High Paint Costs

I use wood as a material in both my modelling and workshop projects. I'm currently building a stand for my Aldi metal bandsaw, as I think it will be most useful in vertical mode. Most stand versions I've seen use metal frames but I had some suitable pine offcuts and being quick to cut and join - I decided it was a good solution for this job.

However, my tin of wood primer had 'expired' and passing Robert Dyas yesterday, I popped in for a replacement tin. I was very surprised to find that a 750ml tin of Dulux wood primer was £21.45!

I had to get up real close to read the small print to check that I was reading the right product label.

Fortunately, a 750ml tin of Berger wood primer ( "quality paints since 1760" ) was also available at £8.99 - which suited my pocket much better. I will admit that it does seem a bit thinner than I remember the Dulux primer being - but I don't need an undercoat as such, just a primer to seal the wood.

I guess time will tell how good the Berger primer actually is but assuming it does the job, I won't be tempted back to Dulux any time soon - not as those prices anyway...

Regards,

IanT

Robbie Dyas probably not cheapest source.......

Yes, I know DMB - but they happened to be very convenient as I had walked into town (my bit for the environment)

I'm sure I could probably cut £3-£4 off that price (by driving out of town) but even so the difference in Dyas was considerable. If the Dulux had been £11.99 - I might have paid the £3 difference but not £12.46!

Perhaps it's just me..

IanT

Dont blame you, that price seems so ridiculous that one could assume it's a pricing error. Let em keep it for ornamentation in the shop! Ha,ha.

Paint is much more 'high tech' these days, being water-based rather than the linseed oil/filler/colouring

of old.

Personally, I still prefer to use oil-based, having seen the results of my efforts on outside wooden frames

turn to powder in short time using the new product.

That is a bit high and the smaller tin always pushes up the price per lts. but decent paint is getting expensive I often pay £50 for 2.5lts or just under £100 for 5lts

Recently did some painting in home and was astounded at some paint prices, although have you tried buying wallpaper. So called up market eco paint makers want you to pay for their eco holiday as well as carbon offsetting. I ended up using a diy branded paint and at half the price was very good. Considering paints are supposed to be water based these days they must be importing it from the Antarctic to justify the cost.

Have tried water based paints, both spray and brush/roller applied and was not impressed by any of them.

I used to spray paint cabinet doors ect some years ago using cellulose thinners, with very good results.

Then water based spray paint came along, supposed to be just as good, far from it ! Takes ages to dry and the finish is not nearly as good plus the interval between coats is too long.

As a bonus, it also costs more ! I think the water must be collected from Holy wells.

A quick google shows amazon doing 2.5L dulux primer/undercoat for that money.

I do recall buying soem 'proessional' dulux primer/undercoat when painting my hobbyshed cupboards and being udnerwhelmed by the thinness of the coat and the shop giving me all sorts of 'technical' chat about edge and corner retentions. Back in the day we used to undercoat indoor stuff with emulsion.

pgk

I work as a volunteer at a local railway museum where we recently repainted a wagon used for transporting prisoners. The wood primer was £130 for 5 ltrs. The undercoat was £155 per 5 ltrs. and the top coat was £178 for 5 liters. This was bought from a specialist paint supplier and was of quite outstanding quality and those were "Trade" prices as we are a charity. The "retail" price was 30% higher!

I suppose you get what you pay for.

I remember many years ago we made a system to dip wooden windows in some sort of preservative. We were supplied with the paint which came in two, one gallon tins, one completely full and one half full.

The instructions said that no more than 60 minutes before use we had to pour the full tin into the half full can and quickly stir with an old wooden spoon or stick. This didn't look right but with everyone standing around to see what was going to happen, the foreman started and to gasps of surprise the full tin poured in to the other can without any spillage. So it was given a stir and with all hands on deck the painting was completed in about 45 minutes. 30 minutes later the small amount of paint left in the tin was solid like plastic, hence the reason for the strict time instructions.

I have never seen anything like that stuff since but the dipping plant is still in the workshop where it was installed although no longer used, The dipping agent is probably banned from use nowadays!

a lot of good comments and no wild stuff.

I work for a paint manufacturer (not dulux) and it is true you get what you pay for, and some of the stuff is damm expensive due to the R&D and investment in new products and materials used in it to be more eco friendly, a classic example of the acrylic paints now supplied, not as brilliant white as solvent on inital application but it stays whiter for longer whilst the other will yellow over time.

I think i can say 'what is it you need to do with the wood?', i.e. will it be indoors, in the dry, in the damp, outside abused or ornamental. You can use as mentioned above old emulsion leftovers and do work well for a lot of my stuff where i just use to protect it and then paint over with chosen end product. If you want it to last and be outside then some of the wood products available are really good, and they can be a good value as you can go to large chain DIY who will always have offers on for one company or another and lot if it these days comes down to brand loyalty.

just a 2p if it helps