Paint Recommendations Please

MrsStepford

Bedroom 2 in an Edwardian house, used as my study. Some horsehair plaster. Three out of four walls are internal. The external wall has the radiator. No damp, condensation or mould issues. English Heritage advised that we could use Wickes Trade Paint for New Plaster as an undercoat on the horsehair plaster, since although a vinyl paint, it's formulated to be breatheable. We've used it elsewhere in the house, successfully. IF I can't get it delivered, any brand suggestions please ?

Some areas of the room have vinyl matt on them. Presume it's okay to use the vinyl Paint for New Plaster over the top after sugar soaping and letting wall dry ? 

I'm wanting either two walls navy, two walls emerald green OR navy walls and emerald green or bottle green floor paint on floorboards (will mostly be covered by rugs) . I looked at Farrow & Ball Ultra Marine Blue W29 from the Colour By Nature collection with the Natural History Museum. and Emerald Green W53 from the same collection. F&B recommends them together in a colour scheme and says that the blue is one shade darker than the green. Both colours are available in Estate Emulsion (2% sheen) or Modern Emulsion (7% sheen) but not in floor paint. 

I looked at a forum for painters and decorators and pretty much everybody hates F&B, saying that it's so thin now, that it can take up to five coats to cover walls ! 

The room has a big window and there will be one overhead light plus two, maybe three table lights. The room will also have mirrors. The ceiling isn't original, so that will get a vinyl silk emulsion in palest blue or green. So it shouldn't be horribly dark. 

Anyone have any paint recommendations for navy spectrum or dark green spectrum emulsions please ? Most important things are that it goes on well and doesn't need more than two coats. Doesn't need to be wipeable or washable. No prejudices re: manufacturer.

Thank you MSERs x

Apjs87

I've had good experiences with Valspar paints bought from B and Q. Hundreds of colours to choose from. Coverage is very good with the added bonus of being wipeable. I'd definitely buy again.

Doozergirl

My whole house is going F&B, apart from a Little Greene Ultra Blue cupboard, but it doesn't take five coats!  We had it in many rooms in the last house. It's three on brand new plaster after a mist coat of white, but our decorators are really seeking to iron out every imperfection in the plaster, so there's additional filling happening after coats of paint.
 

I our last house it took 2-3 coats to cover a very dark paint, Fired Earth Caragheen with F&B Peignoir which is really pale. 

Aside from that, decorators can moan about it but they get paid for the job they do, and you are the one that has to live with it for years.  I'm delighted so far.  It's a lot more affordable when it's on 3 for 2 at the DIY sheds, but F&B sell larger tins direct that are more economical than full price 2.5l tins. 

Modern emulsion has a slight sheen to it, a bit like eggshell and is wipeable.  Estate is a true matt.  

phoebe1989seb

We've used F&B (estate emulsion and eggshell) Craig & Rose and Little Greene throughout our last five houses, mostly dark or saturated colours. The only one we had any real issues with (needing to use at least three coats) was F&B Brinjal. DH does actually prefer using Little Greene as he feels it goes on better. Stiffkey Blue and Inchyra are two darkish blues from F&B we've used extensively fairly recently.

Otoh, having heard good things about Johnstone's we used their emulsion in the kitchen here as it was a good colour match for a wallpaper we were using. The consistency/coverage was awful, although we persevered as we CBA to order the Craig & Rose colour we'd used with it in our previous house 🙄

Otherwise, the rest of the house has been painted in Little Greene or F&B as imho you can't beat the overall look/finish.

ComicGeek

I've been using Little Greene for the last 10 years, and it's always been excellent. I'm using Neptune paint at the moment though on both woodwork and walls, and that's looking really good. Limited colours to choose from, but it's also a bit cheaper than Little Greene.

rob7475

I've been using Crown trade clean extreme for the past few years which is excellent. The coverage is good, it dries to a much better finish than any other paint I've used and my local Crown decorator shop will mix it to F&B or any other brand I ask them to. It works out at about £40 per 5l tin. One tin covers an average size room with a mist coat and two full coats.

MrsStepford

Bought first batch of sample pots from Brewers' Designerpaint website. Zoffany Serpentine, Sanderson Indigo Blue, Designers Guild Cobalt, Zoffany Poison and Designers Guild Lapis Lazuli. Have fallen in love with Serpentine and Poison together. Very peacock-like.

 Love the Lapis Lazuli but it doesn't look true to the real thing. I found a Valspar colour called Blue Jade which is a possible for the skirtings. 

My dad always used Crown and Dulux, I will have a gander.

I want a pale pale blue or green vinyl silk fpr the ceiling to throw light down, but I don't want it to be in any way noticeable. Don't care about maker. Could be Wilko even. 

The other colour I'm looking for, is a simple dark navy blue floor paint or oil eggshell for the floor OR a really dark bottle forest/bottle green high gloss quick drying paint suitable for wooden floorboards.  Don't care about manufacturer, just needs to be fairly hard-wearing, although not a high-traffic area and will have rugs. 

All suggestions welcome ! I will go back and look at Little Greene as well. 

FreeBear

MrsStepford said: I found a Valspar colour called

I've heard too many tales of woe about Valspar paints smelling like cat pee after painting. Kinda puts me right off that particular brand.

MrsStepford

OMG that's a definite no !

Doozergirl

They're beautiful colours.  Serpentine and poison particularly.  

I'd consider painting the skirting and/or the ceiling in the same colour as your walls.  Who needs light 🙂.     

I had a lovely Valspar paint in our last house, Stolen Sapphire.  It did not smell of cat pee, but I have heard about it.  After I painted, lol! 

Talking of strong blue.  This is last week's work in progress.  It's only a pantry cupboard, so hidden most of the time, but I adore it.  It's based on Yves Klein's blue which my son and I fell in love with at the Pompidou Centre.  Once upon a time, when we were allowed to leave the country. 

MrsStepford

Hi @Doozergirl that's a gorgeous colour !! It's like a brighter version of Pantone Reflex Blue. 

Well, I bought the Odisha monkey from Dunelm, because the more expensive bird lights from Graham & Green were out of stock
Odisha Monkey Ceiling Fitting | Dunelm cute but a lot smaller than I thought, with just one 13W E27 bulb. I'll have two, maybe three table lamps. I like shadows and pools of light, but I think I should factor in dark floors and curtains/blinds. I don't think mirrors on two walls will bounce much light, but we'll see.