Please explain to a novice DIY'r what is the attraction with Farrow and ball paints?

[pippala]

I notice on this board the amount of threads re F&B paints.
Having never heard of the brand before and have a major painting job to do before renting property out I had a look at Homebase.
It occured to me that the paint was more expensive than crown, dulux etc but on the tin said it was "organic"
Is this why peeps use this paint? Or is it the colour ranges, better coating etc
please explain to someone who is in the dark about the merits!

I think it's the emperors new clothes of paints in some ways! We got our front door done in it and it is not great. Painter hadn't used it befor and didn't have preconceived ideas but says he won't use it again.

People say it changes colour in different lights but the Dulux we used on our kitchen units does that.

the main reason is that they just do a great range of muted colours. It's hard to go wrong with an F&B colour, however if I'm trying to economise and go with Crown/Dulux, I tend to buy about 10 testers and none of them are right, so go back to F&B. I wouldn't bother with it though if you're going to be renting your property out.

I think the main reason is the colours are very subtle and muted. It used to be that Dulux etc did much more simple, obvious colours and didn't do a great range of neutrals/sludgey/subtle colours. So if you wanted neutrals/sludgey/subtle you needed Farrow & ball or one of the similar companies.

However Dulux etc have cottoned on and have come out with much more neutral/subtle shades recently. So the advantage of F&B is less.

The other reason people like F&B (and similar companies like Little Greene) is that their paints have a very matt, almost chalky finish, which gives a really good "period" look.

Lots of decorators don't like working with F&B. (Especially now their eggshell is water based rather than oil based). But the same doesn't apply to Little Greene.

I definitely wouldn't bother with F&B etc in a rental property. You want the most hardwearing paint you can find which is not going to be any of the F&B type paints.

OMG!
I have just visited the F&B shop. The staff were so helpful. the colours were so rich and deep. they have the colours on wooden boards and she showed me how they change colour in the different shades of light at different times of the day.
I asked about painting orginal floorboards and painting the outside of the house with lulworth blue masonary paint.
I have chosen Tallow for the walls.
She even phoned HO to ask about special primers before painting brickwork. The same paint can also be painted on wrought iron and plastic guttering!
She explained about having light neural walls and painting skirtings,arcitraves,radiators in deep colours to give colour.
really impressed

IMO the greatest advantage of F&B is that they are very expensive, so you can boast to your friends, and you will feel as if you have got something special.

Paint is paint, and if you really think no other manufacturer can make that exact colour, you haven't looked.

Personally I love the 1829 range and then Crown or Dulux but B&Q's colours range has also been surprisingly nice.

A big selling point for me is that they (and Little Greene, for that matter) have very very low VOCs, so they are much less toxic both to use and to produce.

I know that there is much sucking of teeth over the water based gloss and eggshell, but it is pretty great to be able to paint a load of woodwork and not get a head rush. It also makes is much safer for pregnant women to use. And you don't have to use white spirit, with its depressing warnings about killing trees and fishes.

They're traditional colours so if you have a period property you can paint it in a colour that is similar to that used when it was built

In my case Peasant Hovel Scum walls and Dinge for the woodwork

Personally I think as well as being lovely colours they are great quality and worth every penny.

I have some walls painted in Dulux and others in F&B. DC's are always putting sticky hands, grubby smears and crayon on the walls and when I rub my dulux walls with an normal j-cloth the paint comes off on the cloth where as I can scrub my F&B walls with the rough side of a washing up sponge and the marks come off and the paint stays put.

When we moved in to our house our kitchen cupboards were fake wood effect plastic, I primed them with melamine primer and painted them in F&B with a roller which DH thought was a terrible idea and 3 years later not so much as a chip in the paintwork despite scooters and trikes smashing into them repeatedly.

my family think I'm just being poncey buying F&B but I'm a huge fan.

I plan on using F&B paint in my livingroom with an original 1800's inglenook. The rest of the place can be Crown/Dulux as I'm trying to budget but DH says its OK for me to use F&B just the once!

The colours are lovely, but coverage is poor and more coats are needed. our here decorators charge 10% extra for F&B because of this. Little greene similar colours, but coverage similar to dulex no additional charge.

My paint supplier - who sells everything except Dulux says that Decorators don't like using F&B because they can't get a trade discount F&B don't allow it - hence they make less money and need to charge you more to make up for it.

Have used F&B for a floor, they had the best range of colours, it was tough and did the job.

I just really like the colours. I always get all the shade cards from all the companies, but end up choosing the colour I like best. It hasn't got anything to do with boasting.

And I've always found 2 coats to be just fine.

I know someone who asks for a quote from decorators, and buys the paint herself. Never had a problem.

sproooOOoogger - it's not a particularly exciting colour scheme we went for Slipper Satin but the kitchen looks so much better.

First I had to really scuff up the surface of the shiny plastic cupboards with really coarse sandpaper, then did a coat of primer, more sanding, 2nd coat primer, more sanding, one coat of F&B, more sanding then second coat of F&B. It was LOADS of effort but completely worth it as they look like new doors and we spent less than £50 so a lot cheaper than a new kitchen

And I did all this while 7 months preg

In my case Peasant Hovel Scum walls and Dinge for the woodwork

Do they do a 'council house' version? ie suitable for red brick and paper thin walls

Seriously though, isn't it just paint for your 'Hyacenth Bouquet' types,