Cuprinol Reviews 

Paint went on very well. Silver copse colour looks amazing.

I’ve used this paint for approximately 2years and it has been superb. I noticed people on here are complaining that it has raised in parts. A simple solution to this is to use watered down PVA as a prime coating this makes a hell of a difference.

Just spent all weekend painting a new fence and an old fence, bought 2 9litre tubs of Cuprinol ducks back silver copse from Screwfix, today it’s raining and the paint is washing off surely this is not right it had over 12 hrs to dry, what a complete joke
Would like to add the customer service from AkzoNoble is second to none they went above and beyond to rectify the issue.

Painted wooden garden table and chairs. Followed instructions. It looked great initially. But within a couple of weeks it started to lift and wear off. It appeared to wash off in heavy rain. This is NOT WEATHERPROOF. Really disappointed. I spent an entire weekend painting & prepping outdoor dining set. I was telling a friend what happened. When she asked the brand, she reported that a similar thing happened to her when she painted her shed. Stay away from this!!! Expensive rubbish

I experienced a slight challenge with the coverage of the Shades 'white daisy' paint and had to contact customer service. I was thoroughly impressed with their handling of the situation – they were absolutely fantastic and resolved everything. Despite this minor hiccup, I remain a loyal customer. We've used plenty of this brand's products on our glamping cabins, both inside and out, with fantastic results. Although this set me back a day, I still wholeheartedly recommend the product.

One star awarded because there isn't a zero star option. After many hours on our hands and knees, our deck looked great. This lasted about three weeks tops, before the stain began to lift, and six months later it looks like we never touched it. We are extremely experienced users of paint related products, and this is unquestionably the WORST thing we have used in over 40 years. Total trash!

I have bought the colour natural stone sample and loved it. My partner has just bought the 5L version and painted with two coats and it’s a completely different colour! I wanted a beige and the colour we have got is silver white!

Culprinol helped me straight away with this issue and I was able to replace the pots of paints. Thank you Jess for your help with this!

I spent the best part of 3 weeks, sanding all my deck boards back to good as new, I decided to buy and treat it with Cuprinol Anti-Slip Decking Stain urban slate. My decking was sanded and dry of any damp last summer. I put 4 coats of it on, it was painful work but wanted it to be done properly and I wouldn’t have to worry about it for a good few years. Unfortunately not even 7 months on and it’s already lifted and looks like i haven’t even put two coats let alone 4!! Rubbish product cost me £400 odd pounds and it’s nothing but a waste of time and money. DONT BUY!! Honestly do not buy this for your decking.

Bought the willow shades for shed and colour is more like a mint green. Seems others have had similar problem. Best to check out colour on goggle images before buying. Also, even after 3 coats the finish is somewhat streaky.
I am going to buy more for the shed doors and gates but in ducks back as it is a lot cheaper and larger tins.
Was going to buy the silver copse today, but thought I’d check colour first online and once again colour is a lot lighter than the shade indicated on the tin, so will go for black to get a grey colour !!

I’m gutted. My husband and I finally saved up enough money to purchase a new shed. We saw the “Autumn Gold” Ducksback paint at the shop and thought it looked perfect. Unfortunately, the actual colour of the paint turned out to be bright orange, not brown. I’m heartbroken over ruining my new shed.

**UPDATE June 2025: to achieve an even shade of colour, I painted 3 coats of Ducksback silver copse on my fence. This was on a brand new fence, I had a lot of fence to paint, but I'm hoping all that time and effort will be worth it and the colour will last the 5 years promised on the tin. Rain water seems to run off the fence, literally like off ducks' back. Please don't be disheartened on the uneveness of the colour after the first two coats (one coat is definitely not enough, as Ducks Back absorbs in to the wood, which is exactly what you want from a wood preservative) - persevere and you'll get a lovely even colour on the 3rd coat. Goes on a light grey-ish colour, but when dry, silver copse is a nice, deep, grey-blue.*** end of update***

I bought the ducks back silver copse shade for my new fence. I think I'd describe the consistency as "blobby" as it doesn't stick to the paint brush as a indoor paint would, I've found the best way to is to "scoop" it with the paint brush. Don't be stingy with it, lather it on, you might as well do the job properly.

The reason for only 3 stars is that the difference in the amount of pigment in each batch, it seems to vary a lot, causing extra work when trying to even out the difference in colour. This has been disappointing as I’d imagine it’s all computer controlled and the variation in colour should be almost nonexistent. To achieve an even colour and to save time, make sure all the cans you buy are from the same batch. The batch number can be found on top of each can.

One coat is not enough on new wood (I've not used this on "old" wood - I don’t believe in polishing a t**d) as it absorbs in to the wood. This is not a bad thing, quite the opposite, as it doesn't sit on top of the wood, which would make it easier to flake off, especially if old wood is being treated.

Time will tell how it fares in the long run.

Just used a new can of Garden Shades and it is much thinner than it used to be. Their Ducks back is better but still watery. I used to use Ronseal but that is also useless now. 5 coats of 5 year fence paint and after 6 months it has washed off. Don't know what to use next but it won't be either of the 2 big ones. They all seem to be adding too much water to make it appear good value by volume.

Awful shed paint - despite painting more than 2 coats over short period of a few days it has no duration. My autumn painting has already washed off in many places. After using 6 tins on shed and stable I gave up in the autumn trying to patch it up and will move on to another brand.

Painted a few clients' fences and sheds last year. Forest green weathered badly and needed reapplying after a few months although the shed was sanded wood as opposed to rough sawn. Autumn brown very similar on shiplap panels. Herring grey has come off the shed over the winter despite two/three coats to cover up the old colour. Silver copse came off within weeks after rain. Ronseal weathered better at half the price. Ducksback looks okay after initial application but really not worth the effort. Fortunately the paint was acquired or requested by clients rather than on my recommendation so redoing it is not on my time.

I have used Cuprinol decking stain for over twenty years and have never had cause for complaint. I applied 2 coats of the Cuprinol Decking Stain Natural Oak to my two areas of decking in September of this year and was pleased with my efforts. However after the first frost this November the entire two areas of decking went all blotchy - the only word I can use and now looks awful. I can only think it was a bad batch. Your views please.

Have used Garden Shades lots over the years with lots of lovely colours. I Used to love it. This time however the paint was really thin and watery. Didnt seem like the same paint? It definately used to be a lot thicker and richer. It seems to be a watered down formula now? And many reviews seem to confirm this so I don't think it's a batch issue?

Last week I bought a large tin of Fresh Rosemary Cuprinol Garden Shades to paint 4 wooden planters, because I used the Country Cream paint 2 years ago and was really pleased with the finish. However, this time, the Fresh Rosemary was the consistency of water and dripped everywhere despite me having stirred it thoroughly. It needed 4 coats to give decent coverage and now it has bubbled and wrinkled, despite me following the exact instructions and leaving plenty of drying time between coats. Really disappointing, having spent all that time painting, to see the finish. I was happy with your paint 2 years ago, but the quality has changed beyond belief. I have wasted time and money on this project and will not be buying any more of your products in future.

Very good product and excellent customer service. I raised some issues I had and it was thoroughly investigated and resolved. An excellent example of custoemr service.

Boughtcuprinol garden shades fresh rosemary paint for garden bench. Bitterly regret it I seen water give a better cover ruined my bench that cost £400. pLEASE Don’t buy this product reported it to trading standards

Used forest brown Cuprinol ducks back on my fence
Looks absolutely great
The paint is so easy to use and the appearance excellent