Little Greene Traditional Oil Gloss Review

Little Greene are a premium paint and wallpaper manufacturer, who pride themselves on their expertise and knowledge of historical decorating styles and materials – hence their partnership with the National Trust, with whom they work on both paint colours and formulations, and wallpaper designs. They are a UK-based, family-run business.

In my role as a professional decorator, I get to use Little Greene products a fair bit.  Being at the more premium end of the price scale they’re not for everyone, but the quality is generally superb, so some clients are happy to pay a bit more.

One family I work for – who live in a 125 year-old house – have had Little Greene in almost every room I have painted for them, and they recently asked me to paint their wooden front door using Little Greene Traditional Oil Gloss, so I thought I’d share my experiences with you in the form of an honest review of the product.

Little Greene Traditional Gloss – Product Details

• Described as extremely hard-wearing and high sheen (also as “ideal for front doors”, which is handy!), the product is made using natural vegetable oils.
• Use on primed wood- or metal-work, inside or out.
• Available in the full range of Little Greene colours.
• Available in 1L or 2.5L tins.
• Oil-based (clean using white spirit).
• Gloss level – 85% (high sheen).
• Coverage – approx. 16m² per litre.
• Drying time – touch dry in 4 hours, recoat in 16 hours.
• Recommended system: On previously painted surfaces, new softwood and metal surfaces, prime with Little Greene ASP.  For hardwood, use Little Greene Aluminium Primer.  Follow with two coats of Traditional Oil Gloss.
• Where to buy: Available from a wide range of stockists. Click here to see online prices.

Little Greene Traditional Oil Gloss In Use

A quick word about the primer first.  The front door needed a lot of prep, so the Intelligent ASP (“All Surface Primer”) went over a combination of bare wood, previously painted wood, and filler.

The gloss itself is what you would expect from a traditional oil-based gloss.  It’s slightly thicker than some, so you could do with a stiffer brush to help push it around – something like Hamilton Perfection Clean Edge brushes (I prefer the firm ones for a job like this) are ideal.

They use modern synthetic filaments but have been specifically designed to work with “sticky” paints such as oil-based gloss.  But despite the thicker consistency, the Little Greene gloss still flows really nicely, so brush marks aren’t a problem, and it’s not overly “drippy”.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t an “everyday” paint. It’s a premium product that delivers a premium finish. Because of the price point it’s not the sort of paint you’d use for council flats or a rental property.  But for a “wow” feature – be it a front door, an item of furniture, or if you want to make the skirting and picture rails the heroes in a room – this is a very nice paint to use.

And Little Greene’s range of colours make it an ideal choice for older properties especially.  So a paint I’d be more than happy to use again, in the right situation. Click here to see online prices.

Review Summary