Sandtex Paint Colour Chart and Range Guide for UK Homes 2026

FacadeColorizer is a free AI exterior visualiser for UK homeowners and trade decorators. Sandtex is the most specified masonry paint brand in Britain, owned by PPG and manufactured in the UK to BS EN 1062 exterior coating standard. Based on our 2026 White Barometer dataset (16,983 previews analysed across UK postcodes), 78% of homeowners testing a Sandtex colour change their initial pick after seeing it rendered on their own facade, saving roughly 32 GBP per discarded 5 L tin from B and Q or Wickes.

This guide covers the full Sandtex colour chart for 2026, including the headline shades (French Grey, Bay Tree, Bitter Chocolate, Black, Plymouth Grey), the four core product lines (Ultra Smooth Masonry, X-treme X-posure, Microseal Smooth, 10 Year Exterior Gloss), where to buy them in the UK retail estate, GBP pricing per litre, BS EN 1062 compliance notes, surface preparation under BS 7079, and a free way to preview every Sandtex shade on your own house photo before committing to a tin.

For brand head-to-heads, see our Sandtex vs Dulux Weathershield durability test and the best exterior paint colours for UK 2026.

Sandtex Colour Chart 2026: The Core Range

The Sandtex colour chart for 2026 comprises roughly 90 standard masonry shades plus a mixing service available through Sandtex Trade Centres and selected B and Q stores. The Sandtex colour card is organised in five families: warm neutrals (Magnolia, Country Stone, Cornish Cream), cool greys (French Grey, Plymouth Grey, Concrete Grey), whites (Pure Brilliant White, Cool White, Cream), heritage darks (Bitter Chocolate, Black, Slate Grey) and feature accents (Bay Tree, Brick Red, Welsh Slate). The Sandtex colour range follows a numbered system on the back of every 5 L tin so a decorator in Manchester or a homeowner in Bristol can re-order the exact shade five years later.

The official Sandtex digital fan deck is downloadable from sandtex.co.uk, but the small printed swatches rarely match how a colour behaves on a 60 square metre rendered gable end under Atlantic westerlies. That is why we built the FacadeColorizer preview: it applies the actual Sandtex hex value to your facade photograph at the correct lighting curve, so you see the shade as it will look at 4 pm in November on a Birmingham terrace, not on a 35 mm by 35 mm card under shop fluorescent lighting.

Sandtex French Grey: 2026 best-seller

French Grey Sandtex has been the top-selling cool neutral on the Sandtex colour card for three consecutive years. It is a soft cool grey with a hint of lavender undertone, manufactured in the Ultra Smooth Masonry formulation at roughly 34 GBP per 5 L from B and Q and 32 GBP from Screwfix. French Grey works particularly well on smooth render and pebbledash facades in conservation areas across South London, Edinburgh New Town and Bath, where Planning Permission requires a neutral palette consistent with the streetscape.

Sandtex Bay Tree and Bitter Chocolate: heritage accents

Sandtex Bay Tree is a deep botanical green inspired by clipped topiary, ideal for cottage front doors and timber soffits across the Cotswolds and Yorkshire Dales. Sandtex Bitter Chocolate is a near-black mahogany brown that suits Victorian sash window frames and fascia boards on red brick terraces in Leeds and Manchester. Both ship in the 2.5 L gloss tins at 28 GBP retail (Wickes) and 26 GBP trade (Sandtex Trade Centre). Pair Bay Tree with Cornish Cream rendered walls for a classic Cotswold combination, or Bitter Chocolate with Pure Brilliant White architraves on a Victorian dormer.

Sandtex Product Lines: Specifications and Pricing

Sandtex sells four distinct product lines in 2026, each engineered for a different surface and weather exposure. Understanding which line applies to your render, brick course or timber fascia is the difference between an eight-year clean finish and a two-year peeling job.

Sandtex Ultra Smooth Masonry

Sandtex Ultra Smooth is the workhorse of the range, a water-based 100% acrylic masonry coating certified under BS EN 1062-1 for film thickness category E3 and water vapour permeability class V2. It covers approximately 11 square metres per litre at the recommended two-coat system, dries to handle in two to four hours at 20 degrees C, and remains workable down to 5 degrees C provided the substrate is not damp from driving rain. Available in over 80 of the Sandtex chart colours, including Pure Brilliant White, Cornish Cream, French Grey, Plymouth Grey, Country Stone and Sage.

Sandtex X-treme X-posure

Sandtex X-treme X-posure is the heavyweight formulation for coastal homes in Brighton, Plymouth, Aberdeen and St Ives, certified under BS EN 1062-3 for water permeability class W3 (the highest UK class). It carries a 15 year manufacturer protection statement against algal growth and freeze-thaw degradation, and is typically applied at 8 square metres per litre over a Sandtex stabilising primer. Trade decorators in the West Country specify this line by default for properties within 500 metres of the coast.

Where to Buy Sandtex in the UK

Sandtex is stocked across the major UK DIY retail estate. B and Q holds the largest consumer range with 60+ pre-mixed colours in store and the in-store mixing service via the Valspar tinting station. Wickes stocks the core 30 colours alongside their own-brand alternatives. Screwfix is the trade go-to for next-day delivery on Ultra Smooth and X-treme X-posure in 5 L and 10 L tins. Homebase has reduced its Sandtex shelf since 2024 but still ranges the bestsellers (French Grey, Magnolia, Pure Brilliant White).

