expensive paint and small boys (another Farrow and Ball thread sorry...)

[elliott]

Have a whole large Victorian terrace to decorate and my head is swimming with paint choices, please help me out!

I desperately aspire to become a fully fledged F&B paint ponce but previous threads suggest that the finish won't be up to coping with two small boys (and can it cope in a bathroom)? I have fallen in love with the colours and want nothing less Is Dulux colour mixing the solution?

And while we're at it, what about Fired Earth? I've hardly read a good word about it but have to admit I prefer some of the colours to F&B. Will it be a hideous mistake?

Please help me

Exhausted Paint Shopper

Previous threads to which you refer don't reflect my experience of FandB - and yes it will cope in the bathroom.

Become that ponce - you know you want to.

I do I do - but those phrases 'not long lasting' and 'peels off at the slightest condensation in the bathroom' and 'colour changes with every wipe' have sown seeds of nagging doubt....

You can get Johnsons to mix F&B colours, they have the codes...

You can now get F&B in a 'modern emulsion' which is washable as opposed to the estate emulsion which most definitely isn't.

Haven't tried it though although will be doing so soon....

HAven't heard of Johnsons - not sure we have a supplier oop 'ere....
Have just spent a fortune on the Posh Paints website (and that's just the sample pots!)
Fired Earth anyone?

could you mix a bit? eg - use F&B for lower traffic bits and fake F&B for hallway, kitchen, bathroom?

at one stage I had about 20 sample pots...they were all "white"! dh thought I'd really lost the plot...F&B sent me regaulr emails for about 5 years after that...but it's just occrued to me that they;ve stopped. clearly I didn;t order enough

So its true then....not recommended for the playroom then? (Struggles to think of low traffic areas - possibly study and our bedroom...)
do you mean Johnstones CD? They look to do colour mixing (not yet tracked down local outlet but trying hard!!)

I did my whole house in ecos organic paints a year ago after being impressed with the quality at a friends. I was heavily pregnant and dd had had asthma as a baby so didn't want all the fumes.

They have very similar colours to F and B, don't think they're more expensive, might even be cheaper and they colour matched a Teal that I wanted. Plus they have a fun interative chart to waste time on!

here

oh, meant to say, it is chalkier looking, and does mark sometimes but nothing that doesn't wipe off. I haven't had to touch anything up. The woodwork gloss is very easy to clean with a babywipe I've noticed

You can get F&B mixed at any decorator centre. I use Brewers, but don't know if it's a National company. The colours might be very slightly different to true F&B colours, so worth having a tester mixed. We went for Dulux trade diamond matt finish in our kitchen & hall because it looks matt but is super-scrubbale. I would think it would be ideal in a playroom. It wasn't cheap, but neither is F&B or re-painting regularly. My friend has a v. old house and has used F&B colours throughout, but never the real stuff because it doesn't have the same practical properties as e.g. dulux trade paint.

OOh, don't do that to me Mrs Carrot...I could sit and click on that all day....

pobletsmum - how do you get paint mixing on a Dulux trade paint? The only paint mixing service I know is the Dulux one at B&Q, and I'm sure they don't have the trade paint finishes...I like your idea though. I don't think I can risk the real thing - it HAS to be durable.

From my experience, you probably don't want the 'ordinary' F&B, the 'estate emulsion' (!) as it has a chalky finish and does mark.

But they now do a 'modern' emulsion, which is much tougher - we've had it in the kitchen for two years and it's worn pretty well (the only problems we have had have been because the original paint wasn't properly primed). It's wipe clean and has worked well for us.

You can get the colours mixed up (have a look in the Yellow Pages for Dulux Trade stockists near you), but I find that the colours aren't quite so accurate, and the finish is a bit more plasticky - which is fine for bright colours but doesn't look as good for the pale ones. Personally, I think it's worth paying the difference for the finish - am about to use F&B in three rooms of our new house.

But a good trick if you're going to use the F&B matt woodwork paint (which frankly I wouldn't do as it marks and scuffs like no-ones business and I would never ever do matt woodwork again) is to get the Dulux Trade people to colour mix up an undercoat - it comes out just the same. But use Satinwood instead, it can be wiped!

I've used Fired Earth before, and they're lovely colours - looked wonderful in the end but did take about a million coats to cover - but then I was doing pink over yellow.

Thanks, that's helpful. I've found a Dulux trade paint mixer locally, hurrah! So, what do I need to take to them to get the paint mixed?

And Fired Earth -hmmm, still haven't heard anyone without reservations about them. SHame, I do really like the colours.

Know anything about the F&B floorpaint?

Johnstones or whatever they are called somehow nicked the mixing codes from F&B so you get the exact same colour. They took them to court, they are no longer allowed to do it but they can't stop the individual independent shops from doing it.

You need to find a local johnstones mixing place and ask if they have the f&b codes

Just take the F&B colour chart or tester pots - they'll be more than used to it!

Mmmm, floor paint. What are you painting? I don't think they ever really work properly tbh.

Was going to paint both boys rooms with floor paint - so it doesn't have to look super smart at all.

My bro used f&b floor paint in his bathroom - so far so good and that must have been 3 or 4 years ago now.

Would second the post about not getting Dulux to match the colours, they are not very accurate and have a more plastic finish IME.
Try either F&B modern emulsion or their water based eggshell (like a silk emlusion) -we used this in our kitchen and it has worn well.
Re Fired Earth, I don't like the company, they pay their staff peanuts, but I like the paint colours and think the quality is good.
I tend to have colours matched by Beckers which you can get in Norfolk and London, dont know about anywhere else.
They CAN match the F&B colours accurately, have done this lots and have always had a perfect match.

thanks pannacotta - checked out Beckers, they look good but suspect no local suppliers (Newcastle).
tbh I don't care about a plasticky finish. To be sensible, I suppose I should just get standard dulux stuff for the boys rooms and save my F&B fetish for our bedroom....
Still not sure about the bathroom though. Perhaps I could use the eggshell there?

I used a crown period colour for ds1's room but in satin finish and it looks grand 3 years down the line plus I think their colours are really nice - perhaps called heritage? We have fired earth/f&b matt elsewhere and I won't do it again although the new f&b finish sounds good. It's not just the kids, the bloomin' cat's wrecked our bedroom every time she climbs the wall to the window sill! The laura ashley colours are rather nice too, I've used a few of those. But I rate crown as the best 'going-on' paint, really easy to paint with!
Don't know why the negativity about Fired Earth, haven't had a problem. But f&b is a darn sight easier to order, they post to you free!

I still think Dulux trade is the best for playrooms etc. It's very different to the standard Dulux paint. It goes on the best of any we've tried, and we've tried a fair few. I've been very happy with the finish of both standard matt and diamond matt. Plus we use Dulux trade satinwood/eggshell for wood and have been pleased with the finish & durability. I've been lucky with colour matches. Farrow and Ball is so well known to mixing places (independents, not B&Q!), I have just named a F&B colour and they know how to mix it (codes or otherwise). I have had bad experiences with colour-matching machines - very inaccurate in my experience.

I'm sure that fired Earth colours could be matched too.

I hope you find what you need.

I have fired earth ultramarine ashes on the tongue and groove panelling in the bathroom. In gloss though, so tough and hardwearing.
It has the most amazing quality. Looks fantastic in any light and just sort of "lifts" the room.
Generally though I choose off-white. Very boring, but very calming too.

sworry -not gloss but eggshell

thanks again all - sorry another tedious detail question - how do I find independent colour matching outlets? I only know B&Q will do it, also Jewsons (with Dulux trade paint). But have found no other places locally. Maybe I should ask my builder!