I’m a professional decorator, but this week in lockdown I’ve been painting my own bedroom. I’ve been using Hanford & Green.
I’d never heard of them to be honest, but I was keen to give it a bash. I was sent some acrylic matt and some acrylic satin from Mike Cupit on the Decorators Forum UK in return for my honest opinions on the brand. This is my Hanford & Green review.
Hanford & Green Acrylic Matt Review
So, let’s look at the acrylic matt. It’s marketed as “great opacity & durability.” Only time will tell about its durability claim. This is an interior durable emulsion for walls and ceilings. You can buy it in white, or any colour from Hanford and Green’s range. Touch dry in an hour, recoat after around three hours. You can brush, spray or roll this paint.
From the tub, it has great flow, if a tad thin perhaps. Some decorators like their emulsion thinner; I prefer it thick. I wasn’t blown away with the opacity to be honest, however, it did cover comfortably in two coats over an off-white that was very dirty. I’d put it in the same opacity level as Tikkurila Anti=Reflex 2 – not fantastic, but OK. It cut in great and rolled well with an Oldfields and microfiber 12-inch roller with minimal orange peel effect. It’s on the expensive side. I believe it’s £55.50 for 5 litres in white. Too much really.
Hanford and Green Acrylic Satin Review
Now let’s talk about the acrylic satin. The opacity is as good as any of the typical “off-the-shelf” water-based acrylic satins. It flows beautifully off the brush! Recoat time is around four hours, meaning you can apply multiple coats in a day. The instructions say there is no need for an adhesion primer, but I didn’t want to risk it.
I put it over old oil-based gloss with a coat of Whitsons serving as a primer/undercoat. It looks great and is very white. I’d definitely consider using it as my regular water-based satin. I found the Hanford & Green satinwood fantastic, if I’m honest. I just wish it was on the shelf at my local trade centre. And that’s the problem with all these new paints – they simply don’t have the availability or distribution of the big brands.
Not everyone can or wants to mail order their paint five days before the job. What if you miscalculated the job and need 1L or 2.5 litres to finish and have to wait four days for gear? HMG are in the same boat: fantastic paint! Have to order it because nowhere really sells it off the shelf! So it kind of pushes it to the back of your mind when pricing up jobs. However, that doesn’t change the fact the acrylic satin from Hanford & Green is mighty impressive.
Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss Review
Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss is interior & Exterior, ultra-tough, water-based paint with a Class 1 scrub rating. Unlike oil-based paints, this will not fade. Self-undercoating, even on previously painted surfaces.
Physical Properties
Sheen level 80% (high gloss)
Coverage – Up to 20m2 per litre.
Touch dry in 20 mins and recoat in 1 hour.
Class 1 scrub Description
It is hard to find a water-based gloss which isn’t a hybrid. However, Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss is a fully water-based paint. I was very keen to get started and put it to a good test.
Firstly, I painted it on a wood sample against a leading water-based paint brand, Caparol Pu Gloss. I left the two paints to cure for 21 days so I could test their durability.
My second test was in my airing cupboard as the architrave was very yellow. I thought this would be great to test the adhesion between the Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss and old oil-based paint (something most water-based paints struggle with).
Application
Hanford and Green gloss is thicker than the other brands I’m used to, but I wanted to test the product as it comes. Application was by brush and roller and it worked well. It went on easily and laid off brilliantly.
The Durability of Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss
Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss was a lovely paint to work with. It really flows well off your brush. Its drying time and recoat time are very impressive. The second coat flows as nicely as the first, even after only 1 hour drying time. This is brilliant for a trim product!!
For the durability test I used a non-permanent pen, curry and black rubber boot. The food was left on the gloss for 1 hour before removal. All stains wiped off with a cloth, but a soapy scrub was required to remove some marks. However, the gloss still looked solid after this. I’m confident this is a durable product.
The Adhesion of Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss
I hand sanded the yellow architrave with 120 grade sandpaper and applied the gloss without the use of an undercoat. It was solid after two coats and looked awesome. After 24 hours I tried to scratch it off and it did not move.
My only negative is, although the paint flows very well, the overall finish is not as good as other brands. Brush marks are clearly visible. You can achieve the perfect finish when using Hanford & Green Acrylic High Gloss, but you need to thin the product before use.
This sounds remarkably like Andura – same four acrylic finishes with one hour recoat time.
Incidentally, when reading a review of Andura the likeness to the long gone Mythic was mentioned. Open a part used tin of Andura after six months and it stinks just like Mythic did plus it keeps separating as you use it.
Hi David, it is similar to Andura! We manufacture both products, but they are slightly different formulas and designed for different markets. H+G is aimed more towards the commercial jobs.
In terms of a smell coming from part used tins, that is usually just a sign of contamination. Often caused by the tin not being re-sealed properly or working straight from the tin rather than decanting into a kettle.
That said, if there ever is a product issue like that we’ll always replace it under the warranty terms and conditions.