The Masonry Paint Industry Makes 6 Claims For Every 1 Backed By Evidence

Under The Micrscope: Masonry Paint Claims & Testing Report 2026/27

When choosing a masonry paint, you’ll come across a wide range of performance claims. With so many paints promising similar things, it can be difficult to understand what really sets  one apart from another.

At Emperor Paint, we think it’s important to look beyond the claim itself. After all, masonry paints have an important job to do, protecting your home from the elements year after year.

Independent testing, measurable results and industry standards are there to give homeowners some proof how a masonry paint performs, so they can make informed decisions for their home.

Under The Microscope reviews 23 masonry paint products available in the UK, including Emperor Masonry Paint. The report focuses on three key areas of masonry paint performance – breathability, water resistance and durability, examining the claims being made and the evidence available to support them.

Key findings:

• Only 9 of 56 performance claims we found are supported by a measured performance value from independent testing or a recognised test method.
• 61% of masonry paints claim to be breathable, but only half of those claims are supported by published performance data or recognised test standards.
• The masonry paint industry makes 6 claims for every 1 claim supported by easily accessible, independently tested, measured evidence.

Across the 23 masonry paints we reviewed, performance claims were easy to find, but evidence was much harder to come by. In fact, for every performance claim we found that was supported by easily accessible, independently tested, measured evidence, there were six that weren’t.

When we looked across breathability, water resistance and durability, Emperor Masonry Paint was the only masonry paint to provide measurable performance data or recognised testing across all three.

The table below summarises the findings from the research, showing the percentage of products that had claims in each area alongside the percentage that provided evidence of testing or supporting data.

Here’s how the 23 paints measured up.