WITH so many paint options on the market, it’s tough finding a go-to brand to get me through my house renovation with minimal fuss.

I put Lick paint to the test and in this review will discuss its durability, finish, and coverage to help you make an informed decision for your next painting project, so let’s dive in.

10

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L

Pros:

• Excellent coverage and finish
• Matches sample perfectly
• Durable
• Thick
• Self-priming
• Doesn’t smell as strongly as other paints — low VOC
• Excellent finish with brush, roller, and sprayer

Cons:

• Not cheap
• Not as many colour options as some other brands

Rating: 5/5

How I tested

10

I have been renovating my 1950s house for a year now, and have spent more time with a paintbrush in my hand than I care to think about.

During that time, I’ve tested an array of paint brands, including (but not limited) to Dulux, GoodHome, Valspar, and Coat, and have been on the hunt for a paint brand I can rely on time and time again.

When testing Lick, I painted two rooms using three different hues of Lick paint — one dark, one medium, and one light.

Most of the paint was used on fresh plaster after it had been mist-coated, though I also sprayed my hideous built-in wooden wardrobes (which I can’t afford to replace yet), a radiator, my doors, and a tiled window sill.

I used paint brushes, rollers, and a paint gun to see how the Lick paint fared with each.

Quick summary

Lick was a pleasure to use from start to finish.

It arrived promptly and well packaged, was a dream to apply with all three methods I tested (though brush and roller trumped the sprayer for me), it dried quickly and the finish was spot-on.

I found the paint to have less odour than other paints I’ve tried; I also love that it’s resistant to scratches, wipeable, eco-friendly, and low VOC.

I have very little to say regarding cons for Lick, except that there are fewer colour options compared to some other brands.

This wasn’t too much of an issue for me as I can get overwhelmed by choice, but others may like to choose between subtle tones.

The only other downside was that it’s not cheap.

You can certainly find some cheaper paints, like those I’ve mentioned below, but I think Lick is an excellent price for its quality and I’ll 100% be using it again.

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L

Lick Paint: full review

First Impressions

10

The paint arrived well-protected in two big boxes, with the cans stacked neatly on top of one another.

The paint cans were sealed with tape and came with a branded stick for stirring which I thought was a classy touch.

Once I’d opened the cans and inspected the paint, I was impressed with how thick the paint seemed and noted that the colours were exactly as expected.

So far so good.

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L

Performance with a paint spray gun

10

I started painting the smaller of the two rooms, which I’d opted to colour drench in Blue 07 in a matt finish.

I decided to use the paint gun as I generally prefer the finish to that of a roller. However, I struggled to find Lick’s preferred dilution for a sprayer on its website.

I did find an article from its blog about diluting 30% for mist coats, so took an educated guess that it would need to be slightly thicker than that and diluted the paint by 20%.

I’d say this dilution worked well for the thickness of the paint as it provided good coverage, wasn’t drippy, and exited the gun with minimal splatter.

Despite coverage being good, it needed a second coat to cover any areas I’d missed and to be able to appreciate the full tone of the paint without the white mist coat peeking through.

This was expected though as Lick describes the paint as a “flawless finish in two coats”.

The paint went a lot further than I was expecting, and I was able to drench the ceiling, walls, door, radiator, and tiled window sill with roughly 800ml left over from the 5L I ordered.

I noticed that the smell of the paint was far less potent than the cheaper paint I’d used to mist-coat the room with, despite both claiming to be low VOC and low odour.

The finish of the paint on the numerous surfaces I used it on was excellent; I sprayed metal (radiator), wood (door) tile (window sill), and plaster (walls).

For anything that wasn’t the walls or ceiling, I simply gave the surface a light sanding and a clean, and the paint stuck to it beautifully.

10

10

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L

Performance with a roller and brush

10

For the larger of the two rooms, I chose Green 01 in Matt for the walls, and White 03 in Matt for the ceiling (and the pending skirting boards).

In order to be able to give my honest opinion on different methods of applying the paint, I chose to use a roller and paintbrush for this room.

After one coat of paint using the roller, the walls looked finished. I honestly debated whether or not to bother giving it a second coat, as it looked so good.

I decided to spray my aforementioned hideous built-in wardrobes, rather than roller them, as history has told me that this tends to result in a better finish.

The wardrobes required a second coat to achieve an even finish, so, in the end, I gave all the walls and ceiling a second coat with the roller too for good measure.

Like before, I gave the wardrobes a light sanding and a wipe-down before painting, and since the paint is self-priming (read Lick’s guide here) it resulted in a much-improved appearance with little effort.

I’m hoping that after I add some new handles and moulding, the wardrobes might actually look nice.

I found the paint dried really quickly, and even though I waited the recommended 2-4 hours between coats, it seemed to dry much faster than that.

I’ve been satisfied with the durability of the paint. My husband is incredibly clumsy and despite his best-unintended efforts to scratch it, it’s remained firmly unscathed weeks after painting.

Additionally, I’m really impressed with the colour. In far too many instances I’ve purchased paint based on a mini sample and found the hue to be completely different when dispensed from a larger can.

However, with Lick, the colour on the walls is identical to that of the sample stickers.

10

10

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L

How much is Lick paint?

Most Lick paint costs £45 for 2.5L regardless of whether it’s a Matt or Eggshell finish.

The only exception I could find is the Pure Brilliant White 00 which is £35 for 2.5L.

This makes it cheaper than other luxury paint brands such as Coat (£54 for 2.5L Flat Matt), Little Greene (£57.50 for 2.5L Absolute Matt), and Farrow & Ball (£54 for 2.5L Matt Emulsion).

However, it’s more expensive than popular DIY store brands such as Dulux (£22 for 2.5L Matt Emulsion), GoodHome (£14 for 2.5L Matt Emulsion), and Valspar (£37 for 2.5L Matt Emulsion).

Lick paint samples cost £2 for one, or £1.60 if you buy four or more.

10

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L

Where to buy Lick paint

Lick paint is available to purchase directly from the Lick website and from the B&Q website.

Not all B&Q shops have the paint in-store to purchase, but you can order it for next-day Click & Collect to all stores, even the ones it’s not stocked in.

LickPro, a version of Lick Paint geared more towards the needs of professional decorators and tradespeople, is also available from Screwfix.

Alternatives to Lick

In terms of quality, I would liken Lick to Coat paint. Both are highly pigmented, have lovely coverage, are eco-friendly and low VOC, and are generally enjoyable to use.

Out of the paint brands I’ve tried, those two are my favourites, and Lick is the more affordable of the two.

A cheaper option that I’ve heard excellent things about but have yet to try is Dulux Trade. The Vinyl Matt option is roughly £33 for a 2.5L tin.

Lick Paint review: the verdict

I loved using Lick Paint and will use it again when it comes to painting the multiplicity of other rooms in my house that need some TLC.

I preferred using a roller and paintbrush to a paint sprayer, as I found it gave better coverage on the first coat. Both methods gave excellent finishes though, so you can’t really go wrong with either.

One of the only ‘negatives’ I could think of was the price point, which may make it inaccessible for those who need to paint large areas.

However, personally, I would say it’s worth the money for a high-quality, durable paint, with a lovely finish.

Lick Paint, £45 for 2.5L