Paint rant!

[NotGoodNotBad]

So I'm decorating, and I'm fed up of wasting money on paints that are the wrong colour.

Wanted a tin of cream satin wood paint

• tried a Dulux one, turned out to look like putty, and had dreadful coverage too
  
• got a B&Q one, OK but a bit white. Would prefer something a little creamier next time
  
• on to 2nd room, bought the creamier one and it is a lot darker than the first
  

No testers available for woodwork paint, so that's two whole tins of wasted paint.

Now I need a green emulsion - bought four testers, all look completely wrong. Have to buy yet more.

Problem is, nothing turns out like the brochure (that's if they do a brochure). Looking on-line isn't much use either. Nothing turns out like the sticker on the tin. Even if you can see through the plastic tin to the paint, it will dry differently. For some paints only (none of the wood paints) they have samples on the wall, so high you can't really see and compare. What happened to those little square samples at eye level so you could have a better idea what you were getting?

OK, I know worse things happen at sea but I'm getting really fed up!

[ChippingInLovesSpring]

[NotGoodNotBad]

Am I a loony?

[NotGoodNotBad]

Maybe, never tried that before.

The paint I want to match is on the wall, mind you... All I want is something pretty similar to what we've got already (but without the stains and grubby fingermarks). The ones we've got are a few years old and not made any more - and one of them I had to mix myself anyway as I didn't like the colours available. wait, maybe the problem is me after all

[nemno]

I feel your pain and share it. Can I find an acceptable shade of green? Can I heck. They just look nothing like the brochure/card . I know the perfect colour is out there, with so many options it must be, but I'll settle for ok. Buying a sample really is the only way to judge and even then it is not in the finish I want.

So how many paint samples at 2-5 quid a pop is it reasonable to buy? :)

I wouldn't dream of adding to the problem by wanting anything other than white for ceilings or woodwork! Good luck.

[ChippingInLovesSpring]

No, not loony, you just sounded very angry a little upset and I didn't have any solutions so thought I'd offer wine and run leave you in peace

[NotGoodNotBad]

Ha ha Chipping. Kids are away and I have too much energy and too much free time. Thought I'd use some of it decorating but the paints are getting the better of me!

So nemno, fess up, how many green samples have you bought so far?

[NotGoodNotBad]

Could do, though if you end up needing several tins it's a pain. The cream is the woodwork colour throughout the house (now discontinued), so it's good to have something ready made.

Have bought more green testers, some of these better be right!

[chickensaladagain]

If the one you've used previously is dulux and now discontinued it can usually still be mixed for you

[SlinkyB]

Have you tried going to a local, independent ironmongery type shop? I found my one really helpful, they can colour match, and had lots of options (not always a good thing!).

I'm with you on wondering just how many different shades of green there are. I decided I wanted a period green feature wall in our bedroom, and was at the options. Ended up falling in love with F&B 'Olive', but couldn't find anyone with anything nice to say about their paints. So just got the nearest sort of colour from my independent shop, which they mixed up in store for a bargain price (£16 for 2.5l flat emulsion) in under five minutes - result! It took me about three weeks of thinking about green bloody paint every day before reaching this point though

My tip is therefore to probably stop caring quite so much and just go for it! (I didn't buy any testers).

[PigletJohn]

what sort of undercoat are you using?

Is it a smokers house?

are you using spirit or water paints?

[NotGoodNotBad]

No smokers, water-based paints, no undercoat as I'm just repainting the woodwork. The woodwork was B&Q satinwood cream, now they do ivory/magnolia/softcream, none of which are quite the same. But I'm thinking the ivory colour will do

As for the green, I think I've got 2 ok co-ordinating green paints. But it's so weird, in different lights, or different parts of the room they look so different. In artificial lights some of them don't look green at all.

[NotGoodNotBad]

Oh, and as for worse things happening at sea... a few hours after I started this thread, someone was shot dead a couple of hundred yards from my house. I should stop caring so much about paint!

[NotGoodNotBad]

Now I have finished the painting - below the dado is fine, but I hate the colour above the dado. Aargh! Am going to have to repaint in a softer colour, or I'll spend the next few years glaring at it grumpily.

[ClaudiaCutie]

NGNB - I had the same experience with Dulux woodwork paint too (and wall paint, for that matter). For the wall paint, the sample and the final mix weren't the same. I ended up repainting my entire house in Farrow and Ball in the end which looks a million times nicer.

I chose Crown woodwork paint in plain white for the woodwork which I'm going to have to re-do as well as it attracts marks like a magnet and is almost impossible to clean. Quite cross about that. But you're right, better to get on an repaint instead of staring at it grumpily.

[wonkylegs]

One of the problems with paint is that lots of factors will have an effect on how it ultimately looks.
What you are painting on, natural light, artificial light etc etc. Therefore the same can of paint can look entirely different in different rooms or even the same room in a different place. Looking round my currently cream dining room I can see over 20 shading differences due to sun & shade & orientation.
Trying to match something exactly can be pot luck. Sometimes it's best to take a break point and not try to match exactly.

[nemno]

Argh, I share your frustration again on this thread NotGoodNotBad. I'd redo if you're still not happy after a couple of days of looking at it. My decorator has let me down after choosing today himself weeks ago. This is the second time so he is fired and I'm starting again.

Does mean I can keep changing my mind and buying more paint samples. As I said, Arrgh!

So, more recommendations for a grey green colour for a bathroom with slate tiles. It is a very masculine room with squarish fittings and chrome ( loads of light from West facing window) so nothing pretty, please. Or maybe thundercloud blue!

[NotGoodNotBad]

I've redone and it's lovely. I think the problem was largely that I was painting on top of a slightly brighter shade and it made the testers look duller than they really were. Why didn't I realise that?

[AllSWornOut]

Glad to hear the repaint did the job.

I feel your pain though - this problem is why DC's room looks like Shrek vomited in there, rather than the tasteful mossy green we had chosen. Luckily he's too young to care and we're moving soon so can try to do a better job next time!

[Barnbrook]

Try using paint samples co uk for any Farrow and ball paint colour ready painted onto no mess, portable, eco friendly sample cards for alot less than the price of the pots.