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Behind the scenes at the Resene testpots factory

Resene testpots have been the best friend of DIYers and decorators for decades. In 1981, Resene was the first New Zealand company to launch an extensive range of paint testpots to allow homeowners and professionals to try out colours for their projects to find the perfect hue.

These 60ml tubs of joy are just one of many Resene innovations over the years. Kiwi ingenuity has been front and centre of the company’s growth ever since 1946, when Eastbourne builder Ted Nightingale first whipped up a batch of alkali-resistant paint in his garage using a cement mixer – and Resene was born.

Since then, Resene has grown to be a company of over 600, with over 70 Resene ColorShops across New Zealand and Australia, as well as being stocked in many other stores in both countries – they even have a presence in Fiji! Resene has factories and manufacturing facilities in Naenae and Upper Hutt and Resene PaintWise paint recycling facilities around the country. While the company has grown, it has remained a family-owned business, with Ted’s grandson Nick taking the helm as General Manager in 1999.

The family feeling of the company is obvious at the testpot manufacturing facility in Naenae. Mele has been with Resene for 24 years and runs a team of five in the Resene testpots department.

Homeowners, tradies, architects, designers, artists and crafters use many, many thousands of Resene testpots each year. Mele and her team have a big job making sure the thousands of colours in the Resene Multi-finish range, Resene Whites & Neutrals range and Resene The Range 24 fashion colours are available in testpots for customers. The Resene Multi-Finish range alone features 896 colours, each available in a Resene testpot which can be ordered online or purchased from a Resene ColorShop or retailer.

Mele has been with Resene for 24 years and runs a team of five in the Resene Testpots Department.

Using a Resene testpot is the only true way to experience exactly how a Resene colour will look in your space.

Paint colours can change in appearance depending on the amount of light in a room and when placed next to other colours. Use Resene testpots to try out a colour in your own home before ordering larger amounts of paint.

“When people ask for a sample, that’s where the Resene testpot comes in,” says Mele. “They can get the sample, take it home and put it on the wall, find the colour they like and order the paint.”

Resene Woodsman wood stains are also available in testpots, but as these are a different size – 80ml – Mele’s team must hand-pour them in a special area of the factory. The team also fill 80ml and 250ml pots of certain paints including glow-in-the-dark Resene FX Nightlight and kids’ favourite Resene FX Fluoro.

“I love working in this little department,” says Mele. “This is where I started 24 years ago and I’m still here. I love the people I work with.”

Once Mele has tinted the Resene colour she needs, she pours the paint into the machine which will fill the 60ml testpots.

Empty testpots are shuttled along a conveyor belt before being filled with Resene paint.

The team hand pours the special 80ml and 250ml testpots for products like Resene Woodsman stains, Resene FX Nightlight and Resene FX Fluoro.

How to use a Resene testpot

One of the easiest ways to use a Resene testpot is to create your own colour swatch by painting two coats of your chosen colour onto an A2 piece of card, leaving an unpainted border around the edge. Stick the card to the wall using Blu-Tack and observe the colour several times during the day and night, to see how it changes in different light.

Move the card to other rooms you wish to paint and observe the same effects. Remember, a north-facing room will usually have more natural light than a south-facing room. If you intend to paint several rooms in your home in a particular Resene hue you may need to choose a different strength for some rooms.

Many Resene colours come in half, quarter and even eighth strengths – some even come in double and triple strength – so you can vary the tone around your home depending on the area you are painting For example, you could paint your home’s exterior weatherboards in Resene Tea, a north-facing interior room in Resene Half Tea and a darker south-facing room in Resene Quarter Tea, using Resene Eighth Tea on the ceiling and trims such as skirting boards, door architraves and windowsills.

For more about using a testpot, check out this article.

Don’t paint directly onto the wall – instead apply two coats onto a piece of white card, leaving leave a border around the edge. Swatch painted in Resene Biscotti.

Move the card around the room to see how the light hits it. This painted swatch is in Resene Field Day.

Five uses for Resene testpots

Most of the paint in Resene testpots is Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen, an ultra-durable formula that is suitable for many projects inside and out, including weatherboards. Resene testpots are popular with many DIYers, upcyclers, artists and crafters and there are endless ways to use them. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Touch it up
Use Resene testpots to touch up any scrapes and scratches on your walls. Remember to clean the wall with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner before you paint. If you need to repair any dings and dents, fill the hole using Resene EzyFill Quick, sand it down and wipe away sanding dust, then prime the area with Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat before painting with your chosen Resene paint colour.
Upcycle it
Got a tired piece of wooden furniture? Bring it back to life using Resene paint. A Resene testpot will cover nearly one square metre, so a little goes a long way. For a superior finish, prime with Resene Quick Dry before painting. If you’re painting over varnished timber, clean it first then apply Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer to prevent the varnish from leaching into the colour. Allow the sealer to cure for 48 hours before painting in two coats of your chosen testpot colour.
Play with it
Resene testpots use waterborne paint, which is ideal for kids’ painting projects, and makes clean-up afterwards a breeze. While it’s easiest to dress your kids in old clothes when they’re painting, if they do get any paint on any of their favourite outfits, immediately blot the stain with a wet cloth to remove the excess and stop it from drying. Get the stain under running water as soon as possible – an old toothbrush is a good way to remove paint from the fibres of cloth. Check out this article for more information about getting paint out of clothing.
Stencil it
Get creative when painting and use a stencil to add detail to flooring or walls. A good stencilling technique is to use a sponge to blot a small amount of paint onto the stencil cut-outs to avoid the paint bleeding. Resene has several stencil designs available online, or you can create your own. Simply print out the design, trace it onto cardboard and cut it out carefully using a sharp craft knife. Choose a contrasting colour to create a distinctive print. Click here for some more stencilling inspiration.
Grout about it
If your kitchen or bathroom tiles are looking a little tired, an easy DIY trick is to paint the grout using Resene testpots. You could even paint the grout a bright primary colour for a one-of-a-kind look. Try Resene Turbo, Resene Parsley, Resene Half Resolution Blue or Resene Poppy. An artist’s paintbrush is often a good size to use on fine grouting and make sure you have a cloth handy to wipe off any excess paint as you go.

Top tip:

Resene testpot brushes are designed to fit Resene testpots and are available at Resene ColorShops. To clean your brushes, remove any excess paint from the brush before soaking it in a bucket of cold water.