Farrow And Ball

[EcclesCake]

I am completely underwhelmed with F&B paints and I wondering if I've been sucked in by their hype?

The coverage is appalling and I also find it marks very easily and is difficult to keep clean.

I am curious to know how others have got on with this brand?

Also, what other makes of paint should I consider?

[janbee]

Friends bought F & B at enormous cost and they loved it (or so they said). I thought the effect looked streaky and in need of at least one more coat. For the price, I was NOT impressed. I find good old trusty Dulux as good if not better, than F & B.

[Old_Geezer]

Never felt the need to try the expensive stuff, but good to know it may be worth avoiding. I tend to use either the large established brand names, or the shed's own brand.

[kvalidir]

It's all hype I think, their paint is really naff. Whenever I'm shabby chicing anything I got for one of the usual suspects who do lovely colours, so Dulux, Crown etc suggested by my brother who sells F&B paint to other people but doesn't use it himself for his furniture that he sells.

[boxtops]

I'm using good old Dulux at the moment. If you don't want stock colours they can mix it to a vast range of colours. I've just painted a cabinet with a mixed paint, to match my new kitchen doors.

[Ric.ror]

Whilst my son was at college he worked for one of the high street DIY places - he said their own brand paint was made by one of the two big others

[237SJ]

I had about a dozen F&B testers but the colours varied so much from one wall to another that I didn`t bother buying their paint. I ended up using Dulux which wasn`t really the colour I wanted but it was only for a spare room. When I got this house I had really specific colours in my mind and was determined to get them. I found what I wanted in a shop in Kensington called The Paint Library. That was 13 years ago and I have never had to retouch the paint - the colour is a true now as they day it went on the walls.

[The Builder]

I can understand what people are saying, but it's a mistake to directly compare F&B to conventional paints. The formulation is quite different. Mainly in the fact that they use material such as clay for thickening and bulk, and soot for black pigment. That kind of thing.

It's retrograde really. The idea is to replicate very old, and quite primitive methods and finishes. Rather like the old distempers and lime paints.

On my own house, I've even used F&B eggshell on the exterior of the windows... and they're plastic! Sounds awful doesn't it? In fact. the colour and especially the reflective qualities of these paints gives a very "natural" look. A much softer effect than using modern "plastic" paints.

It's just another way of doing things. F&B are very dense and opaque. I'm surprised that some have had problems with coverage. Again, I guess it's simply because these formulations are so different, they need a quite different approach.

In the right setting/period, as with some of the "grander" houses that I've worked on, the finish is dead right.

Incidentally, as an alternative, I've recently been very impressed with products from Earthborn Paints. They're trying very hard to give F&B a bit of competition.

To pick up on Kval's mention of "shabby chic", whenever I've done this, it's good old Dulux emulsion every time. F&B would be completely wrong in that case.

[Old_Geezer]

So sorry to hear that F&B are very dense and opaque. I trust their paint is similar.

[B00]

We painted our welsh dresser in F&B and were mightily impressed with the results.

[carrust]

If you've got a nearby Johnstones paint outlet you can get all the F&B colours. The paint will be far better quality & half the price of F&B.

[EcclesCake]

Thanks all, particularly to 237SJ and The Builder for a couple of avenues to investigate.

I can cope with the poor coverage to some extent if I get a good depth of colour after three coats. My biggest gripe is how vulnerable the painted surface is to scuffs and whatnot which are an absolute bu99er to remove.

[The Builder]

NO protection at all, Eccles. That's why they developed modern acrylic and vinyl paints.

Apart from their "breathability", retro paints are mainly aesthetic choices.

[4candles]

If you want to try an alternative 'designer' paint, I'd recommend Fired Earth.

http://www.firedearth.com/paint