Times are Changing! Go back 20 years and Crown, Dulux and Johnstone’s were the only paint merchants most Professional Decorators had accounts with. Then independent stores like PaintWell (then Bromborough) and The Paint Shed came along and drove prices down.
Now we’ve got online merchants driving down prices even further! Online paint shops that don’t need to factor in the cost of multiple shops, account managers, store assistants etc when setting their prices.
Accounts with online merchants are easy to set up, and a lot of the time, as a Professional Decorator, the prices you get through an online account will smash those at a physical store. Even if you want to stick to using a physical store, you may as well set up your online accounts for price comparison, or to get specialist paint products when you need to.
I thought it might be useful if I listed some of the best online paint merchants for Decorators to have accounts with.
Decorating Centre Online Pro
Decorating Centre Online has a huge range of trade products (that might be an understatement, it’s vast). Their website is open to anybody, but their trade accounts entitle professionals to very competitive prices.
Another plus point of using Decorating Centre Online Pro is their colour matching ability. They’re renowned for being experts in colour, so getting a Farrow and Ball colour matched into a trade brand is no issue at all.
Trade Secrets UK
Trade Secrets UK cover all the modern brands like Benjamin Moore, Caparol, Smith and Rodger, Tikkurila, HMG, Dassy and more. These are the type of products that you might not find in a lot of the physical stores, so it’s handy to have an online account you can order from when you need to.
Again, having a trade account will entitle you to trade discount, making Trade Secrets very competitive.
Rawlins Paints
Rawlins cover all your specialist and industrial coatings. Great if you carry out that sort of work on a regular basis, or you cover domestics, and you want a safety net for when you’re asked for something a little bit specialist. Their tech team is great when you need advice on a product you have never had experience with in the past. They’re the only supplier in the country to have a tinting machine for Maston 2K sprays too.
Rawlins have teamed up with Hokodo, which means that as well as a trade discount, you can also get credit from them.
Tikkurila ProClub
Everyone knows Tikkurila! You can pick their paint products up from hundreds of independent merchants now. Having a Pro Account with them online gives you access to their entire range of products, as well as trade pricing.
TopDec Decorating Supplies
Most Decorators that use Facebook Forums know who TopDec Decorating Supplies is. It’s another online merchant who supplies modern products. They’ve got a vast array of brushes, rollers and paint products.
TopDec’s online account is called Trade Club. It’s quick and easy to join, and entitles you to trade discount on certain products.
The Paint Shed Pallet Deals
I thought I’d include The Paint Shed for a couple of reasons; Firstly, they sell hundreds of trade brands at good prices. Secondly, because they make it nice and easy to get a discount on large orders.
If you’re a Pro Decorator and have a big job on, you probably need a large quantity of paint in one go. All you need to do is fill out a quick form on The Paint Shed website. They will look at it, and come back to you with a heavily discounted pallet price.
Eclipse Wallcoverings
Eclipse is the UK’s largest supplier of Fibre Glass wallcoverings and wall liners in the UK, which is perfect if you work on commercial projects, or communal areas. They can also sauce most wallpapers.
I always think it’s good to support small independent merchants like Eclipse. If you have a wallpapering job of any size, it’s probably worth emailing them on sales@eclipse-wallcoverings.co.uk and asking them for a price, or even passing their details onto your client.
Next Day Paint
You can’t get a trade account with Next Day Paint, but I thought I’d mention them anyway. This is another online merchant who specialise in trade paint. Their prices are reasonable, and they have a huge range of brands. This includes tools as well as paint.
It’s quick and easy to order from them, and you generally receive your materials the next day.
Send me details as iam painter & Decorater been in business for 40years , also prices of your products I do get my paint from brewers in Sunderland at the moment but looking to get paint from another supplier thanks te 07711064172