Farrow and Ball anyone ?

Off to buy Littlegreene Thai Sapphire for the kitchen walls, this morning. The walls are covered in little sample squares. All colours, all brands. Thai Sapphire won. Might paint the utility room Deep Space Blue. Lovely names aren't they?

Jalima We have had F and B on kitchen cupboards for c 7 years in Charleston Grey. Cleans well and has lasted too. DH brush-painted ours, but a friend had hers taken away and sprayed which cost a lot but looks even better and is still cheaper than a new kitchen.

Thanks NotTooOld
Maryeliza that's probably what I want to hear - it's just the mess that's putting me off

Who knows what colour an Elephant's breath is
It's like that chain of eateries called Hog's Breath - somehow I have never fancied eating there.

I suppose you pays your money and takes your choice. I like FB but wouldn't use it everywhere just as I prefer Annie Sloane when it comes to chalk paint. They seem to me to be better and it's me that's paying.

Not F&B but Little Greene are our paint of choice. Excellent colours and coverage. And a Welsh company. Only bought Wilco paint once. Never again. It was thin and needed several coats for a good coverage.

The chalky finish is the estate emulsion not the modern emulsion - the latter is great everywhere and washable. I love string - I have it throughout the house and then complement it with another colour in the different rooms. I love the daft names of so many of them

Some F&B paints have a quite chalky finish, we have so far used Cornforth White, in our bedroom, Joa's White in another and Elephant's Breath in one of my sons' old rooms, (who thinks up the names clearly having a laugh. String in the kitchen. We are about to get the living room, hall and stair well repainted, but like a lot of decorators, ours isn't mad about F&B, particularly not the chalky finsih, says he thinks they are fine for NT properties where walls aren't touched, but not for the every day home. He did recommend another finish, can't remember and also suggested we might like to try and get some close matches in Dulux. I'm worried that brand won't have the effect I want though.

Jal there is only one answer to that and it has nothing to do with paint ?

Our family DIY and paint expert (that's DH) swears by Wilko paint and wouldn't dream of paying FnB prices. He's recently painted all the kitchen cupboards and for that he bought a specialist paint (specially for kitchen cupboards, that is) from BnQ which has turned out beautifully. I don't know what it's called but it's always on display in BnQ.

or change the whole kitchen altogether

Is F&B suitable for kitchen cupboards or would it be better to use the Annie Sloan chalk paint?

Both are water soluble and I can testify clean up perfectly from carpet and clothes even when found lurking several days later

I use the Modern Emulsion which wipes down beautifully on walls and ceilings and the Estate Eggshell for the wood etc - I like this because it only has 20% sheen and I dislike full gloss. When we have the hall, stairs and landing done shortly the decorators will be expensive so decent long-lasting paint is actually a long term economy. BTW its not true that 'paint is paint' - there are different ingredients in F&B.

He he i bought some pots of fAndb paint. It was vastly reduced and the colour was a sort of stone. It worked fine on my staircase and has lasted for about 10 years. No probs. I will take lucky dip again. F and b is lovely paint

Used f&b in our hall and kitchen, looks good and is lasting, bit concerned I’ll be bored with the colour before it need repainting. Mr C wouldn’t be happy .

How does F & B it compare with Annie Sloan which is another popular paint? I'd love to use F & B but I wouldn't let my GC anywhere near it! - or are fingermarks easy to remove? We tend to use Crown or Dulux

I am impressed that people even know the brand of paint they have!! Although I guess if I'd paid F&B prices I would absolutely remember.

I’ve never used or even considered using Farrow and Ball, but DD did in their last house. Their decorator said it was a pleasure to use and they would never get better paint. I had to agree it looked very nice but when she told me how much it cost I was glad it wasn’t me that was paying!! Crown, mostly, for us. I think they have a better range than Dulux.

Our decorator wouldn't use F & B, said the quality was too poor and used Dulux. Until last year we had always done our own decorating but never again, he was quick, clean and did it all in no time.

Extract from "Are posh paints worth it?
"McCloud, a self-confessed paint "anorak", is unequivocal in his defence of posh paints. "Having used many, many different brands over the years, it is very clear to me that the more you pay, the better the paint," he says. "Cheap paint has more water in it, less pigment and less binder." Thus, as a rule, the more expensive paint covers better and lasts longer. It is also more environment-friendly, being lower in "Volatile Organic Compounds". full article:

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/3347433/Are-posh-paints-really-worth-it.html

Wilco’s paint is great, though not many colour choices.
Decorators love F&B as coverage is poor and the client has to pay for more paint and time to put it on.

I’m not in Farrow & Ball’s league, so couldn’t comment on its beauty or durability. Dulux for me. At that level and below, you get what you pay for. When DH came home with a discount store equivalent, I got skirting boards that looked dreadful within the year as every slight knock took off yet another strip of the stuff. I like to pretend it’s shabby chic.

Wilko paint is supposed to be very good, coverwise and pricewise. I haven't used it myself, but a savvy friend has and gives it the thumbs up.

Bluebelle I believe F&B is available at B&Q not that I've ever bought it.

I'm happy with Dulux or even Homebase own brand for sone jobs.

We found that the coverage detailed on the tin was over optimistic to say the least. On returning for our second, unexpected, batch of paint the assistant told us that everyone said that.

Needless to say we have not used F&B again and haven’t seen any difference in the the paint in the intervening years. We had the same colours mixed elsewhere and feel that you are just paying for the fancy shops.