The trick that paint pricing plays on most home buyers is to confuse "more expensive" with "more paint per coat." It isn't, mostly. The cheap end of the market needs three or four coats to cover, which means you buy three times as much paint, spend three times as long painting, and end up with a finish that marks the first time the dog brushes against it. The expensive end of the market gives you two-coat coverage and a wipeable finish — but most of the price above £25/litre is paying for colour curation and design heritage rather than meaningfully better paint.
The honest pivot point sits somewhere around £25/litre. Below that and you start paying for the saving in coats and labour. Above that and you're buying into a brand identity, which is fine if that's what you want.
What you're actually paying for at each price tier
Coverage. Premium paints cover in one to two coats. Cheap paints often need three or four. The total paint required and the labour time often makes "expensive" paint cheaper per finished room.
Durability and washability. Premium paints handle washing without damage. Cheap paints mark easily and the marks don't come off cleanly.
Colour range and accuracy. Premium brands like Farrow & Ball and Little Greene curate their ranges carefully — distinctive matte finishes, signature colours that have been mixed for decades. UK households who care about specific designer palettes pay for that, and they get what they paid for.
VOC levels. Modern paints are generally low-VOC. Older formulations and cheaper imports vary. Worth checking if you're painting a child's room or a small enclosed space.
The brands worth knowing
Dulux Diamond Easycare at £25-£30/litre. The mainstream premium pick. Strong coverage in two coats, durable, widely available, broad colour range. 5L tubs at £100-£140. The brand I'd point most UK households towards by default.
Crown Trade at £20-£28/litre. Trade-quality paint sold to UK consumers via specific retailers. Often slightly cheaper than Dulux for similar quality. Worth checking if you're doing a larger project where the per-litre saving compounds.
Farrow & Ball at £40-£55/litre. Heritage paint brand. Curated colour palette of around 150 colours, distinctive matte finishes that have a particular look you'll recognise immediately. Premium pricing reflects design positioning more than functional superiority. Best for households where the specific Farrow & Ball palette is the reason to buy. Don't pay this premium for general painting.
Little Greene at £40-£55/litre. Higher-end paint brand similar in positioning to Farrow & Ball. Excellent colour range, strong durability, slightly different design language.
Wickes own-brand and Leyland Trade at £12-£20/litre. DIY retailer own-brand and trade-grade paints. Genuinely good for the price tier — not as durable as Dulux but adequate for most home painting, especially for rooms you'll repaint inside five years anyway.
The decision matrix in plain English
For most UK adults painting a typical room: Dulux Diamond Easycare at £25/litre. The premium over Wickes own-brand pays back in fewer coats and longer durability — and "fewer coats" is mostly fewer Saturdays.
For UK adults specifically wanting heritage or curated colours: Farrow & Ball or Little Greene. Pay the premium with eyes open about what you're paying for. The paint isn't dramatically better; the colour palette is.
For UK landlords or volume painters: Crown Trade or Leyland Trade at trade prices. Functional paint for functional purposes.
For bathrooms and kitchens specifically: Dulux Easycare Kitchen or Easycare Bathroom at £28-£35/litre. Mould resistance and humidity tolerance worth the small premium over standard Diamond.
For exterior masonry and weather-exposed surfaces: Sandtex for masonry, Dulux Weathershield for trim and wood. Don't try to use interior paint outside.
What I'd swerve: the cheapest £8-£12/litre supermarket-brand paints. Coverage is poor, you'll use double the paint, you'll spend double the time, and the finish doesn't last.
Tools that pay back over the lifetime of a paintbrush
Paint quality matters, but cheap brushes and rollers undermine even good paint:
- Quality 2.5" or 4" rollers — Hamilton or Harris at £15-£25 each
- Microfibre roller covers — leave less texture than cheap polyester
- Quality angle brush — Purdy or Wooster at £15-£20
- Decent extension pole — £15-£25
- Painter's tape (Frog Tape specifically) — significantly better than generic masking tape; doesn't bleed or pull paint off
Total tool kit comes in around £80-£120 once. Lasts years if you clean them properly after each use, which most people don't, which is why most people's brushes are terrible.
Affiliate disclosure: Morningfold has affiliate partnerships with several UK paint and DIY retailers. See editorial standards.