Right, so you want to know about Domino and Monument. Everyone asks this lately, must be some trend going around.
I swear half my quotes this month have been for dark colours.
Used Domino on a fence job a while back, looked different than expected once it was applied.
The blue undertone becomes much more obvious on large surfaces than you’d think from looking at the sample.
Explaining undertones to people can take a while. Could of been doing other things instead.
Monument’s easier to deal with, clients don’t complain as much afterward. Its just grey, does what grey should do.
No surprises, no phone calls afterward asking why their fence looks different than expected.
Why Domino gives me headaches
Look, Domino’s a good colour if you know what your getting into. Problem is most people don’t.
They see this dark charcoal colour in the tin and think it’ll look like that on there house. Then they call wondering why its got this blue thing happening.
From experience, heritage houses can be tricky with Domino.
The blue undertone doesn’t always work with older architecture styles. Sometimes you end up having to suggest alternatives.
The blue undertones not subtle once its covering a whole wall.
Don’t know why they describe it as subtle in the brochures. Marketing people probably never seen it applied.
Monument doesn’t do weird colour shifts.
Stays grey morning to night, summer to winter. Boring maybe, but boring pays the bills without callbacks.
Application stuff nobody tells you
Domino’s a pain to apply evenly.
Shows every brush mark, every overlap. Have to work wet edge to wet edge or you get lap marks that show up like crazy.
Monuments more forgiving, can touch up sections without it being obvious.
Temperature matters heaps with Domino too. Applied it on a hot day once and it was tacking up before I could spread it properly. Had to work faster than ideal.
Monument handles heat better. Still not ideal painting in summer but wont ruin your day like Domino can.
Both get stupidly hot once there dry though.
Dark colours absorb heat like crazy in summer.
Where I use them now
Only suggest Domino for small areas these days. Front doors, maybe a feature wall inside if they really want drama. Learned my lesson on big exterior jobs.
Monument I’ll use anywhere. Fences, roofs, whole house exteriors if that’s what they want. Safe choice, keeps everyone happy.
From experience with commercial projects, Monument tends to be the safer choice for large facades.
Architects sometimes spec Domino but Monument usually works better for substantial coverage areas.
Client expectations vs reality
What drives me mental is when people show me photos from magazines or Instagram and expect the paint job to look exactly the same as the photo.
Lighting, surrounding colours, even the camera settings affect how these dark colours appear in photos.
Domino especially looks different in every photo you see online.
Monument’s more consistent but even that varies depending on what its next to.
Had someone show me a picture of Domino on a house with white weatherboards and expect it to look the same on there brick veneer with cream mortar.
Doesn’t work that way but try explaining that to someone who’s already made up there mind.
Pricing and getting the stuff
Both cost about the same, around sixty to seventy dollars a litre depending where you shop.
Dominos sometimes on backorder though, popular colour apparently. Monument’s always available.
Bunnings stocks both but there colour matching can be inconsistent. Better to go straight to Dulux if you want it done right.
Sometimes the colour matching at big box stores isn’t quite accurate.
What other painters reckon
Most blokes I know avoid Domino for big jobs. Too risky, too many variables. Monument’s the safe money.
From conversations with other painters, Monument gets recommended more often.
Most contractors find it easier to work with and clients are generally happier with the results.
Though most painters complain about everything so take that with a grain of salt.
Weather delays and scheduling headaches
Another thing nobody thinks about until its happening – weather delays cost money.
Dark colours like these take longer to dry properly, which means more days affected by humidity, rain, or extreme heat.
Monument handles weather variations better, Domino’s more temperamental.
Clients don’t understand why there paying for extra days when “its just paint.” Try explaining the chemistry of paint curing to someone who just wants there fence finished.
Monument rarely gives you these problems, another reason I recommend it for most jobs.
Time is money in this business and Domino costs more time than its worth on big projects.
Random observations
Notice how all the fancy houses in Cottesloe use Monument on there fences? There’s a reason for that.
Looks expensive without being weird.
Domino’s more popular in the eastern suburbs for some reason. Maybe they like drama over there.
Weathers been affecting cure times lately too, all this humidity.
Takes longer for these dark colours to harden properly.
If you really want my opinion
Go Monument unless you specifically love that blue undertone thing in Domino and you’ve tested it properly.
Monument wont surprise you, won’t cause problems, won’t give you regrets.
Dominos beautiful when it works but its higher maintenance. Your choice really.
Just remember, whatever you pick, your painter is probably not repainting it for free if you change your mind. Learned that lesson too many times.
