It’s been a while since I last wrote but I had to share this.
Recently I’ve had a bit of a colour disaster - let’s be honest, a complete colour disaster! Thankfully it was in my own home rather a client’s. But as with every hiccup, I now know a lot more about the paint colour matching process.
Scroll to the bottom to read my tips or if you’re feeling brave, carrying on reading about my disaster!
You will have noticed in previous posts that when it comes to paint, I’m all for using the ‘real stuff’.
Paint companies work very hard on their recipes and companies at the higher end of the spectrum, such as Mylands, Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Fenwick & Tilbrook (and more!) use high quality pigments that deliver effects that simply cannot be replicated in paints using a higher ratio of resins and binders. Some decorating centres will even refuse to try to colour match some of the above brands as it is an impossible task.
Without going into too much scientific detail, modern emulsions are made using pigments, binders and solvents. Pigments are what gives paint its colour. The higher the ratio and quality of pigments used, the more depth of colour will be achieved. This means that the colour will be rich and full of tones that will change throughout the day.
Budget and DIY paints replace a lot of those pigments with (hum – plastic) binders. This does make the paint easier to apply but those paints are also designed to be replaced every few years or so.
So whether it’s in my own home or on projects, I’ve only exclusively used ‘designer’ paints these past years. They also are a lot more sustainable. But with a 5L pot from one of my favourite brands (The Paint & Paper Library) recently reaching the cost of £107, I’m keen to offer alternatives to clients where possible.
As I’m currently decorating my hallway, it was the perfect opportunity to give colour matching a go. The design scheme is very Victorian. I’ve re-introduced a dado rail and applied some Anaglypta textured wallpaper on the bottom section. I picked a colour from Farrow & Ball, Preference Red 297.
Because I’m also doing my front door in the same colour, I needed a number of paint finishes, to paint the wallpaper in a heavy traffic area, prime the door and paint it with external paint. I was looking at a hefty cost and on this occasion I decided to turn to more specialist paints.
I used one of my trusted suppliers, the Decorating Centre Online, to colour match Preference Red to Leyland Trade’s acrylic eggshell for the walls, and to Johnstone’s trade specialist outdoor paint and primer for the front door.
Upon applying the first coat of eggshell paint, the colour immediately looked off. It was nothing like the painted sample I had of the original Farrow & Ball paint. I trusted the process and applied 2 coats to the wall. The colour was definitely very different but I didn’t dislike it. HOWEVER, it looked like I had converted my house into an old pub! The sheen of the eggshell in a poorly lit area (stairwell) didn’t do the colour any favour. It looked dull and well, bad.
I take full responsibility for the poor choice of colour and finish but I was still puzzled by how the colour match looked so off. The DCO comes highly recommended for successfully matching paint colours so I needed to understand. I reached out to my group of fellow designers and one of them suggested applying a clear varnish to my Farrow & Ball sample (matt emulsion). I applied a coat of PVA and low and behold the colour match was suddenly a lot more accurate! Not 100% right but reds are infamously hard to match so I wasn’t going to complain to the DCO - especially as I didn’t dislike the colour they’d given me and I will still be using it on the outside of my front door.
And finally, just to reassure you that there is a happy ending to this story. I have now painted below the dado rail in matt black paint (The Record Store from Coat Paints) and it looks great! I will apply a coat of clear matt decorator’s varnish to it for extra durability. I’ll add photos of the finished project soon.
So what did this teach me and what are my tips for colour matching?
Tip #1 If you love a colour you’ve picked from a specific paint brand, especially if you’ve spent time comparing samples to get to your final decision, stick with the real stuff if you can afford it! Paint companies all offer their products in a range of finishes, including some durable ones.
Tip #2 If you decide to colour match paint for walls and woodwork, the go-to product would be Johnstone’s Trade Acrylic Durable Matt. Roughly speaking, this will halve the cost of your project versus a designer paint.
Tip #3 If you need to colour match paint in a finish that has a higher level of sheen (e.g. eggshell, satin, or even gloss), do apply a coat of clear varnish (or PVA) to your painted sample first, so you can check you like it. Sample pots or painted cards (Lick Paint, Coat Paints) typically come in matt finish. Colour aside, the eggshell Leyland paint I used has got to be the easiest and nicest paint I’ve applied in a long time. It was a real pleasure to use.
Tip #4 Some colours are much harder to match. Generally speaking lighter tones are easier to copy, whereas reds are trickier, as I have personally experienced myself.
Tip #5 For other finishes, I bookmarked this extremely useful article a while back and often refer to it. https://www.thedecoratorsforum.com/matching-farrow-and-ball-colours-to-other-paint-brands/
Hope this is useful and as always, do not hesitate to contact me with any question related to a design dilemma!
Until next time,
Delphine
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