20.8.13

The Farrow and Ball Test


Are you sick of reading about paint yet?  I promise that I'll get to the actual painting soon, but this is a big decision with a huge impact so I thought I should explore all my options.  I looked up comparisons on the internet but I couldn't find anything really helpful with pictures so I decided to roll up my sleeves and do the research myself.

It's no secret that interior designers love this brand, but is pricey Farrow and Ball paint really worth the $$$?  When you ask people who buy Farrow and Ball paints, they use buzz words and phrases like, "I'd never go back to regular paint", "no fillers", "extra rich pigments" and "clay finish".  In the past, I was pretty convinced they were all drinking the F&B "Kool-Aid"... pretentious Kool-Aid that's apparently only made in England.  That is, until I decided to conduct my own little experiment.

Thinking that I was too smart to pay full price, I had already had the staff at Home Depot colour match a sample pot of their own paint to Elephant's Breath by Farrow and Ball.  It looked great, but then I became curious about the company with a limited but carefully edited palette.  Each colour seemed beautiful and understated and so I decided some additional research was in order.


Farrow and Ball paints and wallpapers are actually made in Dorset, England and only a few specialty shops carry them.  Because they are not made here, you cannot get them mixed in the store, nor can you request a custom colour.  On the Farrow and Ball website, it says:

"There is true alchemy to our paints. It’s the high levels of pigment, rich resin binders, and the high refractory nature of our key ingredients that produces that signature immersive depth of colour."

Uh-huh, I thought skeptically.  Still, I found a little pot of Elephant's Breath to compare to the knockoff sample I had at home.


The real F&B definitely looked better than the "faux" colour, but I was worried that part of the difference could be attributed to the difference in the light hitting the wall.  The better test would be to take a large section of wall I had already painted in the "faux" colour and to paint a section with real F&B in the middle.

At first, my results were unremarkable.


Here it is with the F&B section outlined.


But then I looked at it from another angle.


And another.


It's difficult to describe the difference besides the finish and a slightly different colour, but I found the Farrow and Ball paint to just look... more the way the colour was supposed to look.  Not darker, but maybe richer.  I also noticed that it covers better than generic paint and seemed to hide the imperfections on our walls.  Next to the F&B, the other paints looked a little like plastic.  The difference is very compelling in person.

I think, from now on, I'll be happy to splurge on the F&B paints.  After all, the walls in your house have a huge surface area... why not cover them in the best paint you can find?

Yup...I'm officially a Farrow and Ball snob.  I'm shaking my head a bit, but can you understand why?  Corey agrees.
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Comments (18)

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Keusadilla's avatar

Keusadilla · 620 weeks ago

The last photo really does show the difference. Do you know if it's sold here in the US? I can't find anything on their site. I think it's totally worth the extra $$. I love the finish of it!
1 reply · active 369 weeks ago
It's hard to properly show it in pictures, but there's quite a pronounced difference in person! I believe you can buy Farrow and Ball online and they also have some showrooms (stores) in the US. http://us.farrow-ball.com/view-showrooms-list/con...

You can also try using Google to find retailers in your hometown. I found a Toronto store that carries Farrow and Ball but wasn't listed here. Good luck!
Thanks for this really studied and informative post. Consider me a convert as well. Great job!
Thanks for this—I just finished painting up big samples of several of their grays, and I think you've finally convinced me. Do you mind sharing which finish you used? The sample pots are only available in Estate, but I'm thinking of using Modern for durability. I'd love any updates you have to share!
1 reply · active 620 weeks ago
So far, I've only bought sample pots in Estate. I'll be using Modern around the house though... We may not have kids, but I have a feeling that for two adults, we'll be pretty bad about fingerprints on the walls. :)

I'll post an update once we paint. I have a good feeling about the Modern and reviews I've read say it's still flatter than matte finishes of other brands, while being easier to wipe.
Can I ask how many coats of the cheaper paint you used? I'm sure F&B is beautiful, but to get a decent finish from the big box paints, primer followed by 2-3 coats is required. Do you only use one coat of F&B? Maybe that would bring the cost closer to even? Haven't looked into pricing, so this is a guess. I studied art in school, and the level of pigment saturation definitely came into play when selecting paint brands -- the student versions were cheaper bc they had less pigment as well as inferior binders. The better paints looked better and lasted longer but you PAID for it.
1 reply · active 19 weeks ago
We just finished painting the hallway (I'll blog about it later today) and we used two coats of Farrow and Ball. We would have used at least three coats of the cheaper paint, so the extra expense is justifiable! It was also a pleasure to work with.

The Farrow and Ball looks much better and the finish is much more forgiving so I'm seeing the benefit to the added pigments!

I always wondered about the difference between the student paints and the pro paints. Thanks for the explanation!
Did you compare using the same sheen levels in both paints? Since Farrow and Ball call their sheens by different names than standard it's difficult to know how close you are getting. The paint you compared against seems much glossier in the photo. Also, did you find your wall to mark up very easily? I painted F&B Hague Blue on a wall and it is COVERED in smudges and fingerprints :(
1 reply · active 582 weeks ago
Jamie, you have pointed out the major flaw in our test. We were unable to consistent sheens because the test pots come in standard sheens. I don't find that my wall marks easily but that could be because we selected a light colour. We're planning on painting a room in Hague Blue this year and I'm hoping it doesn't smudge. Perhaps we'll choose a shinier finish.
The difference in color is that the Elephants Breath has a red base and is then layered with other pigments. The "matched" paint is a white base with blue and red pigments added to it. The difference in the finish is a matter of sheen level and lack of vinyl (for lack of a better term). These factors, along with some others, are what make Farrow & Ball really difficult to match.
1 reply · active 581 weeks ago
Very true, Sharon. It is hard to show in pictures but when you try to match F&B, the paint ends up lacking in depth.
Thank you!!!!!!! This is the decisive, illustrative article I've been searching for.
My wife and love F&B for it's quality and the depth and richness of its colours. We're fortunate to live in Toronto where there's a store. One caution is that some of the 'whites', which aren't all that white, are beautiful in soft English light but can look heavy and dingy in blue Canadian winter light.
2 replies · active 340 weeks ago
Very interesting observation!
I am doing numerous samples of F&B colors, and what you observe is very true. Some of their whites looks more khaki (Off White) or blue (Cornforth White) here in Maryland light, compare to what pictures from English setting. Wimborne White looks very white in some room, and with a hint of yellow in another. :)
Yes I have found that also. I painted a rowhouse in Cabbagetown in Lime White thinking it would look sophisticated
and oh so English, as it really was a house built in that old tradition, but to my anguish it turned out dull and far too
dingy. Very costly mistake. The new paint was cheaper Canadian SICO from the neighbourhood store but the result
was successful.
But I'm not knocking Farrow and Ball. I've since painted two stories of wood flooring with their Slipper Satin Floor
Paint and it's lasted for 7 years. Looking fantastic. Going with the slightly cooler colours I think is good. But looking
at the colour chart is one of my favourite things. I'm doing it again, thinking I will paint my 1896 St. John's, NL house
in Pointing, from top to bottom, new wainscoting and all.
1 reply · active 433 weeks ago
I think we have the same taste in colours! You've mentioned so many of my favourites. I agree that it really depends on the lighting specific to a home though.
Wow thanks for posting! I'm looking to paint our new home's living room with one of their whites. Did you end up using their primer too or did you go with a different brand? On their website, there's been quite a few horror stories about the primer not meeting expectation.

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