The great “Is Farrow & Ball paint worth it?” debate – RESULTS OF EXPERIMENT!

[EscapeToTheShithole]

Redecorating… and got sucked into the See how it changes colour with the light! F&B marketing, even though I know perfectly well you could easily say that about magnolia.

Read some of the MN threads about how decorators loathe F&B paint and it’s all just Emperor’s new clothes. Felt worse than gullible, because even though I didn’t even believe the hype, I still went and bought it! And it is not cheap!!! 😫

An hour into painting, realised I’d underestimated how much was needed. It wasn’t bare plaster, but might as well have been as the walls are new and the builder must have used a crappy mist coat. Very absorbent.

Had the flash of genius that, as suggested on MN threads, I could nip out to B&Q and get 5L of ordinary paint mixed to match the colour.

This worked really well! Side by side, I couldn’t actually tell the difference from the wall I’d just done in F&B. They looked identical. So I used up the entire 5L tin (mist coat, then a second coat) kicking myself that I had forked out good money for the F&B, which I began thinking of as “that bullshit paint.” I am a cheapskate by nature, and it really irked me that I’d been foolish, but just in case it made a difference, I saved the F&B paint for the final coat.

By the time I'd finished the B&Q 5L pot, it was time to clean up for the day. To add insult to injury, I was looking around me slightly aghast at the colour I’d chosen: Why had I thought it was a good idea to paint the whole room in what looked like a bright orangey cream?! 😬

Next day, I braced myself and applied the final coat of the F&B “bullshit paint” … which, of course, looked exactly the same colour when applied. 🤦🏻‍♀️

And yet! – the effect in the room, especially as the walls dried, was quite different. No more orangey hue, more the subtle cooler/sandy effect I’d liked so much when using the tester pot. Hurraaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!

So here are my thoughts:

A lot might depend on the shade you pick. I went for Farrow’s Cream – a sort of golden cream with a cool/sandy hue that’s hard to explain, and there’s no point me posting photos as none of them look anything like the actual colour! Despite being a perfect match, the B&Q dupe had a hotter orange feel to it although it was objectively the same colour.

I suspect F&B put something different in theirs to achieve the muted tones (lamp soot? incinerated roadkill? vintage Chanel mascara?).

Whatever it is, it does make a difference, but the paint needs to be thoroughly and regularly mixed to disperse it evenly (might explain decorators’ reluctance to use it?).

FWIW, I didn’t find the paint at all thin or translucent, quite the opposite – very pigment rich (maybe depends on colour and finish).

So there we go. Sharing in the interests of scientific research.

Another one for Benjamin Moore paint, hands down.

I'm so glad you started this thread @EscapeToTheShithole - it's such a great experiment (even if it was accidental!), and it's really interesting to read other people's experiences too.

My experiences with F&B paints also don't match up with what I've been told about it all being smoke and mirrors, don't waste your money etc. Just from a finish point of view, as an amateur with good intentions but a limited attention span, the end job still seems to look great even if I've been a bit slapdash.

I'd love to try Benjamin Moore – an American friend raves about them and the colour range is absolutely incredible, but the tester situation seems potentially expensive.

Nothing wrong with being a cheapskate!! I only buy F and B because I love the way it looks; it's a luxury like a spa day or a cocktail (both of which I can easily do without! ).

You are gullible!

I got Farrow's Cream colour matched in Tikkurila paint and there's definitely nothing orangey about it.

The decorator’s “ trick experiment” tends to suggest otherwise!

Lol at vintage Chanel mascara!

I'm a die hard F&B fan after 14 old houses in varying states of decrepitude. The pigments make a huge difference and the finish is much softer (less vinyl?) but that does make it less hardwearing. My experience is that colour matching works quite well for pale neutrals esp over large areas like ceilings but blues and greens don't work at all. :)

I have had farrow and Ball in the past and now have b and qs dupe on the wall and I don’t think the dupe is as good or as ‘rich’ feeling in its colour. The farrow and ball was deeper and richer and looked better over time. I’m going back to farrow and ball next time we paint.

