The Best Paint Brands Available in Ireland in 2025

Walk into any hardware shop in Carrickmacross or across Co. Monaghan and you’ll find shelves of paint at very different price points. The range runs from budget own-brand tins at a few euro a litre up to premium brands at €30 or more per litre. Is the expensive stuff worth it?

As a professional painter, I work with most of the major brands regularly. Here’s my honest assessment.

Why Paint Quality Matters

Cheap paint contains less pigment and uses a lower-quality binder — the ingredient that makes paint adhere to surfaces and hold its colour. The practical effects:

• Worse coverage — you’ll typically need more coats
• Shorter lifespan — colour fades faster, surface marks more easily
• More difficult to apply — cheap paint can be thinner and more prone to drips and lap marks
• Worse washability — especially important in kitchens, hallways, and children’s rooms

Premium paint costs more per litre but often uses fewer litres to achieve the same result. The difference in a quality job is significant.

Dulux

Best for: Trade and consumer applications, widely available, reliable quality

Dulux is probably the most widely used brand among professional painters in Ireland, and for good reason. Their trade ranges — particularly Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt and Dulux Trade Diamond Matt — offer excellent coverage, good durability, and consistent results.

The consumer Dulux range (available in DIY shops and most hardware stores) is good quality without being exceptional. If you’re painting yourself, it’s a solid and widely available choice.

Standout products:

• Dulux Trade Diamond Matt — highly durable, washable, great for family homes
• Dulux Trade Eggshell — reliable finish for woodwork
• Dulux Weathershield — the standard for exterior masonry in Ireland

Price range: €18-35 per 5 litre (trade), €25-50 per 5 litre (retail)

Crown

Best for: Value for money at professional quality

Crown Trade paints are used by a significant number of professional painters in Ireland and represent strong value. Their Breatheasy range is popular in domestic interiors because it’s low VOC (low odour), dries quickly, and gives a good finish.

The Crown Retail range, available in most builders’ merchants and hardware shops, is a step down from trade but still well above budget options.

Standout products:

• Crown Trade Breatheasy Matt — excellent for bedrooms and living rooms
• Crown Trade Quick Dry Eggshell — fast drying, low odour, good finish on woodwork

Price range: Similar to Dulux trade

Farrow & Ball

Best for: Colour depth, luxury interiors, design-conscious homeowners

Farrow & Ball is in a different category to most other paints — it’s a luxury product with a premium price to match. At €60-70+ per 2.5 litres, it’s not for everyone. But the colour range is genuinely extraordinary.

F&B colours have a depth and complexity that comes from high pigment loads and unique colour formulations. The same shade looks different at different times of day, which is why people who’ve used it tend to rave about it.

Coverage can be lower than Dulux or Crown, meaning you sometimes need more coats to achieve full opacity. Whether the result is worth the cost is a personal decision.

Best used for: Feature walls, period properties, premium home renovations, living rooms and bedrooms where colour is the focus.

Price range: €60-75 per 2.5 litres

Little Greene

Best for: A more accessible premium alternative to Farrow & Ball

Little Greene occupies a similar space to Farrow & Ball but with slightly better coverage and a more consistent finish. Their colour palette is expansive and includes some genuinely beautiful heritage shades.

Slightly less widely available in Ireland than F&B, but worth seeking out for a premium finish without quite as much of the cost penalty.

Price range: €45-65 per 2.5 litres

Zinsser

Best for: Problem surfaces, primers, stain blockers

Zinsser isn’t primarily a finish paint brand — it’s the professional’s choice for primers and specialist coatings. Their BIN shellac primer is the industry standard for blocking stains, nicotine, water damage, and other problem surfaces. If you have a problematic wall that keeps bleeding through paint, Zinsser BIN is usually the answer.

Their Bulls Eye 1-2-3 is an excellent multi-surface primer for new plaster, bare wood, and tricky surfaces.

Essential product: Zinsser BIN Primer Sealer for stain blocking before painting problem walls.

Brands to Avoid

Without naming individual products: very cheap own-brand emulsions from discount retailers should be avoided for anything you want to last. The saving on paint almost always costs more in additional coats, labour time, and earlier repainting.

What I Use

For most interior jobs in Carrickmacross and across Monaghan, I use Dulux Trade or Crown Trade ranges for walls and ceilings, with Crown or Dulux Trade eggshell for woodwork. For clients who want a more premium colour palette, I’ll use Farrow & Ball or Little Greene.

The finish coat choice connects closely to the number of coats needed — read our guide on how many coats of paint a room really needs and on choosing the right paint finish for each room for more detail.

For a full professional finish that takes advantage of the best products available, see our interior painting service.

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Looking for a professional painter in Carrickmacross or Co. Monaghan who uses quality materials? Call or WhatsApp Mark today: 0879197709. Free quotes on all interior painting work.