Farrow & Ball - love

have you swatched it? Green Ground changes over different lights, so just make sure.

We had the studio painted "Lamp Room Grey" for many years, though, and I have to say, F & B wears extremely well. Plus it doesn't stink when it goes on.

ali r.

FP: Yep. I painted a huge swatch, and just looked at it all week. Still loved it, so I went ahead and am slowly painting it myself (strange how painters and handymen go MIA first few weeks of spring).

I LOVE the subtle, chalky nature of F&B paint. I am going to paint one wall of my daughters' room Middleton pink (right now, it's BM Pink Peony which has too much lavender in it for my liking).

Everything else is BM Creme Fraiche, which is a sunny backdrop that works for our furniture (and has for years), but I'm longing to find the F&B equivalent which will be a little subtler and chalkier.

Now I'm pissed that F&B costs about 45 quid for a tin in the UK, but $90ish here. Hello! I may end up bringing home tons of sample pots (3 quid as opposed to $9) when I go to UK next. Apparently, F&B is sold at Sainsbury's.

FP: Lamp Room Grey is a very handsome color. I can just picture it with all-white furniture :)

45 quid isn't much different from $90...either way, it is $$$ paint. Anyone try "blackened" or "elephants breath"? I've been eying their colors for some time too, but it really is pricey!
Thanks

khd: I need approx. 1.5X as much as BM, so it does add up. Exchange rate is 1.35ish. For one room alone, the diff. is close to $50. Why don't you buy the sample pot? According to the sales ppl in Soho, all Internet purchases of their paint are shipped from Canada. So depending on where you live, it may be cheaper to have the paint messenger-ed over from the local store rather than ordering from the Internet. I tried carrying paint home -> accident on the sidewalk.

good paint is so worth it. i painted a hallway with behr two months ago - it was drippy and still smells! Learned my lesson!

Yeah, lol. Add that to the ever-growing, never-dwindlng list of luxuries that I've acquired a taste for.

Hey, we used Fawn, Mouse's Back, Blue/Grey, Down Pipe and Cooking Apple Green in various parts of the house (slipper satin for baseboards) and loved them all (the green not so much, too bright). Only problem, it wears really badly. Shows every mark, every touch, all of it. Also, no chance repainting an area w/o doing the whole room again as it looks awful to try to patch.

Good luck, it looks great but does not hold up and if you have kids . . .

nyc10023: thanks for the tips. I didn't realize the dollar was so much stronger (despite having family in the UK!). I've been thinking about checking out the FB store in SoHo and getting some sample pots, maybe I'll finally do it this weekend....

mktmaker - did you use the oil-based paint opr a latex? F&B is one of the only companies still making oil-based eggshell paint (I had the BM oil-based eggshell which wore really well, but they don't make it anymore). I wanted to try to F&B but sad to hear it doesn't wear well.

interesting mktmaker, I found Lamp Room Grey (which did look great with white trim) wore like iron. I have hallways now that are BM Interlude -- a kind of paper-bag tan -- and they get black marks if you so much as breathe on them. OTOH, our living room is BM Fiji -- a deep Caribbean blue -- and it's wearing quite well.

But I'm sorry you're having Farrow and Ball trouble -- have you tried dry-brushing the worst parts?

ali

Yes ph41, the oil based is great (doors and basboards). I should have been more specific. It is the "chalk like" type (can't recall the name) that wears terribly. Having said that, i chose that type because that is what F&B is really known for, the classic look. Trade offs really, the chalky texture looks great but wears poorly, the eggshell wears well, looks perfectly fine, but lasts much better. Having kids, go with the more durable finish. Did not mean to warn not to use F&B, I do love the rich colors.

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried the Donald Kaufman line of paints?

mktmaker - actually I use the eggshell on walls - the BM was a very very low luster, almost none at all. Good to know about the F&B

There's also some line of "Greene" something - also British - anyone tried that?

I just picked up sample pots...but they claimed to only have one finish, the "estate emulsion" (i.e. classic chalky F&B look)...but I discovered later online that they have "modern "emulsion". Bugger!

I prefer a more lively palate.

I'm really into Behr Fairway Mist right now, but I don't know what to do with it. Maybe I should get a country house so I can use it for exterior trim. Especially on a sunny day.

"Maybe I should get a country house so I can use it for exterior trim. Especially on a sunny day."

Weird. I always pictured you as a gingerbread house kind of guy.

Hey, Matt: Stop trying to engage Alan in a pointless argument.

You are just wasting your time.

I love sea-foam shades of green. Next to blue, my fave color.

You gonna start with me, Matt? Over paint colors?!

You can try, but I don't recommend it.

We used Home Depot's Behr paint. It's GARBAGE!!! We bought it because the color was perfect, but the paint itself is so cheap that it peels off the walls.

donald kaufman is GREAT. glowing vibrant colors - even the whites are rich! but the only dealer around NYC is eagle paint. they ship though and are REALLY friendly, but don't expect your painter just to go mid-day and pick up another gallon of paint, so you have to be really organized.

i used all F&B and donald kaufman on my last apartment and everything looked fabulous. i also had great painters (this makes a huge difference). this time, i decided to risk it with BM and the cheapest painters i could find (work was done winter 2008-2009) it looks ok, paint job definitely crappy. nothing bad to say about the paint, but nothing special to say either.

"I always pictured you as a gingerbread house kind of guy." ... you mean because of the trail of crumbs leading to my door?

I'm surprised to hear two thumbs down for Behr. I've had good experiences with it, and Consumer Reports gives it very high ratings. But it is quite smelly.

Paint peeling off the walls usually indicates inadequate prep (e.g. not cleaning walls first, not priming when it's called for, or recoating without waiting 24 hours).

Frankly, I've never noticed a difference in paint BRANDS. You can get any color in the universe in any finish with Benjamin Moore. Really, can someone explain to me what these other "boutique" type paints offer?

I like that Ben Moore sells those small paint samples. For $3-4 bucks, you can try it where you want it for a test run.

NYCMatt - I was interested in the difference - found this explanation. It's the "full spectrum" which makes the colors so spectacular. (sorry - didn't post the link)
Full Spectrum Paints

If you thought all paint was equal, guess again. There's paint and then there's full spectrum paint.

In the world of color there are two ways to change the value of a color. You can add white or black to make it lighter or darker OR you can use the color opposite in the color wheel to change the shade. Full spectrum paints use a mix of pigments to achieve a color instead of using black and grey to get the paint to a certain color value. And full spectrum paint is typically made with genuine ingredients such as powdered minerals resulting in more luminous and more expensive paint. Fans of full spectrum paint say that they no longer have dull flat looking walls or grey shadows. While some complain about the higher cost of full spectrum paints, its advocates argue that this paint is generally much thicker than average paint, thereby requiring only one coat.

The following are a few full spectrum paint brands.

Farrow & Ball

I think Donald Kaufman paints are also "full spectrum"

Isn't Donald Kaufman made by Pratt & Lambert? Is it drippy like P&L?

Hubby just returned from England with 2 tiny Farrell and Ball sample cans - under 5 Pounds at Homebase (their Home Depot.) Love Rectory Red! But think I will match with BM. BTW the last time I bought BM (Revere Pewter, a very peaceful color) I asked if there were a color slightly up the chip for the woodwork (a trick I learned from a very expensive painter - looks the same color only you just notice the detail a little more) and he said he could dial up any color by 10% or 20%. Did 10% and it was great and did not cost extra!

Lofty: still in Blighty. No time to visit Homebase, unfortunately.

http://nypost.com/2013/10/17/ronan-farrow-closes-hosting-deal-with-msnbc/