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Brands · answered by Fini

Is there a cheaper alternative to Little Greene Pleat?

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Quick answer

The closest cheaper match to Little Greene Pleat is Dulux Neptune Seas at ΔE 2.7 — close, though you'd pick the difference side by side. COAT Adulting is also a strong shout at ΔE 3.3.

Pleat is one of Little Greene's lovely muddy teal-blues, and if you want that look for less, Dulux Neptune Seas is your best bet. It sits at ΔE 2.7 from the original (LRV 17.1). Under 2.5 is what we'd call very close, so Neptune Seas lands just outside that — side by side you'd pick the shift, but on a finished wall, once the light's doing its thing, it reads in the same territory. It's the tightest match here by a clear margin.

If you'd rather a brand with a bit more depth and a premium-ish finish without the Little Greene price tag, COAT Adulting comes in at ΔE 3.3 (LRV 16.2). COAT's a proper modern outfit — low-VOC, decent coverage, and you can order peel-and-stick samples to check it in your own room before committing. That's worth doing with any teal, because they shift hard between north and south light.

The one I'd steer you away from is Crown Botany Bay — at ΔE 5.6 it's noticeably greener and lighter (LRV 22.4), so it reads as a different colour rather than a dupe. Fine on its own merits, but not a Pleat substitute.

Now, the honest bit: with deep, complex colours like Pleat, a low ΔE on paper doesn't always tell the whole story. Little Greene uses richer pigment loads, so Pleat can have a slightly different undertone shift as the light fades. If you're doing a feature wall or a small room where it'll be scrutinised, pay for a tester pot of both Neptune Seas and Pleat and paint A4 boards side by side. If it's a hallway, utility, or somewhere you're not living in the colour all day — Neptune Seas will save you a decent chunk a tin, and in rooms like those nobody's holding a swatch to the wall.

Whatever you land on, two coats over a grey primer or a tinted basecoat for these darker teals. Skimp on coats and the depth goes flat.

Colours from the answer

LRV 17.6
Little Greene
Pleat
LRV 17.1
Dulux
Neptune Seas
LRV 22.4
Crown
Botany Bay
LRV 16.2
COAT
Adulting

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