The sauces wiped off with ease and the pen needed a slight scrub with scotch brite. This test was done only after 4 hours of drying time and after the 1st coat as I wanted to give it a challenge. No visible marks were left on the wall after wiping or scrubbing.

My top tip: best results are achieved with proper preparation and the use of a quality roller – I personally recommend the Hamilton microfibre 12-15”. If you’re worried that this is going to make your surface look shiny, you don’t need to be. Most emulsions come in a flat or matt finish which essentially means you’ll be getting a pure, modern white look without the high sheen. How to Paint Using EmulsionAs you can see from the photos, I marked the walls with Tomato Ketchup (Heinz), mustard and a non-permanent pen. I felt this was a great way to review it’s durability. In my opinion, trade almost always trumps retail paint and that’s why 5 out of the 6 paints I’ve recommended in this guide are trade standard. Due to the fact that it’s mould resistant (I believe it contains a fungicide that inhibits the growth of mould), I would personally use this if your kitchen or bathroom struggles to extract moisture. I actually used this paint in my mother’s kitchen as she’s frequently boiling food on the hob and has a terrible extractor fan and it still looks great 3 years on. When it comes to trade wood and metal paints our choice of fast drying, non-drip and high gloss paint finishes come in a range of colours and are suitable for multiple uses. Albany Supercover offers exceptional quality and coverage. Despite a few minor issues, it’s a worthwhile choice, especially for transformations involving light shades over dark colours. It was my go-to before Covaplus, and it certainly holds a premium standard in my book.

Emulsion paint comes in various colours, usually pale or pastel. Our shortlisted Johnstone’s paint comes in 35 hues, while Dulux offers 30 shades other than the Pure Brilliant White tested here. So, to ensure our review is fair, we’ve chosen the same shade of paint for all three shortlisted products. MacPherson Eclipse is a flat emulsion that’s hugely popular with professional decorators with some refusing to use anything but this on ceilings. I have been asked to write a Johnstone’s Perfect Matt white review for the Decorators Forum UK. I have recently used the emulsion on a kitchen ceiling that was separated into two sections. So couldn’t really test it over a large ceiling for how it’s meant stop overlap marks and picture framing from occurring. Trade paint covers in fewer coats, has much better opacity and lasts much longer than retail paint. Those of a sensitive disposition should be aware emulsion paint contains chemicals that may trigger an allergic reaction. Dulux’s contribution to our shortlist includes the snappily-titled ‘ 5-Chlor-2-methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one’ and ‘ 2-Methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one’.

Popular Paints

It’s not the most durable paint on the market so really I would only recommend using it on ceilings but if that’s what you want it for, it’s well worth the money. For sheer diversity, it’s hard to look beyond Dulux’s range of emulsion paints. Although we’re reviewing the five-litre Pure Brilliant White Matt emulsion, it’s possible to get seven other finishes, from satin and silk to gloss and eggshell. You can buy 30ml tester pots and various tin sizes containing anything from 0.75 litres to five litres.