'making paint'

[0001helen]

I now realise why previous posts have bemoaned the price of French paint. I have found UK DIY stores much better on the whole but i bet this has little to do with overall quality and price and more to do with me knowing where in the store to find things in the UK, understanding instructions (properly) and being more receptive to adverts in english.

Still, I am disappointed at the paint that's available - it seems so expensive. I remember a post sometime ago from a really helpful lady who suggested buying the cheaper white paint (or colour close to the one you want but can't find) and just using normal household fabic dye to colour it but i can't find the post.Has anyone tried this - i wonder if it only works with certain types of paint as I'm working on our bathroom at the moment and using the type of paint not affected by steam.

[Moorejw]

We buy white paint when it is on offer (as cheap as 1.98 Euro for 2.5 litres) and add colour. All the French DIY stores sell the little tubes of colour tints. As long as you make up enough in one batch for the room you are painting it makes the whole thing a lot cheaper. I am not sure whether this works with bathroom paint, but I can't see why not.

John and Angie Moore (17)

[Richardbk]

For those visiting the larger cities, I would recommend getting hold of tradditional English paint from Farrow and Ball. The prices are about the same as in a French DIY store, but the quality and finnish is superb. You can also get it mail order but unfortunately if you buy like this is comes via the UK, so postage costs are high.

http://www.farrowandball.co.uk/main.php?terr=eu for details of stockists in France.

regs

Richard

[WendyG]

Any water based paint (check the instructions to see if the brushes will wash out in water) may be coloured using artists acrylic colour, widely available in France and UK from any artist supplies shop and some larger DIY outlets. These will give you a better range of colour than the aforementioned additives found in your local DIY store. As with most things, the more expensive tubes are usually the best and will give better intensity of colour. I have successfully used these throughout our house with excellent results.

Wendy.