Our Top Tips for Greener Projects

Our low-VOC, water based paints and sustainably sourced wallpapers can start you off on the right foot for lessening the environmental impact of your decorating, but if you’d like to go that one step further, we’ve got some handy tips to help.

Between minimising waste, swapping harmful solvents for soapy water, and helping our recyclable tins reach their full potential, these little steps can make a big difference when it comes to taking a more environmentally conscious approach to your decorating projects.

Before

Let us do the maths

When embarking on a low waste decorating project, we can help you start as you mean to go on. Before you order paint, measure the area to be painted in square metres and check out our handy paint calculator. We also have guidance on calculating wallpaper quantities. If you’d like a hand figuring out how much paint or paper you need for your project, we’re happy to help – step in store to see us, or contact our Customer Services team.

During

Make it last

If your project is going to take several days, how you store your paint can make a big difference to its longevity, especially in changeable weather. When you’re not using your tins, try to keep them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, away from fluctuating temperatures and frost, to keep them at their best and avoid waste.

Cleaning up

You won’t need any strong solvents to get our paints out of your brushes, which means no harmful chemicals. When you’ve finishing painting, simply squeeze the excess off your brush and rinse with warm, soapy water.

After

Reuse

Sprucing up furniture pieces, adding accents to your wall colour, painting or papering the inside of a cupboard – there are lots of ways to get creative with leftovers. Check out our Inspiration pages for more.

Recycle

All of our tins are 100% recyclable, from the metal body – which can be reformed and reused infinitely – to the plastic handle. Just be sure to separate them first, and check with your local authority to see what recycling facilities are available in your area.

Donate

If family and friends are beginning any redecorating projects, why not offer up any paint you have left? If not, there are a number of community schemes that will accept leftover paint. Take a look online to see what’s operating in your area.