Farrow and Ball

[Nmchanger]

Hi we've just bought a house and I really like the colour of the walls. I asked the previous owner what paint it was and it's Farrow and Ball. I suggested to my husband we buy a pot in case we need to do any touch-ups and it's £100 a pot!
Is it really worth it, it seems extortionate.

So YABU - It's really worth the money, or YANBU - no you're paying for the name.

Another vote for Decorator Centre’s colour match. I think the paint is Johnstones and it’s scrubbable so really hard wearing.

I have a friend who painted her whole house in F&B and she didn’t know it was a colour match until I told her.

Our decorator said F&B used to be awful to apply and although it’s much better now he said it’s not worth paying for.

If it's an estate emulsion, you will struggle to 'touch up' areas..it shows even using the genuine product. You will need to totally repaint. Johnstone is good for lighter colour matches, Dulux for darker.
Brewers also colour match in their Albany, which is a trade paint, so better quality than Retail paint but without the price tag of the well-known brands.

Short answer, no I hate it. Much prefer Dulux Heritage for range and application. But you can buy tester pots for minor touch ups, I wouldn’t bother with a whole tin.

It's so expensive because of the depth of the coloor!

(I cannot think about Farrow and Ball without thinking of this SNL sketch)

We used a johnstones colour match in the hall and it’s not as good as the fb we used in the rest of the house.

Mylands is where it’s at if you want scrubbable nice paint.

I’m really disappointed with my F&B in the lounge. Marks really easily & you can see stains and smudges. Also second absolute nightmare when touching up, it doesn’t blend . Expensive for such a poor result. Love the colour but it’s not maintainable , due to marking so easily .

Oh possibly @AndrexPuppy? I only needed a small amount to cover up an area that was damaged when we had some work done.

I didn't try asking him for 25 litres!

Yes, colour matching is brilliant but I agree it’s no good for touch ups. Even an exact branded like for like, same colour, same finish, same brand won’t be either as the batch numbers won’t match (meaning the colour will be slightly different) and the paint on the walls will have been exposed to UV and other environmental factors that will likely have changed the colour slightly, making any touch ups look patchy.

Exactly my experience 🙈

You don't need to buy an extra pot for touch-ups, OP; Assuming there's any left from the original job, decant it into a jar with a lid and store it upside down so you don't find a skin on it when it's opened (and don't forget to label it according to which room it was used in!!)

We have a high value house. We use F&B paint. The modern emulsion is hard wearing. We just repaint a wall if we need to. Rarely! It’s lovely paint. If there are issues with a finish, go for modern emulsion. The estate emulsion is a chalky finish and maybe not suitable for high traffic areas.

@Nmchanger another suggestion for getting a colour match. Valspar or Johnson's are both pretty good although I prefer Valspar.

Also if you want a premium paint I'd recommend Lakeland, for wood treatment Osmo, for white Dulux Trade which is very slightly warmer than most whites, for specialist stuff Zinsser.

You can colour match and get a colour for cheaper, that’s what I do for farrow and ball in high areas, but it is never really like f&b. F&b uses huge range of pigments to make a colour which give the colour a real depth which is difficult to replicate.

IWillBeWaxingAnOwl That video is brilliant!!! 😂

TizerorFizz 'We have a high value house. We use F&B paint'

LOL!! Thankyou for this line - now I'll think of your comment everytime someone mentions F&B. Classic.

Honestly, I used to think Farrow and Ball was an expensive fad that was all about the brand rather than the quality. My partner then bought some for our living room and it is so much better than any other paint brand I've tried (including other 'posh' ones). We've done the bedroom now as well and it has transformed it. It is pricey though, but very worth it in my opinion. However, like other have said it may be that the colour has been discontinued. Pro's:
Doesn't smell, very easy to wash up brushes after as it's water based, the Super Matt hides all the old dents in my Georgian walls, the pigment is very deep, it's lovely to paint with (goes on smooth, generous coverage).
However, I don't bother with their primer, I find using big standard primer beforehand doesn't make the paint look any different to using their expensive primer.

If to one of the more common colours it is not likely to disappear, I would probably buy a tester pot to keep in if it's estate emulsion as that will do any small touch ups.

After having a new kitchen fitted we chose the colour Ammonite by F&B, its the only room that has F&B paint. I have been very impressed with it and it has worn very well. Yes an expensive outlay but we don’t repaint that often. I would consider again.

I love F&B because of how it looks - but my husband despises it - I suspect more because of cost - but he says he hates how it goes on

The colours are lovely but the paint isn't worth it. I use their colours but use the Decorating centre online who do a colour match and the paint is much easier to apply.

B&Q do it. Our house is all colour matched F&B colours.

They scan the colour and mix it for you, no problems

@AbreathofFrenchair thank you.
Can they also do the various finishes like modern emulsions.

Definitely NOT worth it. It's difficult to apply and marks easily. I've used F&B at huge expense over the years. More recently I give my painter the F&B colour to get mixed in a better finish or use the Trade brand, 'Leyland' which is v high quality and an identical colour chart, with more options. Various finishes but 1/3rd of the price. They sell it in B&q but painters can use the Leyland mixing facilities.

It a colour so not a problem.

I’ve just finished repainting my house and used Farrow and Ball, estate emulsion and eggshell. I really like it (especially lichen and Joa’s white!). The colours are beautiful, and whatever lighting they’re never flat or dull.

Imo it’s absolutely worth it.

I love it. The finish is second to none although it can be difficult to apply properly. The first coat will look like shit. I’ve had colour matches done with other brands as, like you’ve said, it’s pricey. The difference in quality and finish was so noticeable and horrible that I ended up painting over it with F&B again.