Frequently asked questions

  • Most Common Questions

    • How much paint will I need?

      We have created a handy coverage calculator to help you work out how many square metres and therefore paint we think you will require. Click here.

    • What paint finish do I need?

      We have created a handy finish chooser tool to help you better understand which finish you need for your project. Click here.

    • How much does your paint cost?

      Please find our price list here.

    • How much is delivery?

      Paint orders

      £5.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      Sample orders

      Up to 4 sample pots: £3.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      More than 4 sample pots: £5.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      Colour cards and painted sheets: posted via Royal Mail 2nd class FREE.

      Fandeck: £3.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      *Whilst the ‘next working day service’ through our third party courier is very reliable, it is not a guaranteed service so please bear this in mind when placing your order, ensuring you allow plenty of time before you need to to start your next project.  Orders placed before 1pm Monday-Friday will be made and despatched same day.

      **Delivery charges and timescales for islands, remote UK postcodes or locations outside of the UK will vary.

    • What size are your sample pots?

      Sample pots are hand poured and come in 100ml tins.

    • Do I need a primer?

      Generally, painting virgin wood will not require a primer.  Painting over surfaces like metal, unstable surfaces or surfaces previously painted with an oil-based product are common examples of when a primer is required.  For further advice on when to use a primer, please refer to our fact sheet.

    • Are your paints low in VOCs?

      In short, yes!  All of our finishes are water-based and low in VOC.

      All Fenwick & Tilbrook finishes are in the lowest three categories: TRACE (Pure Matt and Claypaint), MINIMAL (Pure Matt Plus, Masonry) and LOW (Eggshells and Primer).  The Pure Matt Plus is our scrubbable emulsion which has earned a class 1 scrub rating.  This finish has less than 0.2g per litre of VOCs which is very low for  a class 1 scrub rated product.

      When it comes to eggshells, the VOC levels are higher (whilst still in the LOW category for VOC reporting), and this is because of the ingredients required to make the ingredients bind together well and create a durable film.  We could reformulate to bring these levels down, but then we strongly believe we’d be compromising on quality, causing customers to redecorate more quickly – which also comes with environmental impacts.  Using a durable paint that is designed to last should also be a big factor in deciding which paint to choose.

      For more detailed VOC data, please refer to the individual technical data sheets.

  • Shipping, Delivery & Returns

    • What shipping methods are available?

      For addresses within the UK*, our delivery service is operated by a third party fully tracked courier service.  This is a next working day service**, and whilst extremely reliable, is not guaranteed.

      Colour cards and painted sheets are delivered via Royal Mail 2nd Class post.

      *Delivery timescales for islands, remote UK postcodes or locations outside of the UK will vary.

      **Whilst the ‘next working day service’ through our third party courier is very reliable, it is not a guaranteed service so please bear this in mind when placing your order, ensuring you allow plenty of time before you need to to start your next project.

    • How soon will I have my paint?

      Orders placed before 1pm Monday-Friday will be made and despatched same day for delivery the next working day for UK mainland addresses*.

      This is a next working day service offered by our third party tracked courier service, and whilst extremely reliable, is not a guaranteed service, so please bear this in mind when placing your order, ensuring you allow plenty of time before you need to to start your next project.

      If you require a more urgent delivery than this (such as a Saturday delivery), please call us.

      *Delivery timescales for islands, remote UK postcodes or locations outside of the UK will vary.

    • How much is delivery?

      Paint orders

      £5.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      Sample orders

      Up to 4 sample pots: £3.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      More than 4 sample pots: £5.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      Colour cards and painted sheets: posted via Royal Mail 2nd class FREE.

      Fandeck: £3.95 for tracked courier delivery (next working day service) to the mainland UK*

      *Whilst the ‘next working day service’ through our third party courier is very reliable, it is not a guaranteed service so please bear this in mind when placing your order, ensuring you allow plenty of time before you need to to start your next project.  Orders placed before 1pm Monday-Friday will be made and despatched same day.

      **Delivery charges and timescales for islands, remote UK postcodes or locations outside of the UK will vary.

    • Do you ship Internationally?

      Yes, International delivery is available on orders via the website.  Alternatively, if you would rather discuss your requirements with a member of the team, please call us on +44 (0)1362 684125 or send us an email to request an international shipping quotation.

    • How do I track my order?

      All paint orders are fully trackable via the courier’s website. Our courier will send you an email or SMS when your order has been shipped.

    • If I order too much, can I return the unopened tins?

      All Fenwick & Tilbrook paint is made to order and therefore cannot be returned. If a customer wishes to return un-tinted Multi-Surface Primer we will reimburse for the paint costs.  You will however be expected to cover all delivery costs involved in returning the primer to us.

  • Placing an order and Payment

    • How do I place an order?

      If you wish to browse and purchase samples (either sample pots or sheets), head over to our ORDER SAMPLES page and simply add your favourite colours to your basket.  Alternatively, if you know which colour you would like, either find it listed in the shop > ALL COLOURS section or type the colour name into the search bar and select the appropriate finish and tin size before adding to your basket.

