Finance Yorkshire Seedcorn Fund

Company finds window of opportunity for removable paint

A Yorkshire company is hoping to clean up with the launch of a revolutionary new removable paint.

Action Paint, which is the first product from York-based Renu-TPS and developed with support from Mercia Fund Managers, is due to go on sale in stores nationwide from early next year. However in the meantime it is making its mark on the high street in a different way – to create festive window displays.

The paint has also found its way on to the big screen, having been used on the set of the popular TV series, The Crown, as well as Hollywood blockbusters ranging from wizards and superheroes to epic war movies.

Action Paint – which is believed to be a world first in fully removeable high-performance paint – was invented by former project manager Peter Stubbs while advising a client business which had created a germ-killing spray for care homes.

“The spray needed to incorporate a pigment to show the areas treated but without leaving a permanent stain,” Peter explains. “We couldn’t find anything suitable so I started experimenting in my garage and came up with a solution. It was only later that I realized that I had invented a removable paint that was a product in its own right. As the pigment is encased in a polymer, the paint never actually touches the surface. It is easily removed using a gel which decouples the polymer from the surface.”

The company, which was formed in 2016, has spent two years developing the product with backing from Mercia. It started selling the paint recently on its website and has also been supplying it for trade use. Action Paint has also been named Aerosol of the Year by the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association.

Peter adds: “Action Paint has proved very popular with the film industry and is increasingly being used on shop windows as it can be painted on the outside and will withstand the weather yet can easily be removed after Christmas. It is paint with an ‘undo option’ and people come up with new uses for it all the time! You can paint your car in the colours of your team, create messages for special occasions, signage for events or trial a new colour in your home. Action Paint helps people unleash their creativity.”

Lisa Ward, Investment Manager with Mercia Fund Managers, added: “Action Paint is a highly versatile product with a host of potential uses in both the business and consumer markets. We believe there are exciting times ahead for the company.”