is it worth buying posh paint

aah

Hello everyone

I'm wanting to paint my kitchen and have fallen for Farrow and Ball paint in Pale Hound - a lovely neutral / cool pale yellow.

But it costs a fortune and the stockists are few and far between.

F&B make big claims for this paint but I'm wondering if cheaper alternatives are just as good. I'm looking at morning sun from Wickes but I'd really like some opinions on the quality issue.

tubbee2

If you like the colour go for Wickes own brand but get a test pot first. I've used F&B and yes, the paint is good quality but the only difference really is in the finish. F&B finishes tend to be 'flatter' and if you are going to use them on woodwork you really have to use the right undercoat or the effect is lost. F&B emulsion and other varieties of matt emulsion are very similar imho apart from the colour. But check it out first.

andrew-b

If you like the Farrow & Ball colour but the price is too high you could get some Dulux mixed up to match the colour. Wickes paint is nowhere near as high a quality as F&B, Dulux or Crown. If you search the forums i'm sure you'll find plenty of posts in agreement including ones from our forum-resident decorator Misgrace. As with everything you get what you pay for!

Andy

m_13

Homebase sell Farrow and Ball at most larger branches. They have 10% off tomorrow and Saturday when I'll be buying my Pale Powder for my kitchen! We had Orangery in our house in Poole and it was not only a beautiful colour but the paint went on well and coverage was good so we only needed one coat.

I wouldn't use Wickes, Tesco or B&Q own brand paints. Not worth all the extra coats and the colour problems. B&Q in particular seem to have a real problem keeping their colours similar between batches.

If you are in Dorset Farrow and Ball have a factory shop/showroom near Wimborne. No cheaper but they do sell the whole range in all the sizes.

john0612

get a sample of the colour, go into your local dulux dc, and ask them to scan it to match, then politely ask for it gliddens emulsion or whatever your after.

i do it for my customers all the time, but then i'm a regular but it's worth a shout they can only so no.

plus it'll will save you a packet.

aah

great advice - I'm not stuck on the Wickes colour, just couldn't access a Dulux/Crown store to make comparisons.

I am painting a base white coate so I may just need one coat of the F&B. Think I'll try a matchpot of both colours. Unless Dulux come up with a fantastic match.

Oh, and going to Dorset would probably cost me as much as painting my whole house! I'm near Newcastle upon Tyne. Thanks for the lovely tip tho!

nickj_2

tubbee2 wrote: »

If you like the colour go for Wickes own brand but get a test pot first. I've used F&B and yes, the paint is good quality but the only difference really is in the finish. F&B finishes tend to be 'flatter' and if you are going to use them on woodwork you really have to use the right undercoat or the effect is lost. F&B emulsion and other varieties of matt emulsion are very similar imho apart from the colour. But check it out first.

f+b paints are more expensive than normal trade paints , they usually require an extra coat unless you are covering a similar colour . i pointed this out to 2 outlets that stock f+b and they told me that tradesmen hate them and the public love them . i always get their colour card scanned with dulux , i refuse to use any of their stuff apart from the limewash

Doozergirl

I love it and genuinely don't think it can be replicated. I've tried to colour match before but for me, if I want an F&B colour then it can only be F&B. Yes, it's expensive but used in the right places it has great impact.

The way they make paint uses different ingredients to modern companies so you do get a different look. It's far more earthy than a Dulux equivalent and yes, flatter. Perhaps most people wouldn't notice but F&B colour stands out an absolute mile to me.

she_grinch

tubbee2 wrote: »

If you like the colour go for Wickes own brand but get a test pot first. I've used F&B and yes, the paint is good quality but the only difference really is in the finish. F&B finishes tend to be 'flatter' and if you are going to use them on woodwork you really have to use the right undercoat or the effect is lost. F&B emulsion and other varieties of matt emulsion are very similar imho apart from the colour. But check it out first.

Farrow and Ball also do a modern emulsion which is their equivalent to soft sheen, suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.

If you want a colour not stocked by Homebase they can order it for you but will quote you 4 - 6 weeks delivery.

If you want it quicker you can order online or by telephone and it is a 48 hour delivery direct from F&B.

Alternately it can be scanned on the paint mixer in the DIY store but Dulux cannot guarantee a complete colour match as it is a trade mark colour so they will find the closest colour to it.

phill99

I run a maintenance Company, but used to be the Facilities M anager at one oof the Historical Buildings in London. It was a Grade 2* Listed Building and English Heritage encouraged us to use F & B Colours. The price was offensive. We also found that because they use a lot of natural pigments and colourings, the colour match between batches could not be guaranteed which caused us great problems. We often ended up with obvious colour variations in th same room. We went over to Crown and found the quality to be excellent and perfect colour matches. And the price was incredibly lower. I would always steer away from F & B.

nickj_2

dulux will give you a match to their nearest colour recipe to f+b colours, they have 1000's to choose from where as crowns scanning will make an exact match