About Dulux

1919 – At the end of the First World War a long-established firm of varnish makers called Naylor Brothers extended its activities into paint production and moved out of central London to set up a factory in Slough on a 30 acre site. At around the same time in Stowmarket, Nobel Chemical Finishes is working on new Du Pont formulation paints for the growing motor industry and need bigger premises and talented chemists and scientists … The Naylor Brothers’ have a huge 30 acre manufacturing plant and a very, very talented scientist called H.H. Morgan

In the early 1920s - after a disastrous attempt to enter the wallpaper industry - Naylor Brothers find themselves in financial difficulty. After lengthy negotiations, Nobel Chemical Finishes acquire Naylor Bros and the newly combined management, production, distribution and sales are concentrated at Slough.

1926 - Nobel Chemical Finishes joins forces with 3 major British chemical companies and becomes known as ICI Paints Limited.

1931 – The first ‘Dulux’ alkyd-based synthetic finish is produced, based on a new formulation. The brand name ‘Dulux’ was established (a combination of ‘Durable’ and ‘Luxury’).

1932 – The first Dulux paint is introduced to the building trade who are suspicious of a new formulation paint and don’t believe something so easy to use and consistently good will last as well as its lead based counterparts.

In September 1939 the country is at war. Manufacture of decorative paints is stopped and the factory is set to work producing paints and special finishes for the military forces. The factory is bombed twice without injury to anyone on site and the business survives.

1948 – The war proves to be instrumental in the future success of Dulux paints. People soon notice that all of the buildings painted in Dulux before the war look ten times better than ones painted at the same time in anything else. Production quickly resumes and within four years Dulux has become the leading brand of paint in the professional field.

1950 - Britons starts doing their own decorating and a brand new era of home improvement and ‘DIY’ begins. Women used to working in traditionally male-based roles during the war, use their new found confidence and practical skills to do the work themselves.

1953 – Dulux launch their new formulation paints into the emerging UK Retail market

The 1950s ushers in a brave new world of decorating and as Dulux began to appeal directly to the consumer, DIY becomes increasingly popular. Dulux was the first paint brand to advertise on TV!

1961 – The Old English Sheep Dog first appeared. It is rumoured that ‘Dash’ the dog belonged to the advert’s director and kept on running onto the set to play with the child actors. When editing the footage, the scenes he was in looked so good they didn’t get cut and the rest as they say is history. Our first Dulux dog even became a film star…

The 1960s was a dynamic, graphic and colourful decade and Dulux were the first to offer colour mixing in hundreds of shades to suit your individual home and style. Dulux were the first paint company to provide a guide to choosing colours and patterns in the home with tips on how to apply paint. They also produced a hugely popular book with Woman magazine called ‘At home with colour’.

In the 1970s Dulux remained firmly at the top of the charts for paint, colour and decorating inspiration. The most fashionable way to use colour was tonally - several shades of the same colour applied to walls, ceiling and woodwork. This was the heyday of woodchip and Anaglypta. Gloss finish was king and vivid, exciting Dulux colours like Poppy, Sultan, Limejuice and Sunshine captured the mood of the decade perfectly.

The early 1980s were predominantly all about warm, pale shades of cream, yellow, pink and peach. This was the ‘designer decade’, with interior style inspired by the glamorous TV settings. Trim and ceilings were painted in paler shades of white and cream to create a frame for bolder coloured walls.

In the early 1990s, ‘blend’ and ‘tone’ were words that featured heavily in the Dulux colour guides, with décor continuing the soft 80s feel. Pastel shades and hints of cream, lilac and pale green were the most popular choices of colour in the home.

By the late 1990’s (due mostly to the popularity of TV decorating shows), everyone was trying their hand at paint effects– sponging, ragging, dragging and stencilling. Paint figured heavily in the makeovers – having the most transformative effect for low cost.

2004 - Dulux ‘Easy Living’ Editions range first launched comprising of a palette of hugely popular ‘new neutrals’.

2006 – Light & Space range launched, a revolutionary paint which reflects twice as much light.

2007 – Launch of the ‘We know the colours that go’ campaign – sparking a new wave of personalisation in colour.

In 2008 AkzoNobel acquires ICI and Dulux become an important part of the world leading paints and performance coatings company.

In 2011 the Dulux Dog celebrates being 50!

In 2013 Dulux presents Akzonobel Colour Futures global colour and design trends plus Colour of the Year for the first time in the UK

2014 – Dulux launches MixLab, Chromalock and the revolutionary Visualizer app.

2016 – Dulux launches a new Training Academy that teaches skills from basic decorating to mural painting and colour scheming.