From supplying the film and TV industry to pioneering plant-based paints, Mylands blends craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability to deliver premium, eco-conscious finishes for homes and industries alike. The Manufacturer caught up with owner, Dominic Myland, to find out more…
Based in South London, Mylands is a 140 year old, fifth generation family business, manufacturing specialist paints, wood finishes and high-end decorative paint for interiors. The company was started by current owner Dominic Myland’s great grandfather way back in 1884 and has always been headquartered in London – first in Stockwell and Brixton and now in Lambeth.
The company’s beginnings also coincided nicely with growth in the UK’s burgeoning film business and, due to Mylands’ location being close to most of the early London studios, it’s here, along with theatre and television, where the company began to make its mark. And Mylands has been a specialist supplier to the film sector ever since.
“We ended up becoming the number one supplier to the film industry which requires paints that are very flat and with little camera glare. We also use a lot of earth pigments in the production, which makes the look very natural,” Dominic added.
“Our oldest serving colour collection that we still use is the BBC colours, which we also refer to as the 68 colours, because that was the last time it was edited. The BBC, ITV and lots of independent TV companies still use it.”
The natural look
As well as continued product development, Mylands has moved more towards the retail space over the last 15-20 years, taking the depth of colour paints that the company supplies to the film industry and making them very durable and breathable.
An example of this is Mylands’ Marble Matt Emulsion, the company’s best-selling paint, which has more pigment than any other paint made in the UK. “We do this deliberately because we want to stay at the top of that premium sector,” Dominic added. “We use crushed marble in the paints. This not only makes it breathable and durable, but the micro particle crushed marble gives amazing light bounce when you apply it in a room.”
Sustainability has long been key to the Mylands ethos and because all paints are manufactured at the company’s London site, the business has complete control over quality, sourcing and sustainability from raw materials to finished product. This also allows Mylands to trace every ingredient and reduce waste.
Not only that but in recent years the business has developed a range of plant-based paints. These innovative formulations use natural fillers and high bio-carbon content, offering a refined alternative to traditional, petroleum-based acrylics. They are scrubbable, durable and low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
“We recently received the Royal Warrant from the king, and the sustainable challenge to qualify for that is underway. You have to declare where all your materials come from, and make sure that you are delivering a plan towards a net zero environment,” added Dominic.
Mylands continuously conducts research for new scientific discoveries to improve performance and develop innovative products, and works closely with suppliers to explore novel materials, with a focus on green credentials. The company then uses its experience to start building formulations, taking into account how different minerals, binders and additives influence hardness, durability, flexibility, stain-blocking and other characteristics.
“These get made in the laboratory on a one to two litre scale so that we can perform a range of tests, making appropriate adjustments to the formulations to reach the desired properties,” Dominic added.
“When we are satisfied that we have a good product we provide samples to our in-house decorator for applicator trials. Storage stability is checked as is the compatibility with our colourants system. We can also test hardness and speed of drying on a needle-dryer and may give samples to customers for feedback.”
Mylands’ scrub-testing machine assesses how durable a paint is to cleaning, weighing the micrograms of paint removed after 200 scrub cycles with an alkaline cleaning solution and a scouring pad.
Of course, all this wouldn’t be possible without technology, and Dominic explained that the business has invested in an ERP system to take the business into the digital age. While he added that this was a challenge for a small company like Mylands (and took a few attempts to get right) Dominic commented that this move has been transformative for the business. Stock and raw materials control has been a key benefit of the upgrade.
In addition, while colour matching used to be done by eye, Mylands now uses a combination of skilled colour matchers and a spectrophotometer which enables the business to read and predict colour, and create formulations more quickly.
Sustainable/plant-based products
Mylands still uses small batch processing which allows close control of the properties and quality of the paint. To improve sustainability still further, Mylands is pro-actively finding ways to reduce and repurpose its solvents and replace raw materials with more sustainable and less-impactful options.
The research team works closely with the British Coating Federation and raw material suppliers to ensure it stays abreast of regulatory changes to deliver safe products, and source materials with lower carbon footprints and minimise VOC content. The crushed Carrara marble used in the aforementioned Marble Matt Emulsion utilises a waste product from the building industry, helping to reduce landfill waste.
In addition, the company’s Olive Stone Emulsion, incorporates olive powder, an upcycled by-product, along with plant-based resin and natural fillers, achieving a high bio-based content of 56%. “We are focusing on how we can replace more of our raw materials with bio-based options, looking at resins, extenders and additives,” Dominic added..
This can bring its own technical challenges as the traditional materials work very well, whether it be to stabilise minerals in the paint, provide good anti-fungal properties or quick film drying.
However, it’s here that Mylands’ formulating expertise comes into play, which ensures that combinations are found that match or exceed the current properties with these newer materials. New plant-based materials can be technically challenging due their complex natural components and can require extensive research and testing to ensure the product meets expectations.
They may require different additives to stabilise them, or possibly different methods of grinding – order of addition and manufacturing speeds can also make a significant difference. However, the company is keen to continue to develop Mylands in this direction, providing more sustainable, bio-based products which minimise environmental impact while still delivering a beautiful finish and excellent properties.
Key takeaways:
- Mylands is a fifth-generation, London-based family business
- The company has expanded into the retail market, bringing its high-pigment, durable and breathable finishes
- A London base ensures full control over quality and sustainability
- Recently awarded the Royal Warrant, Mylands continues to meet rigorous standards of sustainability
- Mylands was among the first in the industry to invest in plant-based, multi-surface paints
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