farrow and ball???

Metranil_Vavin

We are redecorating our Victorian maisonette's hallway, and I have insisted on using Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsion.

We are having Matchstick above the dado rail, and a shade called Smoked Trout below which is a lovely creamy browny colour.

MJy decorator told me I needed 25litres all together, and I know that F&B is eye wateringly expensive, but I nearly had a cornary when I went to pay and was asked for £235!!!! :eek:

Still I think it will be worth it, we decorated the hallway ourselves about a year and a half ago using Dulux, and the finish is pants. In certain lights it just looks patchy and streaky..I'm sure my ability as a decorator isn't the best, but I think the pain also has a lot to do with it.

So the paint is hugely expensive...yes, but I have no doubt that the hallway (which I think is an important area of the house) will look amazing :T





We just won't be able to eat for the next 3 months!!! :rotfl:

desperado2

I agree that the finish with F&B is tons better than Dulux and Crown, though I have never used F&B primers and undercoats except on a coal scuttle - I only had a tin of F&B primer available, and needed to use up some paint from the garden railings!

I know a few folk who have had durability problems with egshell - dark colours chipping and not wearing well, and unless it is essential, I would avoid those in high traffic areas..

Anyone who wants a decent compromise, I had 2.5l of emulsion and wanted to use it in the living room, but that was just enough for 1 coat.. so I painted an offcut piece of plasterboard with 3 coats of the emulsion, and had it scanned on a dulux machine. We used the resulting colour as a base coat and primer and just top coated the F&B.. colour works out fine, and the finish is that lovely matt chalky one..

NB whoever said the dulux colour matches are not good?? any idiot knows that any colour will reflect different qualities depending where it is used.. we have the same colour on the bathroom ceiling as we have on the walls.. it looks like 4 different shades because some are in direct daylight, some reflected light, and others shadow.. the miniscule shade difference between an original colour and a scanned colour is going to be so negligible in that context!

Metranil_Vavin

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

I think someone has made a mistake - that's way too much paint. Is it being used as an undercoat as well?

It's a maisonette? So you're only doing one floor, no landing, no stairs?

It's a massive hallway, including a lower entrance hall, stairway and large landing.

If I have bought too much paint and he doesnt end up using it all, I can take any unopened pots back to the shop for a refund.

Metranil_Vavin

...sorry should have mentioned that we are the top floor. It's basically a Victorian house split into 2, but purpose built rather than converted.

leveller2911

All the painters I have worked with over the year ALL bar none say F&B is over rated, mainly due to its price, they all say you can buy an equel quality paint for far less money.Far too much snob value goes on with F&B paints..

Think im right in saying F&B are changing to waterbased paints only soon after Christmas.

As a joiner I worry that because preservative /primers will all be waterbased the expected lifespan of the windows etc will be less because water based primers are just not up to the job........

You can't beat oil/spirit based primers....If it doesn't soak in then its no good and water based ones just sit on top of the timber.

Metranil_Vavin

Yes Matchstick is gorgeous...I've painted a couple of our wooden kitchen chairs in the wood paint in Matchstick..they look stunning.

I just dont think you can get the same finish with other paints, and believe me I've tried a fair few!

Metranil_Vavin

I'm glad to hear that the Matchstick looks lovely on your kitchen walls. I've obviously done a test on the wall, but you cant really tell how it will look when finished.

leveller2911

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

Oh no - I have two houses for rent both decorated with F&B and with woodwork in the oil-based.

Not only is the water-based significantly inferior regarding longevity (although I prefer the matt look it gives) but I haven't been able to seamlessly patch chips in the oil-based with water-based.
What a pain that's going to be!

Over the past 12 months or so Ive been chatting to various decorators and most of them are considering buying gallons and gallons of oil based primers ,so they can still use them for 12-18 months after they stop production of oil based as many of them believe there will be "problems" with the water based primers and this time span gives them breathing space for the paint companies to sort out the faults/problems......

Even with micro porus paints like Sadolin Supadec most painters I know still use an oil based primer underneath.......

Doozergirl

desperado2 wrote: »

NB whoever said the dulux colour matches are not good?? any idiot knows that any colour will reflect different qualities depending where it is used.. we have the same colour on the bathroom ceiling as we have on the walls.. it looks like 4 different shades because some are in direct daylight, some reflected light, and others shadow.. the miniscule shade difference between an original colour and a scanned colour is going to be so negligible in that context!

That idiot would be me and I suggest you read my post in it's entirity because you've just said yourself that you can't get the same finish. Therefore if you want an F&B finish you have to use F&B.

I thuink the idea of colour matching for fresh plaster perhaps and then final coating in F&B would be an acceptable compromise.

Yorkshire_Bred

leveller2911 wrote: »

All the painters I have worked with over the year ALL bar none say F&B is over rated, mainly due to its price, they all say you can buy an equel quality paint for far less money.Far too much snob value goes on with F&B paints..

Think im right in saying F&B are changing to waterbased paints only soon after Christmas.

As a joiner I worry that because preservative /primers will all be waterbased the expected lifespan of the windows etc will be less because water based primers are just not up to the job........

You can't beat oil/spirit based primers....If it doesn't soak in then its no good and water based ones just sit on top of the timber.

Not sure about F&B but there has been a lot of misinformation put about regarding the new Legislation that comes into effect in January with regards to paint.

To come within the new guidelines paint manufacturers have had to reduce the amount of VOC's(Volatile Organic Compounds) that paints give off, the paints affected were mainly oil/solvent based however most manufacturers have reduced these to an acceptable level so oil/solvent based paint will continue to be sold as before but instead will be 2010 VOC compliant.