Dulux Trade is reporting a significant shift in buying behavior from trade professionals with sales of water-borne paint up and solvent-borne paints down across the total paint market in 2018. The latest market data to the end of 2018 shows a rise of 13% in the sales of water-borne paint year-on-year twinned with a decline in sales of solvent-borne paints by 3%. The surge in sales reflects the significant improvements to water-borne formulations that have been achieved by the research and development teams at manufacturers, including AkzoNobel, as they identify sustainable solutions that don’t compromise on the quality of the finish. “The science and technology behind water-borne paints has come a long way in the last few years. Now, our focus is on upskilling the trade to be able to get the best out of these products when they’re on the job. Commercial specifiers and homeowners are becoming increasingly aware of the sustainable alternatives that are available to them when specifying for a project – this shift is going to continue and the trade needs to be ready,” explained Karen Wilkinson, Dulux Trade Lead at AkzoNobel. The new water-borne formulations are durable, quick drying, none (or less) yellowing, low odour and easy to clean from used brushes and equipment. The shift in market is indicative of the increasing number of specifiers making a switch to specifying water-borne paints to comply with Green Building Standards such as BREEAM, LEED and The Well Building Standard. “Our recently launched water-borne Dulux Trade Diamond Satinwood has great flow and can be applied using a range of techniques including spray, allowing trade professionals to achieve a high quality finish in a fraction of the time. It is also very durable, offering excellent stain and grease resistance, which means it is particularly beneficial for woodwork in high traffic areas such as corridors, stairways and internal doors, and is non-yellowing for long-lasting whiteness, so every job can be finished with brilliance,” added Wilkinson. “We expect sales of water-borne paints to rise again over the next twelve months as product innovation continues with new advances in formulation technology, and more and more specifiers and decorators become aware of the benefits, gaining the confidence to switch to water-borne for good,” she concluded.