Farrow & Ball v. Dulux etc

[Merlot]

We will be doing a full redecoration of all the rooms in our new house over the summer. We've got the colour swatches for Farrow & Ball, Dulux and Homebase paints. We're close to deciding our colour schemes, and all have suitable paints. Having never redecorated before - is F&B much better than Dulux? Is Dulux better than Homebase own?

I've been into our local Farrow & Ball shop, but it is very hard to compare!

[B17NNS]

F&B is no better than Dulux, just fancier names, tins, image.

Dulux and Crown is however better than own brand paint.

More 'ingredient' less water, better opacity, fewer coats required.

[V12Les]

B17NNS said:

F&B is no better than Dulux, just fancier names, tins, image.

Dulux and Crown is however better than own brand paint.

More 'ingredient' less water, better opacity, fewer coats required.

Rubbish. Farrow & Ball IS better than the likes of Dulux etc. You'll find that generally you get what you pay for.

[Agrilla]

The MP for Selly Oak, Bham likes Farrow & Ball....

Despite the rules set out in the parliamentary Green Book, which ban claims for any items which are “luxurious or premium grade” or work which “enhances” a property, she claimed for 11 rolls of block printed Farrow & Ball “St Antoine” wallpaper : £63.99 per roll
8 rolls of Farrow & Ball Toile Trellis wallpaper : £52 per roll and
Farrow & Ball Paint : £71.50
Grand total of £1191.39.

She said that she considered F&B to be good quality rather than luxurious. Well she would, wouldn't she?

Never used it myself, but they claim to have upto 30% more pigment than other paints, and reckon that they have loads of green credentials........

[Rosso Rebel]

The depth of colour on F&B paint is gorgeous, but I would recommend that you consider which rooms / areas you use it in, as it nowhere near as washable / wipeable as standard emulsion. You also need to look at the application method as one is not suitable for application by roller!

Hope that helps!

[trev540]

Dulux trade emulsion from your local decorators merchants is a better deal as Fand B estate emulsion has to be brush applied and their modern emulsion as they call it is awfull. As already mentioned by others Fand B does not wash or wear well and cannot be touched in without showing.The price difference between Dulux and F and B is quite a bit as well. Dulux is a better bet in my view and I have been a decorator for a very long time.

[Eggle]

In my experiance, F&B paint is crap. It goes on well, and covers well but doesn't last. It looks shabby and fades quickly.

[trev540]

Forgot to say before that Dulux ,Crown etc do hundreds if not thousands of colours so pick from the F and B chart and you can find a very close match with other brands and when its on the wall only you will know the difference but your wallet will be better off

[Coco H]

F&B looks fantastic colourwise but beware you can't touch up the paint - for some reason it always looks wrong and doesn't match well IMHO. (at least not over the 10 years we used it for various houses and projects)

F&B provides a great finish on wooden painted furniture/kitchens etc.

However with small children, I chose an F&B colour and had it mixed in a Dulux paint (if that makes sense). I can now touch up the scribbles and chips every month if I wish/

[Plotloss]

Certain places will mix you Farrow and Ball colours without you having to pay the enormous Farrow and Ball prices.

[Road2Ruin]

I Have used both F&B and Dulux and find nothing between them unless of course you count the price! By all means by F&B but ne prepared to have your pants pulled down.

Pete

[satans worm]

Road2Ruin said:

By all means by F&B but ne prepared to have your pants pulled down.

Pete

Just to clarify on all this 'cost you LOADS more' type comments, from memory, homebase sell the F&B estate emulsion for 22.99 compared to about 15.99 for Dulux etc.

7quid more, so a room (obviously dep on size) might cost an additional 20quid? to get the colour (and superb deep matt finish) that you want, I think is a bargain.

[HRG.]

Johnstones....

[Road2Ruin]

satans worm said:

Road2Ruin said:

By all means by F&B but ne prepared to have your pants pulled down.

Pete

Just to clarify on all this 'cost you LOADS more' type comments, from memory, homebase sell the F&B estate emulsion for 22.99 compared to about 15.99 for Dulux etc.

7quid more, so a room (obviously dep on size) might cost an additional 20quid? to get the colour (and superb deep matt finish) that you want, I think is a bargain.

What you mean is that its going to cost you 40% more to get the same finish and colour you can get from Dulux!Hmmmm.

[satans worm]

Road2Ruin said:

satans worm said:

Road2Ruin said:

By all means by F&B but ne prepared to have your pants pulled down.

Pete

Just to clarify on all this 'cost you LOADS more' type comments, from memory, homebase sell the F&B estate emulsion for 22.99 compared to about 15.99 for Dulux etc.

7quid more, so a room (obviously dep on size) might cost an additional 20quid? to get the colour (and superb deep matt finish) that you want, I think is a bargain.

What you mean is that its going to cost you 40% more to get the same finish and colour you can get from Dulux!Hmmmm.

I couldn't careless about the PCT, I just look at the bottom line, 20quid, even if it was 100pct more expensive, 20quid extra is nothing when decorating your home to the finish and quality you want, and , IMO, F&B has a far deeper matt finish than that of any of the other cheaper brands.

Edited by satans worm on Monday 22 June 13:18

[barney123]

We just painted a lot of rooms using paint from http://www.thelittlegreene.com/

Very nice finish, have since noticed its been used on a few DIY programmes.

Bit more expensive than Dulux. Think it was £35 for a big tin (5Ltr?).

[whirligig]

Coco H said:

I chose an F&B colour and had it mixed in a Dulux paint (if that makes sense). I can now touch up the scribbles and chips every month if I wish/

Why didn't I think of that! At the weekend I was looking for a match for F & B "Pitch Blue" in Dulux or Crown (exactly because we have 3 young kids and do need to touch up and wipe paint quite often) but couldn't see one that was close enough. Did you find the colour match to be pretty close?

[GingerWizard]

Albany. Brewers own brand. Its a very good paint, what professionals use, very high obilteration factor, great coverage and tbh better then any other branded paint i have ever used. (I have painted a bit in my time so i have a good idea (probably 50+ houses inside and out)

[Coco H]

whirligig said:

Coco H said:

I chose an F&B colour and had it mixed in a Dulux paint (if that makes sense). I can now touch up the scribbles and chips every month if I wish/

Why didn't I think of that! At the weekend I was looking for a match for F & B "Pitch Blue" in Dulux or Crown (exactly because we have 3 young kids and do need to touch up and wipe paint quite often) but couldn't see one that was close enough. Did you find the colour match to be pretty close?

Yes it's pretty amazing - they do it with a machine. I did however cover all my units with the same paint just to make sure.

[Daisy Duke]

My painter (proper old school type) won't use F&B paint as he says it doesn't cover well and that the colours aren't always consistent. He seems to be happy to use pretty much any other brand though, so I tend to buy Crown or occasionally Dulux. If I really want a specific colour for a small area that I can't find in the ranges I will have it made up, but tend to use standard colours for large areas to avoid consistency issues.