    • How much paint will I need?

      We have created a handy coverage calculator to help you work out how many square metres and therefore paint we think you will require. Click here.

    • What paint finish do I need?

      We have created a handy finish chooser tool to help you better understand which finish you need for your project. Click here.

    • Will I need to do two coats?

      Whilst our paint is thick and, in many colours, covers well after just one coat, we would advise applying 2 coats. On occasion, very bright colours may require a third coat.

    • What sizes does your paint come in?

      All of our paints are available, made to order, in 1 litre, 2.5 litre and 5 litre tins.

    • Do I need an account to place an order?

      No, you can simply check out as a guest if you don’t wish to set up an account with us.

    • Is buying online safe?

      Yes, absolutely.  We use market leader Opayo (formerly known as SagePay) to process our payments and never store card details on our server.

    • Do you keep a record of old orders?

      Yes, we hold previous order data on our system so if you can not remember what colour or finish you had last time, just drop us an email or give us a call.

    • Which payment methods do you accept?

      We accept all standard credit and debit cards with the exception of American Express.

    • How do I cancel or change my order?

      All Fenwick & Tilbrook paint is made to order, so we start working on your order almost immediately once the transaction is completed, so it’s unlikely that we can make amends to paint orders once you have placed your order. We can accept changes to a delivery address provided the delivery hasn’t already left us.  Please call us on 01362 684125 or send us an email quoting your order number and the new delivery details and we’ll do our best to action this request in time. Alternatively use our contact form here.

       

       

    • How much does your paint cost?

      Please find our price list here.

  • Paint colours and samples

    • Do you sell sample pots?

      Sample Pots are available in all colours and are supplied in our most popular finish, Pure Matt Plus, our most durable emulsion.  This finish has a 3% sheen and is perfect for walls in all areas of the home.

      We would advise painting the colour onto lining paper (or similar) and not directly onto the wall.  This allows you to move the colour around the room at different times of day to best understand the colour appearance in different light.

    • What size are your sample pots?

      Sample pots are hand poured and come in 100ml tins.

    • What is your brightest, whitest, white?

      Whilst we have lots of whites, Avocet is the brightest, whitest of our whites.

    • What is your blackest black?

      Oystercatcher is our blackest black.

    • Can you recommend complimentary colours?

      Yes – we have suggested colour schemes on the colour pages of our website and our colour card layout is designed to help suggest complimentary colours, particularly important when planning a neutral colour scheme.

      We also have a new colour scheme creator tool on our website, allowing you to see colours from our ranges together, share with friends and very simply add painted sheets and sample pots for these schemes to your basket.

    • Do you offer colour advice?

      We are always happy to suggest colours via our sales@fenwickandtilbrook.com email address or on the telephone too. If we are very busy, we will always take your number and ring you back.  For more detailed advice, we offer colour consultancy packages.  Please contact Anna, our trained colour consultant to find out more.

    • Can I order archived colours?

      Yes – archive or special edition colours may not be on our current colour card, but we will always keep the formulation to ensure we can continue to make these colours long into the future.

    • Will the colours shown on the free colourcard or website be accurate enough to order from?

      Our free printed colour card is produced using the lithographic printing process (which, unlike paint, only uses four colours CMYK – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black). We would advise choosing a painted sheet or sample pot to see the actual paint before placing an order.

      In terms of the colours on our website – most screens will just represent colours using the closest RGB (Red, Green & Black) reference, which is not an accurate match to the many different pigments used in our paint colours. We would advise choosing a painted sheet or sample pot to see the actual paint before placing an order.

  • Ethics & VOCs

    • Are your paints cruelty free?

      At Fenwick & Tilbrook, we do not support animal testing.  All our paints are free from any animal products and we continually strive to always source the highest quality materials with both environmental and ethical values in mind.

    • Are your paints low in VOCs?

      In short, yes!  All of our finishes are water-based and low in VOC.

      All Fenwick & Tilbrook finishes are in the lowest three categories: TRACE (Pure Matt and Claypaint), MINIMAL (Pure Matt Plus, Masonry) and LOW (Eggshells and Primer).  The Pure Matt Plus is our scrubbable emulsion which has earned a class 1 scrub rating.  This finish has less than 0.2g per litre of VOCs which is very low for  a class 1 scrub rated product.

      When it comes to eggshells, the VOC levels are higher (whilst still in the LOW category for VOC reporting), and this is because of the ingredients required to make the ingredients bind together well and create a durable film.  We could reformulate to bring these levels down, but then we strongly believe we’d be compromising on quality, causing customers to redecorate more quickly – which also comes with environmental impacts.  Using a durable paint that is designed to last should also be a big factor in deciding which paint to choose.

      For more detailed VOC data, please refer to the individual technical data sheets.

  • Application & Technical

    • What paint finish do I need?

      We have created a handy finish chooser tool to help you better understand which finish you need for your project. Click here.

    • How much paint will I need?

