About Us

Who are we? We are Colortrend - Ireland's leading decorative paint brand

Colortrend provides a wide range of premium quality paints in a huge array of colours and finishes - perfect for every surface, inside and out.  Made in Celbridge, County Kildare, Colortrend are Irish to the core.

We are very proud of our beginnings and history.  When Ronan O’ Connor began manufacturing decorative paint from  a Famine Workhouse in 1953, who could have believed that today, almost 60 years later, we have become Ireland’s only, 100% Irish owned and operated, leading-edge paint company.  Colortrend operates at the forefront of paint technology offering 100% pure acrylic decorative paint and customised industrial coatings.

Everyday, we challenge ourselves to create superior paints that apply smoother, last longer and never fail to delight and inspire you.  Today, Colortrend Collections are available through our company-owned Colortrend Stores and in over one hundred carefully selected independent paint retailers across Ireland and the UK.

Welcome to Colortrend - made by us for people who share our passion for paint. 

• History
• Retailing paint through company owned stores
• Independent paint retailers
• Supplying customised industrial coatings

History

General Paints was established in 1953 by Ronan O'Connor, who set up his company in a section of a Famine Workhouse, dating from 1841, in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. The original products produced were gloss paints, oxides, machinery enamels, undercoats and road-line paints, and all products were oil based. In the late 1950's the company began manufacturing decorative paint for houses and in the 1960's General Paints introduced tinting systems to Ireland.

With the advent of emulsion technology from America in the 1960’s General Paints became the first European paint company to manufacture a water-based paint using a pure acrylic resin, and is today arguably the leading specialist in acrylic paint technology in the British and Irish Isles. Colortrend's acrylic emulsion paints are widely specified by architects and interior designers because of their superior benefits. These include superb colour retention, durability, good adhesion, alkali resistance and scrub resistance. General Paints’ main brand - Colortrend - includes full product lines of 100% pure acrylic paints. Today water-based paints make up 99% of our decorative house paints.

While General Paints, Ireland’s only member of Color Guild International (link to website) continues to be progressive and technologically focused we have remained true to our original core values of quality and competitiveness supported by technical expertise and the best customer service.

Since the year 2000 the company has modernised and expanded our manufacturing and storage facilities and has expanded our Retail, Stockist and Industrial bases. Our sales, production, laboratory, distribution and administrative staff are committed to providing our customers with premium quality paint and coatings at competitive prices backed by a level of technical support and customer service only available from an independent and indigenous company.

General Paints Limited is well positioned for strong growth in future years and will stay at the forefront of new technology in all areas of the paint industry. The company will lead research and development of new products and will maintain our stringent quality controls and standards on our existing product range.

Retailing paint through company owned stores

Historically, General Paints’ focus was on the manufacture and distribution of decorative paints and industrial coatings to independent paint retailers and industrial coatings customers. Retail activity was confined to the "Factory Shop" adjoining the manufacturing facility in Celbridge, County Kildare.

Over the years the importance of the professional retail outlet increased and General Paints devoted time and energy to improving its retail outlet and training up staff to offer the highest level of product knowledge and customer service. A major step forward was the company's investment in its first company owned store in Waterford City. The concept of the One Stop Paint Shop where trained staff can offer customers colour and technical advice and professional service - in addition to premium quality product - was warmly embraced by company management.

In 2008, the company added two further stores in Mullingar, Co Westmeath and Dundalk, Co Louth, to its network of retail outlets and in so doing continues to offer more of Ireland's discerning paint consumers quality product, competitively priced and supported by technical expertise and customer service.

Colortrend's own stores offer the full range of General Paints’ decorative and household paints, and also carry a wide range of other paints, wallpapers and associated products. It is our intention to become the reference point for DIY enthusiasts, trade painters, professional specifiers and special effects painters alike who need advice on product selection and paint application. This aspect of our service offering - expertise from trained staff combined with the best in customer service - mirrors the long standing ethos of General Paints Limited.

Independent paint retailers

The growth and development of General Paints Limited went hand in hand with the growth and development of the Independent Paint Retail sector in Ireland and today General Paints supplies over one hundred Independent Paint Retailers around the country.

General Paints’ success in this sector can be attributed to a number of factors but perhaps none more important than its ability to offer the Independent Paint Retailer genuine and premium quality alternatives to the products available through the Super Stores or Sheds as they have become known.  Tinting (colour) systems have been perhaps the single greatest innovation in the paint industry in recent years and General Paints introduced tinting machines and colour systems to Ireland – and to the Independent Paint Retailer - in the 1960’s. Today the company is marketing its sixth generation tinting system - Colortrend - designed by colour stylists and recognised as the world’s leading colour system for paint, offering a choice of over 1,300 colours.

• General Paints Limited is committed to the Independent Retail Sector and support it through the provision of:
• The best Colour Swatch/Fan Deck available – most sought after by Architects and Interior Designers
• Chip Racks – small, large and the revolutionary Wall of Colour
• Four colour collections specifically designed for the discerning customer: the Interior, Select, Weather, Devine and Historic Colour Collections
• The best colour matches to samples and colour cards
• The best quality interior and exterior pure acrylic paints
• A full range of quality paint accessories under the AllPro brand name
• Competitively priced premium quality products
• Products formulated, designed and manufactured in Ireland to meet the demands of style, life, weather and consumers

The advent and expansion of the Super Stores or Sheds in Ireland presents General Paints and its Network of Independent Paint Retailers with a unique opportunity – to offer the discerning paint customer genuine, competitively priced and premium quality alternatives to the ranges offered by the Sheds, supported by technical expertise and the highest level of customer service.  General Paints will continue to stand by its core principles and to sell into and support the Independent Paint Retailer.  General Paints Limited sees a bright future for forward looking and progressive Independent Paint Retailers in Ireland and is working hard in this area to ensure that it plays a full role in delivering this future.

Supplying customised industrial coatings

In the 1980's market demand for high performance and locally produced industrial coatings led General Paints Limited into the manufacture of customised products for the industrial sector. Our success in this venture is reflected in the fact that specialist industrial coatings now account for a significant amount of our total business.

Today, General Paints Limited manufactures a wide variety of industrial coatings, from traditional synthetic oxides to special long-life polyurethane coatings for the protection and decoration of industrial surfaces.

We have earned our reputation in the area of substrate protection as the coating supplier for many prestigious contracts including:

• The Ha'Penny Bridge and Sean Heuston Bridge over the River Liffey in Dublin
• The Turner Green House and The Palm House in Dublin's Botanic Gardens

Our products include a broad range of polyurethane systems which offer cost-effective, exceptionally durable and long-life maintenance solutions for a variety of industrial applications including bridges, rail cars and boats.

In recent years water-borne industrial systems have become the favoured solution for industrial applications where increasing environmental legislation demands reduced solvent emission. We manufacture a variety of coatings for this specific purpose including Water Based Polyester systems for heavy-duty corrosion protection, and EPIGEN - a Water-Based Epoxy maintenance coating suitable for walls and floors.

General Paints couples broad experience and knowledge with technical strength in the development of our industrial portfolio. Flexibility to meet the specific coating needs of the industrial customer and the ability to offer coatings in a wide choice of colour, including RAL and BS, is key to our success in this sector. General Paints prides itself on having six of the best and most technically competent paint chemists in Ireland on its staff and the availability and accessibility of strong local technical back up has been another key factor in securing prestigious industrial contracts in the face of strong international and multi-national competition.