Crown Trade Paint Review

Mike Cupit

Ok, let’s talk about Crown Paint! Please note, I’m only going to review paint from Crown’s Trade range, which is available from Crown Decorating Centres, as it is much better quality than its retail counterpart. With that in mind, let me take you through my review of Crown as a whole, as well as a few of their mainstream products.

Crown Decorating Centre

Crown Decorating Centre is a trade counter which suppliers paint to both professional decorators and the DIY sector. In fact, out of the big three paint manufacturers, I’d say Crown Trade is best equipped to sell directly to the homeowner without the very expensive price tags. They provide some good products from several different brands. My advice to anyone wanting to use Crown Trade Centre is to just go in and have a chat with the manager. If you’re a professional you should convey exactly what you want out of them, what is most important and what you’re comfortable spending.

If you’re not a pro, I’d say you should talk about the actual job and what you hope to achieve. As previously stated, Crown Trade Centres hold a lot of different products from various brands so with a bit of guidance you may just end up with something that outperforms the product you originally had in mind. You can see more about what I think about the BIG 3 trade centers by clicking here.

There is a downside. Crown Trade Centre managers have a bit of leeway on pricing, so sometimes you end up paying a different price for the same product over two visits. Just keep an eye on what you spend each time.

Crown Trade Clean Extreme

I thought I’d start with the jewel in Crown’s Crown. The Clean Extreme is a durable emulsion which can be tinted into any colour from Crown’s vast range. It is available in a matt or eggshell finish, as well as having the options of added mold inhibitors, or anti-bacterial. It is by far Crown’s best product and it is cheaper than the Dulux or Johnstone’s alternatives. Full bodied, high opacity in colours, great finish and lovely to apply. Clean Extreme has been voted the best durable emulsion on the Decorators Forum several times over. You can read my full review here

Crown Clean Extreme gets a 9/10 from me

Crown Trade Vinyl Matt

Crown Trade Vinyl matt has a lovey matt finish to it. That might sound like a daft thing to say, but the sheen level on some other brands is an issue. I don’t think there’s a lot of polymer binders in the paint, meaning it can drag when you’re applying it and the overall finish is not very durable. Crown Trade Vinyl Matt is value for money though. Considering it is better than any retail vinyl matt, they deliver the product for a good price.

Crown Trade Vinyl Matt gets a 6 / 10. It isn’t very durable and there are better products out there.

Crown Trade Gloss

Crown Trade Gloss has a party trick! As you apply it the paint has an apple green tinge to it. As it dies it turns into a brilliant bright white. The flow is ok for gloss and the finish is fantastic. Oil-based gloss starts to discolour and go yellow within a few weeks of being applied. It isn’t a Crown problem; it happens with every brand. In my opinion the product is no longer fit for purpose. It is all down to the restrictions on the chemicals paint manufacturers are allowed to use.

I’m not going to score it. Crown Trade Gloss is one of the best oil-based gloss products on the market. Unfortunately, that isn’t saying a lot.

Crown Trade Satinwood

Crown Trade Satinwood does not come in a “brilliant white”, but that isn’t much of an issue as I feel a satinwood should be dull anyway. Opacity is bang on, as is the ease of use. You can add a little bit of white spirit to dilute this product and still get a solid finish in 2 coats over previously painted surfaces. This does everything it’s supposed to. You can read my full review here

I’ll give it a 9/10. You’ll be far stretched to find a better oil-based satinwood

Crown Trade Fastflow

Crown Trade Fastflow is Crown’s waterbased trim paint range (undercoat, satinwood and gloss). It is relatively easy to use if you follow the correct steps when applying the paint. Always ensure your brush is kept wet, proper prep has been carried out, you use the correct system and you wipe a surface down with a damp cloth as you’re applying the paint. Fast Flow is a hybrid so it will yellow over time, however it will stay white for years before you notice the difference. The gloss has a really nice sheen to it. It is a good product

Fast Flow gets an 8/10. I just with it was a fully waterbased system.

And that was my Crown Trade Paint review. I hope you found it useful