The Perfect Grey Paint???

[scghscgh]

Hi. I am having trouble finding the elusive perfect grey paint.

We have a South-East facing living room. We have tried more than 20 testers (seriously!). When painted on plain printer paper or lining paper, and pinned up to the wall, the samples look great. But when actually painted on the wall, they show as either blue, beige, or lilac undertones.

I want a light pure grey, maybe slightly on the warmer side, but not pinky.

I like the colour of Dulux Polished Pebble in the brochure, but not as much on the wall. We have tried first painted the room Dulux Just Walnut. We really liked it, but we didn't like how it turned lilac when the sun came out. So we painted it the next shade up, Dulux Pebble Shore. However, now the room seems very beigey-brown. And we have silvery grey curtains...

Some of those we have tried:

• Dulux Polished Pebble (have this in our hallway and testeed in our living room, pale grey but often shows blue tones)
  
• Dulux Goose Down (darker than Polished Pebble, too cold and blue)
  
• Dulux Chic Shadow (nice but but dark so only for a feature, not a whole room)
  
• Dulux Just Walnut (really nice warm greyish, but often lilac)
  
• Dulux Pebble Shore (darker shade than just walnut, greige that is more beige than grey)
  
• Dulux Egyptian Cotton (too brown)
  
• Dulux Natural Hessian (too orangey)
  
• Dulux Nutmeg White (light but definite murky pink tones)
  
• Dulux Almost Oyster (invisible)
  
• Dulux Dusted Moss 2 (dark, but good colour match for F&B Cornforth White)
  
• Farrow & Ball - Cornforth White (surprisingly dark)
  
• Farrow & Ball - Blackened (pale but strong cold blue undertone)
  
• Farrow & Ball - Ammonite (blue undertone when on the wall)
  
• Farrow & Ball Skimming Stone (too beige)
  
• Farrow & Ball Elephants Breath (too beige)
  
• Homebase (Grey lace , too blue, similar to F&B Blackened)
  
• Homebase (Morning Haze, blue, slightly lighter than F&B Blackened)
  

We want the quality and longevity of colour from a Dulux paint so whatever we decide with either be Dulux or colour matched in Dulux paint.

I guess next to try is Dulux Dusted Moss 3 or 4, and Grey Steele 3

Anyone have other ideas of something we have missed?

Thanks!

[Willswife]

Try Little Greene French Grey (or French Grey mid). We've just used it and are really pleased with it, it's a true grey.

[Fragglewump]

Annie Sloan - Paris Grey is my favourite

[scghscgh]

Thanks, I will try to find a stockist near me. Wondering how dark is it? What would you compare it to in terms of strength?

[scghscgh]

(both Little Greene French Grey and Annie Sloan Paris Grey)

[Fragglewump]

This is Paris grey on the door and the chest of drawers.

[Rhodes2015again]

You may have seen it and ruled it out if you’ve sampled the other grey f&bs but f&b pavillion grey??

[Doublechocolatetiffin]

Or f&b dove tail?

[scghscgh]

Fragglewump - your door looks lovely. Unfortunately I think that shade will be too cream against our curtains.

Rhodes2015again - I like Pavilion Grey, but it is too dark for our living room. Although its South-East facing, it doesn't seem to be a very light room, so we need to keep to a light paint.

Doublechocolatetiffin - Unfortunately F&B Dove Tail is too dark too also.

I think I need something between F&B Ammonite and F&B Strong White. Or between Dulux Polished Pebble & Dulux Chic Shadow.
Tempted to mix them together on a piece of paper and get it scanned for a colour match...

[whitemarble]

Try little Greene wood ash, it's a lovely very pale grey (though the little Greene paints like F&B are so different in different lights - in my house it is much 'greyer' than in the picture)

www.littlegreene.com/wood-ash-229

[Willswife]

The French Grey mid is a slightly darker shade than polished pebble but without the blue tone. I have polished pebble in a bedroom and am going to redo it in French grey mid as I want to lose the blue!

There is also a French grey pale but it is very light.

I would recommend getting some testers and painting some white paper. It's amazing how different it can look in different lights.

[scghscgh]

whitemarble - Thanks. I will have a look at Wood Ash

Willswife - Very interesting that French Grey is similar but less blue than Polished Pebble. It could be the one for us.
We already tried the 'painting on white paper' trick. But found when we tried the samples on the wall, there was a reasonable difference between pinned up paper and samples painted directly on the wall. Polished Pebble wasn't blue at all on the paper,, but on the wall it was. Even after several coats!

[scghscgh]

I received some Dulux paint cards in the mail today.
On the delivery note it said Chic Shadow is the same as Grey Steel 2 and Clouded Slate 2

And Polished Pebble is the same as Grey Steel 3.

So they are in the same colour family.

[jensner]

We recently redid our bedroom in Little Greene French Grey and love it.

[AugustRose]

DD had her bedroom decorated grey and one of the colours is Wilko's Cosy Grey. I know some people don't like to use cheap paint but it covers really well and looks lovely.

[user1471530109]

www.google.co.uk/search?q=dulux+timeless+classics+thimble+case&client=ms-android-motorola&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJs4GurZTZAhUIe8AKHaJ7C8QQ_AUICygC&biw=360&bih=512#imgrc=5elWuqK8UnxCkM:

[user1471530109]

Sorry. Pressed wrong button

This was lovely in last house and will use it again when painting new one (if I can find it at weekend).

[giddyupnow]

Used Little greene French grey pale in one room and johnstones colour matched to same shade in rest of house - johnstones is nicer and better finish.

[DarkBlueEyes]

Dimpse by Farrow and Ball, it's one of the warmer greys. We have it in our bedroom and I love it. We also have ammonite and blackened in our other rooms, and strong white which is definitely grey but very pale, in our hallways. Good luck!

[Jon66]

Have you tried Dimpse 277 F and B. We have this in our hallway which is quite small, but its quite a true light grey if you see what I mean.

[Jon66]

I've just noticed you intend to colour match whatever paint to Dulux. I would advise against this. F and B estate emulsion is hard wearing, we have it in our hallway as said above, but it comes out looking quite a bit different if you try to colour match with Dulux paint. The F n B is very chalky and give a lovely classy finish. The Dulux doesn't . . .

[Atalune]

Having spent a small fortune of FandB samples I have painted the children’s bedrooms, the play room and the downstairs lavatory all in B and Q own brand Light RAin. It’s is a very light soft true grey with no pinks or blues or green undertones!

[domesticslattern]

I spent 4 hours yesterday on exactly this mission.
Irritatingly Dulux Thimble Case seems to no longer exist as a premixed colour so you can't buy a tester. The closest in that range is probably carved stone or possibly grey lace.
I have gone for Dulux Chic Shadow which is not too dark for my room but it does have a very very slight lilac-y tinge which I didn't want. I wanted a pure grey like you. Basically I was losing the will to live and the kids liked it because it was "the colour of an elephant" which is enough for me.
Tell us what you go for.

[BringMeTea]

Another vote for Little Greene French Grey pale or mid of you want it more grey grey iykwim.

Someone mentioned F n B dove tale. I have this in my bedroom and I love it but it’s definitely not a true grey.

[BringMeTea]

Oh and for colour matching I would go Johnstones.

[babyboyHarrison]

Earthborn they have several nice grey shades of varying darknesses. The paint is lovely and doesn’t smell. More expensive than dulux cheaper than f&b. I was really impressed with the coverage.