Paint! Has it got any better in France?

[Redcap]

I have been through the archives, this topic has not been discussed for some time to my knowledge, about 18 months ago now.

Now that we have finally got our house sorted, last Friday, no problems and it's now ours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been thinking about the previous discussions on French paint quality to that of UK. Has peoples experiences changed or is it the same, that generally UK paint is better by far?

I have read about Farrow & Ball who have stockists in France, but have no experience of them, are they really top notch expensive?

We don't want fancy colours, mostly white emulsion and light shades. Would we be better bringing out with us a load of white emulsion with a view to using French mixer tubes for colour?

I must admit, I don't like the idea of transporting loads of paint, but it does appear to be so expensive in France. Appreciate your views and experience in this.

Regards,


Bob

[Dick Smith]

We have used cheapish (Homebase) emulsion and colour tubes, and it worked fine. In general we always bring paint out - my current favaourite is white satinwood (Homebase again). Don't forget primer and undercoat - I found some French stuff in our paint collection the other day that was 48 hours drying time to recoat! The laque I have used has been beyond belief...

Regards

Dick
BONO ANIMO ES

[Dax]

LAST EDITED ON 18-Aug-04 AT 08:37 PM (BST)

I brought over 2 huge tubs of B&Q matt white for ceilings. Cost about 30 quid - saved loads.

Most French paint is extremely expensive and some is rubbish quality. I have UK colour charts here so if I need any, my clients will bring out a couple of cans. Best to use French experior paints though for walls/ironwork and shutters as it can withstand the heat.

Haven't found PVA here yet (although have seen sous-couche recommended as an undercoat/sealer) so you may find a large tub handy.

[Richardbk]

RE: Paint! Has it got any better in France?

No !
>I have read about Farrow &
>Ball who have stockists in
>France, but have no experience
>of them, are they really
>top notch expensive?

F&B is no more expensive than going to the local French DIY store and it is much much better in quality and finish. So if your not getting it from the UK you might as well get decent quality for the same money.

However, if you buy bog standard paint in the UK your'll save loads.

regs

Richard

[Quillan]

Well I want to stick up for French paint which I now use exclusively.

Shutter Paint I know you can buy it from Wicks and its cheap and the French stuff cost 3 times as much, covers in one go and the one I use has a 9 year warranty. Cheaper UK ones are not designed to take the long exposure to direct sunlight and heat and you often have to repaint every year or so and need more than one coat so in the long run the French stuff is better and cheaper.

Internal Paint I use Leroy Merlins own paint. I was put off to start with by what appeared to be the lack of colour choice till my neighbour told me that they mix paint here so you pick your colour and they mix it for you. I had maroon pain on two bathroom ceilings (dont ask me why they came with the house). Six coats of Dulux professional emulsion on one and it still showed through, one coat of LMs paint and job done. Most of the emulsion paints are designed to be watered down typically adding 30% water. So whilst they are more expensive by the tin they cover far more than UK paints. I cant comment on gloss paint as we only use varnish which seems to be much better than the UK version.

Tip Ask your neighbour here in France and they will often tell you what is best for each job. As for bringing it from the UK, I had a 2.5ltr tin of white gloss split in the car and it cost me over 1000 to have new carpets and the seats recovered. The paint here is different because the conditions are different and I have learnt that the French do know what they are doing.


Chris

http://www.chambresdhote.com

[Liz]

To help you make a fair comparison a fairly recent catalogue from Brico Depot shows 10l of white Acrylique satin Novemail brand at 44 Euros. Dulux Valentine for similar paint and quantity is 53 Euros. I think Novemail is their own brand and I have used it without problems. I have also found it pays to look for monocouche and I found a good one in Mr Bricolage but can't remember the brand. White paint is not a problem to source but a wide variety of colours is not readily available off the shelf. It can be mixed in the shop, which pushes the price up considerably, or you can tint it yourself as you suggest.

Liz (29)