Farrow & Ball Paints

[DSMEZ]

We're thinking of using this paint--but it is considerably more expensive than other paints. Is it really worth it???

No - although the colours are gorgeous. My local paint store will match the colours perfectly with a more commerical base paint that is more hardwearing. This has been invaluable with 2 small DC. You get the look, but with some durability. If you are near to Leicester I'll give you the name of the place.

I think it is far, far better than all the other tinned paints (although the Laura Ashley ones aren't bad). It has a different texture to other paints and I've found that it goes on the walls much more smoothly and quickly. In the end you use less paint than you would if using, for example, B&Q's own brand stuff (my least favourite paint), and it takes less time to cover a wall.

I have painted a lot of walls in the past couple of years, and still have so many to do

I don't think it's worth the money. The colours are interesting though they have loads of shades that are basically magnolia. But I think you could probably get the shades made up somewhere else.

whay is it less hardwearing? And hwo does it have a different texture - I mean is it more matt or what? ( sorry of these are stupid questions)

I think it is worth it. The colours can be mixed elsewhere but the paints have a more 'chalky' look. I have F&B throughout the house (everything else cheap though!)

They are not particularly hardwaring paints - but for me that's not an issue.

For what its worth I had a decorator in to do my front room. He'd not used F&B before (says Crown the best).

Initially he said - not worth it- and doesn't go on very well. But colours are all trademarked and even he admitted the final finish is gorgeous. In the end he said he'd use the paint again.

Not sure if this helps or not. Homebase is the only diy store I know does F&B. Other than specialists and the internet.

I really like F&B.
The colours are lovely. It takes longer to apply them than other paints if you obey the tin - 2 coats with a roller and then one with a brush iirc, but many people admire my living room and I did it 4 years ago. I was always taught that painting should be leisurely, so Onecoat was never going to be my thing anyway.

Just spoke to my DP who is a painter and decorator and he doesnt like F & B - says its too watery and you cant compare it with B & Q stuff as he'd NEVER use that. He says Crown is the best and they sometimes can colour match (although some places have stopped doing that now,).

what ive done is order a colour chart pack from poshpaint.com so that you can choose the colours and ranges of colours that you like... then i got a massive trade colour chart thingy from dulux and personally chose the closest matches to the colours i liked. in something called diamond matt (is a trade name, dont know what the 'public' version is called... reallife or something) which is scrubbable.
looks v nice so far!

most of the colours i liked ended up being from the fired earth colour chart btw

I know someone who had to do 6 coats as its so thin. Not worth it in her opinion.

I wonder if it depends on the walls you're painting? I've only ever painted walls in Victorian houses. Just a thought...

Hi MuffinMclay--did you paint with just a roller? And did you lay off with a brush as they recommend?

DSMEZ - sorry to sound dim, but what does laying off with a brush involve? I might have done it without knowing it, but I don't think so...

I use a roller for the bulk of the walls, put do the edges with brushes. Im sure my technique is not the painter/decorator approved method but it sems to work just fine.

I stand by my belief that they are the best. I use 2 coats (plus undercoat) with these, and 3 coats on rooms done with other paints.

DH does the painting here so I cannot comment on how to use it but I like the colours available in F&B and the chalky finish, the woodwork paint has a nice finish too. We have a Victorian house and I think it really suits the F&B stuff (although at the moment we only have F&B in one room but I would consider it for other rooms in future).

Oh and DH just uses the roller.

The finish is lovely - I think it's worth the extra cost. The depth of colour is also nice, far superior to the Dulux paint we've used in the past. While it's expensive it goes a long way, I would really recommend.

You can get the colours mixed, but because the pigments are different the paint responds to the light differently and the texture is also much less nice, as others have said. We have F&B menagerie in our kitchen, and my aunt just had it colour matched for her hall - it looks much less nice than the original, IMO.

Painters and decorators don't like it, often, because they have developed techniques and habits suited to petrochemical paints. When those techniques don't work with F&B, they understandably blame the paint, not themselves!

Another factor to consider is that the environmental impact of F&B, Little Greene, Fired Earth is much less than with petrochemical paints 9which are real environmental villains).

We decorated our whole house in Farrow & Ball when we renovated last year. Everyone who has been to our house has said how wonderful the colours are and what a difference they make to the house. Our house is a big Victorian manor house and the paint works so well. Our decorator said that F&B are streets ahead of the rest.

i like it because you struggle to 'go wrong' with it
its colours are fabulous tints and if you want a nice beige ( slipper satin!) you got it
have used it and used it and will keep going back to it but in my town the whole world shops at the F and B shop and i try to move away cos i want my house different!

ooh you are all SO convincing..I was thinking of F&B for my new kitchen units, but like DSMEZ was not suer about teh extra ££££

what colours woudl You F&B experts recomend for units & walls in a dark north facing kitchen? With cream aga and wooden floors ( not yet decided on worktops)

crown is good, but the rooms we have done in F+B and Laura Ashley are much nicer, it's the way the colour absords and reflects light so the colour stays more subtle and true