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Best exterior masonry paint

Updated: 23 October 2026

You want one tin, and the stars, the pack and the price per litre point at different tubs. The best exterior masonry paint in this comparison is not a lab winner. Sandtex Ultra Smooth brilliant white, 2.5 litres at £15.95, is the top pick: highest score and highest star line, 4.7 from 689 reviews. Dulux Weathershield smooth white, 7.5 litres at £32.52, is the best value at about £4.34 per litre, with a coverage line you can use. The full table is the [facade paint comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/facade-paint). Peter F. updated this page on 23 October 2026. Our amazon.co.uk links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want one tin, and the stars, the pack and the price per litre point at different tubs. The best exterior masonry paint in this comparison is not a lab winner.

Our top picks

Sandtex Sandtex Ultra Smooth white 2.5 l

Best overall

Sandtex Sandtex Ultra Smooth white 2.5 l
9.4/10about £15.95
View offer
Sandtex Sandtex Microseal Smooth black 1 l

Alternative

Sandtex Sandtex Microseal Smooth black 1 l
9.2/10about £11.17
View offer
Dulux Dulux Weathershield white 7.5 l

Best value

Dulux Dulux Weathershield white 7.5 l
9.2/10about £32.52
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Lowest price per litre in this set
  2. 2.Highest star rating, smaller tin
  3. 3.Who should skip these two tins
  4. 4.Tins that stay on the main table

Lowest price per litre in this set

If the job is a whole white wall, Dulux Weathershield is the best value in this set. ASIN B004RBIPUU is 7.5 litres at £32.52, about £4.34 per litre, with 4.6 from 1,114 reviews. Coverage is up to 15.2 m² per litre, the dry-time field is 4 hours, and the waterproof and UV-resistant fields are both true. Dulux’s consumer page still asks for two coats, above 10°C, in the dry. The litre sum is on the masonry paint buying guide. One reviewer found the film jelly-like and happier on pebbledash than on a flat wall. Tubs have leaked. This listing does not print a life claim or a substrate list beyond walls. Dulux’s consumer page excludes Fletton bricks. A pier does not need 7.5 litres.

Highest star rating, smaller tin

The top pick on score is Sandtex Ultra Smooth brilliant white, ASIN B005F7WDOY, £15.95 for 2.5 litres, about £6.38 per litre, and 4.7 from 689 reviews. Reviewers describe a thick, low-odour film on walls, sills and brick. The bullets claim 15 years and a waterproof wax line. The two-name split is Sandtex vs Dulux Weathershield. Coverage is printed as 430.556 square feet, with no per-litre flag. The paint-type field says Watercolour. Sandtex’s own smooth page quotes 12–16 m² per litre, about 8°C, and no common or Fletton bricks.
Sandtex Sandtex Ultra Smooth white 2.5 l

Testsieger

Sandtex Sandtex Ultra Smooth white 2.5 l
9.4/10about £15.95
View offer

Who should skip these two tins

Skip the Dulux tub if you need black, a strong colour, or less than a couple of litres. Sandtex Microseal Smooth black is £11.17 for 1 litre and 4.6 from 1,515 reviews, the touch-up tin, not the house tin. Its coverage string, “EO 1 m² per coat”, cannot be used to order a gable. Skip the 2.5 litre Sandtex if the elevation is large and white: several small tins still cost more per litre than the 7.5 litre Dulux, and the batches may not match.

Tins that stay on the main table

HQC racing green and HQC light grey are both £54.95 for 5 litres, about £10.99 per litre, with 4.5 from 700 reviews that are the same text on both ASINs. Buy one only when you want that colour and you will stir until the shade appears. Polar WallGuard white is £36.99 for 2.5 litres, about £14.80 per litre, and its coverage lines describe 5 litres on a 2.5 litre pack. Leyland Granocryl white is £15.17 for 2.5 litres and 4.6 from 2,120 reviews, the biggest sample, but Is Waterproof is false while the level says water resistant, and the 10-year bullet sits beside a warranty field of No. The sequence, once the tin is chosen, is how to paint exterior walls.

Common questions

What is the best masonry paint in this set?
For a small white job, the top pick is Sandtex Ultra Smooth, 2.5 litres at £15.95, 4.7 from 689 reviews. For a large white wall, the best value is Dulux Weathershield, 7.5 litres at £32.52, about £4.34 per litre. Both are editorial scores from listings and reviews. We did not run a weathering test, and a magazine round-up’s shop prices are not these ASINs.
What is the best value tin if I need more than a step?
The 7.5 litre Dulux tub. At £32.52 it undercuts every other pack here on price per litre, and the listing gives up to 15.2 m² per litre instead of a broken coverage string. You still need two coats in dry weather, and the tub is the wrong buy for a single pier. A 2.5 litre tin is enough when the area is a door surround, a sill or a short garden wall.
Is the highest star rating the one to buy?
Only if the pack matches the job. Sandtex Ultra Smooth’s 4.7 is the highest line here, on 689 reviews, and that is why it is the top pick. Dulux and Leyland are 4.6 with larger samples, and Dulux is cheaper per litre. Stars do not correct a Fletton brick, a wet wall or a coverage field written in square feet with no unit.
Who should skip the Dulux 7.5 litre tub?
Skip it if you need black, racing green, light grey or Plymouth Grey, or if the area is small enough that 7.5 litres would sit in the shed for years. Also skip it on common or Fletton bricks, which Dulux’s own consumer page excludes even though this listing does not spell that out. One reviewer found the thick film awkward on a flat wall compared with pebbledash.
Who should skip the 2.5 litre Sandtex?
Skip Sandtex Ultra Smooth if you are painting a whole white elevation, because several 2.5 litre tins cost more per litre than one Dulux tub and can differ between batches. Skip it if you need a colour, a fine texture, or a coverage figure in square metres per litre. The Watercolour label and the square-feet field are reasons to read the listing twice, not reasons to ignore the reviews.
Does a 15-year claim mean I will not repaint?
No. The Ultra Smooth bullets say 15 years, and Sandtex’s site repeats a 15-year line with conditions. Dulux’s consumer marketing carries a long-life claim that this 7.5 litre listing does not print. A bullet is not a warranty you can bank, and Leyland’s page shows how those two can diverge: a 10-year bullet next to warranty “No”. Plan on the wall and the prep, not on the year count.
Which tin is only for a small area?
Sandtex Microseal Smooth black, 1 litre at £11.17. Reviewers use that size on a pier, a step or a door surround. It is 4.6 from 1,515 reviews, so the line is well known, and the pack is still wrong for a house. The coverage field is not a usable rate. Polar’s 2.5 litres is also a small pack, at a much higher price per litre.

Related pages

Facade paint comparison

Masonry paint buying guide

Sandtex vs Dulux Weathershield

How to paint exterior walls

Painting pebbledash: coverage, pile and which tins

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was lab-tested. The Dulux Trade sheet is not the same listing as the 7.5 litre tub.

  1. VOC in Paints, Varnishes and Vehicle Refinishing Products Regulations 2012, Schedule 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. GPDO 2015, Class C, exterior painting (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Richmond upon Thames conservation areas FAQ (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE a16: painting asbestos cement (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Dulux Weathershield smooth masonry paint (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Dulux Weathershield FAQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Dulux Trade Weathershield smooth masonry paint data sheet (retrieved 22 October 2026)