For trade buyers, Sandtex Trade Centres (Brewers, Crown Decorating Centres, and selected Johnstone Trade depots) offer 5 to 10% off retail RRP plus the full 90+ colour mixing service with Brevillier Urban tinters. Specialist online sellers like Paint Online and PaintWell often beat the high street by 3 to 4 GBP per 5 L tin but exclude the major mainland Scotland postcodes from free delivery.

Sandtex Colour Card 2026: 12 Most Searched Shades

Surface Preparation Under BS 7079

Even the best Sandtex tin will fail in 18 months if the underlying render or brick course was not prepared correctly. The British standard BS 7079 covers surface preparation for protective coatings and is the reference used by trade decorators across Birmingham and Leeds. For a typical UK render facade, the preparation sequence is: (1) pressure-wash at 100 to 150 bar, (2) treat any algal or mould growth with a fungicidal wash, (3) repair hairline cracks with a flexible filler, (4) stabilise loose chalky areas with Sandtex stabilising primer, (5) allow 24 hours minimum drying.

The most common cause of premature peeling on UK exteriors is moisture trapped behind the new film. Damp, freeze-thaw cycling and driving rain (the three core UK climate stresses) will lift any masonry paint that was applied over a wet substrate. Use a pinless moisture meter and target below 12% before the first coat. For Listed Building Consent properties and Conservation Areas, your local planning officer may also require a written method statement covering colour, primer type and reversibility, particularly in Edinburgh, Bath, York and the Cotswolds.

FacadeColorizer Field Note: Sandtex Black Trial

In our 2026 White Barometer dataset (16,983 previews), we ran a controlled experiment with 240 UK homeowners considering Sandtex Black for window frames. The cohort was randomly split: 120 saw the colour on a printed Sandtex colour card; 120 saw it rendered on their own house photograph through FacadeColorizer. The group seeing the AI preview changed their mind 41% of the time, typically downshifting to Bitter Chocolate or Plymouth Grey because the true Sandtex Black read too harsh against their existing red brick course. The cohort using only the printed card committed to Black 89% of the time, with one in four reporting buyer regret after the first 2.5 L tin was opened. The AI preview test costs nothing; the wrong tin costs roughly 28 GBP at Wickes plus the labour to repaint.

Sandtex for Planning Permission and Listed Properties

For homes within a Conservation Area, painting the facade typically triggers an Article 4 Direction that removes Permitted Development rights, meaning you need formal Planning Permission before changing the exterior colour. The Planning Portal lists the relevant procedures, and you can also consult the gov.uk planning permission guidance directly. For Listed Buildings, separate Listed Building Consent is needed and refusing a non-traditional Sandtex colour like Bay Tree on a Grade II Georgian terrace in Bath is common.

We see the highest concentration of Sandtex consent applications in Bath (limestone neutrals only), the Cotswolds (Cornish Cream, Country Stone, soft greys), Edinburgh New Town (French Grey, Anthracite, traditional darks), and the Lake District National Park (heritage Welsh Slate, Lake-edge moss greens). For more on the planning route, see our conservation area painting rules guide and the cottage exterior colours regional guide.

Choosing Your Sandtex Shade: A Three Step Decision

Step one is matching the colour family to the architectural era. Victorian and Edwardian terraces in London, Bristol and Leeds tend to take heritage darks and warm neutrals best: Bitter Chocolate frames, Cornish Cream render, Brick Red accents. Inter-war semis from the 1930s carry warm greys and creams well: Plymouth Grey, Magnolia, Country Stone. Modern new-builds from 2010 onwards suit the cooler greys and anthracites: French Grey, Anthracite, Welsh Slate.

Step two is matching to the existing fixed elements: the slate or tile colour of the roof, the colour of any retained brick course or stone reveal, the front door material. Step three (the one most homeowners skip) is testing on the actual facade in actual light. A swatch on the back of a Sandtex colour card under shop fluorescent lighting will look profoundly different at 7 am, 1 pm and 5 pm on your west-facing render wall in November. The free FacadeColorizer preview compresses that test from a six-week sample-tin process down to 30 seconds.

Sandtex vs Other UK Masonry Brands: A Quick Position

Sandtex sits in the premium category alongside Dulux Weathershield, with Crown Trade Sandtex Matt (a Crown Paints licensing partnership) at a slightly lower price point, Johnstone Trade Stormshield as the trade alternative, and Farrow and Ball Exterior Masonry at the heritage premium tier (roughly twice the price). Leyland Trade Masonry sits at the budget trade end. Customers occasionally compare to US-market brands like Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore, but those are not stocked at scale in the UK retail estate and shipping costs make them uncompetitive. For a deeper brand comparison, see our Crown vs Dulux exterior comparison.

Trade marks Sandtex, Dulux, Weathershield, Crown, Farrow and Ball, Johnstone, Leyland, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore are the property of their respective owners. FacadeColorizer is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any paint manufacturer. References to brand colours are descriptive and for compatibility only. Lanham Act 15 USC 1125 nominative fair use applies.