Love this, thanks OP!

I used F&B in my tiny flat and loved the depth of colour it gave. However, when it came to painting a house, I balked at the cost, and went for Wickes on brand instead. It was fine, and actually really lovely to apply, but meh once dried.

In our current house, I've upgraded to COAT, and I am totally sold! The ease of application, the fact you only need a few coats, the way the flat matte smooths out lumps and bumps ... I could go on about it, bit basically, it's even better than F&B.

Colour match cant be exactly the same. The mix of pigment is going to make subtle differences and that's really going to show up in neutrals. I've got colour match F&B. Mainly because their marketing is so pervasive that if you want colour suggestions and what goes together it's easier to use F&B. O needed a more hard wearing finish because my dc are animals!

Farrow & Ball use large quantities of natural pigment in their paints, B&Q use synthetic pigments and lots of vinyl (which makes it easy for DIYers to apply). What you can see when Farrow & Ball dries are very matte and richly pigmented walls. The trick is to use the cheap shitty paint to do misting and undercoat in a similar colour and then x 2 coats of F&B over the top.

This is what I discovered in my accidental "scientific experiment" 🤡

Little Greene’s intelligent emulsion does the job in 1 as its a primer and paint. I try to use their formulas wherever I can for ease.

Ohhh, I don't really want to hear that! I spent 2 days slaving away 😫🤡😬

So do LittleGreen and Paint work out similar in price to a trade paint like Johnstones because they go further or only need one coat? Or are they just twice the price but nicer?

I ask because I’m finding Johnstone’s pretty pricey in comparison with the dulux DIY shops sell.

It feels like there’s price bands- own brand paint; dulux/crown diy, Johnstone’s, dulux trade, then ‘fancy’- F&B, Paint, littlegreen etc.

Is that about right?

Love F & B colours but not price and finish. Most of my house is done in Dulux trade magnolia - but it’s not yellowy like some. We call it Dorset Cream 😁.

I've used paints of all types - I love the 'look' of F&B but I find it doesn't cover very well and you need at least two or three coats to look right. I've used Dulux Heritage too and that's better coverage but not as 'deep' a pigment. Cheap paint has been hopeless, doesn't go on well and dries to look patchy. Frenchchic paint was the best I've found. Great colours and depth and goes on better than F&B.

But I still love my Inchyra Blue bedroom....

But your F&B coat looks better because it’s the third coat - not necessarily bc it’s F&B. For this to be a true experiment, you’d have to do three coats of B&Q on one wall and then compare.

Yes, I've got Masquerade by Little Greene in my bedroom and living room and it's fabulous!

Totally agree with this. F&B does offer slightly more off beat colour not colours, if you know what I mean. Pink with a hint of black and so on.

I love the deep pigments and beautiful finish of F&B paint. Our decorator tried to dupe us with a colour match and I could tell as soon as I walked into the room that it wasn’t right.

But, the dead flat finish, whilst beautiful, is so high maintenance particularly in darker colours. I feel that just looking at the wall can damage it sometimes. We are a ‘don’t even think about touching the wall’ household now 😄

Yeah, well that's never going to happen 😆

You just have to take my word for it, I'm afraid. Even DH, who is not particularly colour sensitive, could immediately see the difference as soon as the walls started to dry...

I would never skimp on paint.

I think there may be something in the way women and men perceive colour differently that explains why so many (male?) decorators reckon F&B is a con and cheaper dupes are just as good. Individual variation will also explain why many women feel the same, perhaps these are the women who are at the less perceptive end of colour perception. Then for those (mostly women, but also the exceptional end of the scale for men) with good colour perception it does make a real difference. It would make a great scientific study.

I can definitely see a difference in the finish and colour of colour matched paints, and also love F&B, little greene and COAT paints for their depth and subtle differences as the light changes. Worth the extra money imo.

This is exactly where I have got to - after standing with male decorators who swear they can't see the difference and to me its obvious.

Either that, or they just don't like working with it; most people feel it is harder to apply.