      We have created a handy coverage calculator to help you work out how many square metres and therefore paint we think you will require. Click here.

    • What finish do I need for my bathroom or kitchen?

      Our Pure Matt Plus is a tough and fully washable, water-based flat matt emulsion that has earned a Class 1 wet scrub resistance rating. Ideally suited to bathroom and kitchen walls.  For poorly ventilated bathrooms prone to condensation, it may be worth considering our Interior Eggshell which has a 10% sheen and is highly moisture resistant.

    • What is the difference between pure matt and pure matt plus?

      Our Pure Matt Plus is a tough and fully washable, water-based flat matt emulsion that has earned a Class 1 wet scrub resistance rating. Ideally suited to walls in busy family homes, high traffic areas, bathroom and kitchen walls.  Our Pure Matt is slightly more matt but wipeable, not washable.  For further information, please refer to our technical data sheets.

    • Do you have a satin emulsion?

      Our emulsions are both matt but we do have an Interior Eggshell which has a 10% sheen and an Exterior Eggshell with is a 20% sheen – both perfectly suitable for plaster walls.

    • Do you offer a gloss finish?

      No – our Exterior Eggshell has the highest sheen level of our finishes. This has a 20% satin sheen.

    • Do you offer a floor paint?

      Our Exterior Eggshell can be used on wooden floors – however, it is not an industrial grade floor paint.

    • Can I paint over filler?

      Painting seamlessly over a filler can be tricky because the porosity of the filler is different to the wall, meaning the paint will be absorbed differently. Using a watered down first coat over the filled area can help prevent this. It’s important to make sure your filler is compatible with water-based paint.  Before painting over the top – prepare the area by sanding it down. If the filler is uneven, this is going to show up through the paint.

    • What is a mist coat?

      A mist coat is a watered down (water-based) emulsion. Applied to bond onto new (fully dried) plaster creating a perfect surface for your topcoats.  for further information, please refer to our New Plaster fact sheet.

    • How do I get a good even finish with Claypaint?

      Please refer to our technical data sheet for claypaint application advice.

    • Do I need a primer?

      Generally, painting virgin wood will not require a primer.  Painting over surfaces like metal, unstable surfaces or surfaces previously painted with an oil-based product are common examples of when a primer is required.  For further advice on when to use a primer, please refer to our fact sheet.

    • What prep do I need to do on an exterior wall before using you Masonry Paint?

      The surface must be clean and free from any organic materials. For further information, please refer to our technical data sheet.

    • How can I apply your paint?

      Brush, roller or airless spray is suitable for all of our paint finishes. For more information, please refer to the technical data sheet for the relevant finish.

    • What is the best brush / roller to use?

      Mid to high quality synthetic brush / Medium pile quality roller sleeve (unless using claypaint for which we’d advise a short pile roller).

    • Do I need to wash my brushes in white spirit?

      No – all our finishes are water based and therefore require nothing more than clean water to wash brushes or roller sleeves.

    • Can I paint a radiator?

      Our Eggshell finishes (both interior and exterior) can be used to paint metal so long as the metal is prepared and primed.  Please refer to our technical data sheet for further information.

    • What do I use on lime plaster?

      Our Claypaint is an ultra-matt and highly breathable water-based paint finish, specifically designed to be applied to lime plastered walls.

    • What is the SD value of your Claypaint?

      Our Claypaint has been externally tested (BS EN ISO 7783) and has an SD value of 0.02m

    • Do your paints contain anti-fungal properties for use in bathrooms?

      Yes, they all contain a preservative with anti-fungal and antiseptic properties.

    • How durable is your emulsion?

      Our Pure Matt Plus is a class 1 scrub rated washable emulsion, meaning it wears well, is easy clean and stands the test of time. An independent scrub test has been carried out, and as with all scrub tests, it is undertaken once the paint has fully cured (which is after 28 day).

    • How long do I need to wait between coats?

      Please refer to the technical data sheet for the correct interval time between coats for the specific finish you are using.

    • Can I touch up my wall at a later date?

      We do not recommend touching up small areas as it can sometimes be visible, even when painting from the same tin. Touching or feathering-in is possible but can often have disappointing results so it is best practice to repaint the area break to break.

  • Quality Control

    • What makes your paint high quality?

      We only use the very best ingredients and have based the formulation on our expert knowledge of creating long lasting, extremely durable paint. Our pigment rich colours have a very high opacity, so it offers superior coverage and is easy to apply. We make each tin fresh to order too so it has not been sitting on a shelf for months.

    • If I buy more next month will the colour be the same?

      Every effort is made to maintain colour consistency. However, many of our ingredients are naturally occurring and may vary slightly over time.

    • Do you keep a record of old orders?

      Yes, we hold previous order data on our system so if you can not remember what colour or finish you had last time, just drop us an email or give us a call.

    • How long will the paint last?

      If preparation and application are carried out correctly, all Fenwick & Tilbrook paints have exceptional durability and longevity. Dependent upon use, weather conditions and the substrate, we would expect your paint to last for many years.