpress website or find them on Facebook: TradeXpress UK or Twitter @TradeXpress.

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