[Tech1] Farrow & Ball Paint

[Alan Taylor]

I had similar problems with exterior paintwork on my house and was very disappointed with the water based paint I used.  A neighbour who is a decorator told me that you need to be especially meticulous about surface preparation, priming and undercoating when using water based top coats.  He specifically recommended using Zinsser bulls eye 123 primer.
 https://www.screwfix.com/p/zinsser-bulls-eye-1-2-3-primer-sealer-2-5ltr/10136

I was sceptical as I have always been careful to prepare and prime wood carefully, but  tried it and so far the results have been excellent. It’s only three years since I started using that primer / sealer, but the paintwork is looking as though it will be fine for quite some time. 

Obviously when you're  painting something which has previously been painted, if you are over-painting rather than stripping back to bare wood, the results will depend on what’s already there, but with something as intricate as your bench, I’m not sure how practical is might be to get back to bare wood and start again. 

Incidentally, we all know that paint can be shockingly expensive. Online suppliers often offer top brands at substantially lower prices than you might find locally, but you need to spend a minimum amount to get free delivery, often only two or three assorted tins. 

Alan Taylor



> On 21 May 2020, at 22:56, Steve Edwards via Tech1 <tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> Apologies for this not being an interesting TV related topic but I’m curious if any, or should I say how many, on this list have had problems with Farrow & Ball paint?
> 
> We painted our hardwood bench in this make of paint. Since it went water based a few years ago the paint was a nightmare to put on - twice as long as conventional oil based paint & undercoat. 
> 
> Less than a couple of years outside the paint started to fail in a few small areas. Now, four years since we first painted it, most of the bench needs a thorough sanding and complete repaint. 
> 
> Yes we did everything exactly as per the instructions - we’ve never had any problems in the past with conventional oil based paint. 
> 
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> It’s bloody expensive paint - very well marketed towards the middle classes with big grand houses (and those trying to emulate them) with a tempting range of colour names that perform better on museum walls where it is nice & dry & nobody touches them! 
> 
> I’m talking about the paint quality here, not the colours themselves. OK water based means less VOCs but as I now have to drive to B&Q to buy another tin of paint (or get it delivered by a delivery man & van using fuel etc) and spend two or three days of my life I can’t get back sanding and repainting the bench I’ll be causing even more pollution than if I had used an oil based in the first place!
> 
> Based on my own experience I consider changing to water based seems a failure and appears a case of Farrow & Balls up. 
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
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