Choosing the Right Paint: What I Actually Recommend and Why

Roger shares honest advice on choosing paint for your home, including why Lick and Neptune are worth considering, when Dulux is the right call, and what every DIYer should know before opening a tin.

I've walked into a lot of rooms where someone has spent good money and come away disappointed. Nine times out of ten the paint wasn't the problem. When people ask me what they should use I'm happy to advise, but choices have consequences. The finish you get is directly connected to the decisions made before a brush touches the wall. This is what I'd want you to know.

The Two Brands I Reach For on Considered Work

Over the past few years two brands have genuinely raised what I expect from paint: Lick and Neptune. Both sit at a higher price point than standard trade paint. Both earn it.

Lick is built around coverage. The pigment is dense enough that it goes on with a consistency closer to cream cheese than emulsion: smooth, controlled, no dragging. The colour range is broad and the choices are solid, and in many cases one coat does what two would with a standard paint. That matters because labour is always the biggest cost on any decorating job in Hertfordshire or anywhere else. A paint that saves half a day's work more than covers the difference in price.

Neptune occupies a different space. It belongs in rooms being properly invested in, with colours built to age well rather than follow what's fashionable right now. A recent chimney breast job in Hertfordshire in Neptune's Honed Slate looked alarmingly dark on first application. Within an hour it had settled into something deep and quiet that a standard emulsion simply cannot produce. That kind of finish isn't accidental. It's what the product is designed to do.

Where to get them if you're in Hertfordshire or North West London

Lick is more accessible than people expect. A good selection is available in store at B&Q in Watford, Enfield, New Southgate and Staples Corner, worth a visit if you want to see the colours before committing. For the full range order direct from lick.com; standard delivery runs two to three working days. For Neptune, the nearest stockist to Hertfordshire is Amersham, worth the trip for a considered project, and they also deliver direct.

Dulux: Still a Solid Choice, Just Not the Only One

Dulux genuinely does a good job. It still does. Consistent coverage, widely available, competitively priced. For a lot of decorating jobs in Hertfordshire and North West London it's exactly the right call and I'll use it when it makes sense. But it isn't the only option and for rooms where the finish really matters there are better choices now. If your decorator recommends it without mentioning anything else, it's worth asking whether they know what else is out there. A good tradesperson gives you options and explains the reasoning. The decision is always yours.

Three Things Worth Knowing If You're Doing It Yourself

Not every job needs a professional painter and decorator. If you're taking it on yourself, these are the things I'd want you to know before you open a tin.

1. The preparation is the job. The painting is just the end of it. Most DIY paint jobs fail before the tin is opened. Dust, grease, filler that hasn't been properly sanded back; paint sits on top of all of it and within months it tells you. Bubbling, flaking, patchy finish. The wall was never ready. Wipe every surface down. Sand back anything raised. Fill hairline cracks, let them dry, sand them flat. It feels like the boring bit. It's actually the bit that decides how long everything lasts.

Worth knowing when you're getting quotes too. If a price looks a lot lower than everything else you've had in, ask yourself what's been left out. Preparation takes time and time costs money. A decorator who isn't pricing for it isn't doing it, and you'll see that within a year. You won't have overpaid. But you'll be disappointed and you'll be paying again sooner than you should. The most expensive isn't always the best. But the cheapest rarely is either.

2. Think about the whole room, not just the walls. New paint can do the opposite of what you hoped if the rest of the room is tired. Fresh walls don't lift everything else. They show up everything that hasn't been touched. A grubby ceiling. Skirting boards that have seen better days. The whole room needs to be thought about together: walls, ceiling, woodwork, even the furniture you're keeping. If you're only doing the walls, make sure the rest of the room can carry it. Otherwise you've spent money and the room still doesn't look right.

3. The finish matters as much as the colour. Matt paint hides imperfections. It doesn't bounce light around so bumps and uneven patches stay where they are. Most walls in most homes aren't perfectly smooth, so matt is usually the safer choice. Silk and eggshell are tougher and easier to wipe down which makes them right for kitchens, hallways, anywhere that gets knocked about. But on an uneven wall they catch the light and show you every lump. Pick the wrong finish and the colour won't save it.

The Bottom Line

The price difference between a standard emulsion and something like Lick or Neptune is real. So is the difference in what you get. Better coverage means fewer coats. Fewer coats means less time. Less time means the labour cost (always the largest number on any decorating invoice) comes down. In most cases the maths are closer than people expect, and the finish isn't close at all. If you're investing in a room, invest in what goes on the walls.

If you want quality work from someone who cares about what he leaves behind: get in touch. I'll look at the job in its entirety, not just the walls in isolation, and give you an honest assessment of what it actually needs.