What is the deal with Farrow and Ball paint?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I had never heard of it before I came on Mumsnet! Why is it so different to say, Dulux etc?

Is it worth buying or is it the DIY equivalent of shopping at Boden?

The colours are so subtle but if youre thinking of it do yourself a favour and get dulux to do a colour match because some decorators hate the texture of F&B, although they hate Laura Ashley paint even more!

In what way is the texture different? I am a bit of a paint novice, I just thought paint is paint?

You have a lot to learn ;-)

Dulux is thick and gloopy and doesn't run, Farrow and Ball has a fantastic finish but the texture is a bit more slippery to paint with.
Laura Ashley is like painting with milk!

I'm not keen on F&B. I've found it hasn't got great coverage on the darker colours and goes streaky. Lots of people love it though - so it's probably just me but I'm not forking out for it again!

Choose a colour and then macth it, very expensive.

It has a much greater depth of colour as they use more pigment so that a colour really is a colour iyswim. The colours do tend to be more subtle so work really well with period properties in particular. I actually find it really nice to paint with but then I am rather a fan!

Dad is a decorator and wouldn;t touch F&B with a barge pole- always recommends getting a colour match from Dulux instead. Rubbish quality for too muc money apparantley.

He rolls his eyes whenever i mention F&B

I like the fact that it has a chalky finish. We live in an old house and the colours and the finish work well for us.

Lovely colours, but very runny and thin so you need extra coats (which makes it expensive). Also found you need to apply it with a brush as it spatters everywhere with a roller.

I prefer Crown.

I've always found the finish is brilliant, never need more than 2 coats for any colour and with f&b you know you're going to get a great colour. I always find i can spend £10 on Dulux/Crown testers and still the colour isn't exactly right.

It's double the price of Crown/Dulux, but as painting is a relatively inexpensive way of decorating a room, it will probs cost £50 for paint, rather than £25, so not really a budget buster.

If you go on to specialist property discussion forums, F&B is seen as being very infra dig - everyone's using specialist paints ground by individual artisans from their Dorset barns which have to be kept in the fridge until using.

The only reason professional decorators don't like it is because they can get away with fewer coats of other paints so it takes less time. If they've quoted for a job based on one coat of gloss and then find they need 2, they lose out financially. Also they like you to choose from their trade supplier so they can get a mark up on it and give business to their supplier.

I have had disastrous experiences with trying to colour match F&B. The emulsion is beautiful to paint with (have done it myself just recently) but I agree the gloss and eggshell is harder work.

However, I was recently bullied persuaded to use a Dulux colour-matched alternative to F&B on my conservatory woodwork by the decorator. I relented due to the sheer size of the room, and the cost of F&B. I deeply regret it. The colour is very disappointing compared to F&B and the finish is plasticky, and has already started to stretch and peel in the joints of the wood, due to the heat in the room. I can't afford to re-do it though - it was too expensive the first time! Having said that, I have some Dulux elswhere in the house and it is lovely.

I use dulux a lot -gardenia [a trade colour] is a brilliant neutral and changes in different lights and is good for the woodwork in period houses.Buttermilk is also good in sunny rooms.But most importantly i could get them mixed up where i live - so it was convenient.I have one F&B colour in my hall dorset cream.I couldn't find anything that looked right in the standard ranges.I do think the texture is different - a bit more depth and chalkiness and it looks good in my old house.I don't think it was difficult to use but then i got someone to do it!.I think sometimes it is worth paying a bit extra to solve a particular problem

can I put in a word for Sanderson? I used it (matt emulsion) in my living room and bedroom recently- in each case I was painting light over dark and only needed two coats on each. Twas surprisingly easy

think it's more pricey than Dulux but if you're doing the painting yourself it's worth it.

On the number of coats - what I have found is that emulsion going over trade paint you need 2 coats of F&B but if you're painting over existing F&B paint (e.g to change the colour as I was doing recently) I found I only needed one coat so used half as much paint as I'd expected. So ime you only need more coats when you're painting over inferior paint

professional painters should listen to their customers needs and recommend the right paint for their need, and charge accordingly for labour involved in putting said paint up.

if you want a period finish, he or she will probably recommend one of a number of suppliers, little green sanderson, F&B

If you want a modern or more durable finish, he or she will prob recommend dulux or wwickes (but never crown). i have both in my house to suit different purposes.

have been using it for years for work and a colour match is just not the same.You really can tell.They use more pigment per ml and you get a true colour.I have recently discovered Marstons paint which is even better ime.

Modern house/modern style = dulux, period home/period style = F&B IMO. Would not touch Laura Ashley paint - it really shows marks for some reason

I don't agree helmethead.

F&B gives a smart, elegant finish, which looks good in any house, surely?

I think you are highly susceptible to modern marketing helmethead.What did people do before F&B were invented?.F&B is suitable for any type of house as are some colours in most other paint ranges!.

F and B suitable anywhere any style.Colour is the thing not the manufacturer!Helmet you are a marketing mans dream.

F & B is totally emperor's new clothes and you need to be a professional to get a good finish. Find the F and B colour you like and get it colour matched with dulux.

We inherited a 9 year old house with some nasty (in my opinion) very dark paint finishes. I did the first few rooms with Dulux (plus a base coat to cover dark colours), however in the last room I switched to Fired Earth = a revolution. Fired Earth paints are the actual colour they seem on the paint chart, they cover very smoothly and need far less coats to cover a previous dark undercoat. I'm a FIRED EARTH convert

orienteer they are lovely too.

I agree that it is better colour quality than the matched trade colours. I used an F&B colour in the modern emulsion in my kitchen and the same colour in my hall, which was colour-matched trade paint that my decorator got. The colour is a reasonable match but the finish isn't nearly as nice - the sheen on the F&B modern emulsion is loads subtler than the matched paint - it just isn't the same.

i also love Fired Earth paint.