French paint

[GLH]

We are at present purchasing a house in Tarascon SW France, I have heard from a couple of sources that French paint is not as good as we have in England and that it also very expensive.I would be interested in your comments on this and if this is correct is there a supplier of Dulux for example in the area ? 

As we need to furnish our property we would like to buy some second hand traditional French furniture, any suppliers inthe area ?

thanks

GLH 

[Eslier]

I was advisd by a professional to buy "Astral" paint. I paid 45€ for a 10 litre tin of Astral Monocouche emulsion and I have to say it did exactly what it said on the tin and covered in one coat - excellent. It was one of those square tins so I was able to dip the roller straight in it.

I've bought "one-coat" paints in the UK before now that have needed two coats so I was particularly pleased with the Astral stuff and consider it was good value for money.

[Ron Avery]

I have had no problem with any French emulsion, even the trade one from Hyper U is quite good and pretty cheap

Its the gloss that is the problem, you cannot get non-drip and Dulux is branded as Dulux Valentine and it is not as good.  The spec is different maybe to comply with French law and/or  make it more resistant to heat and sun.  Think UK paint 30 years ago and that is what you can get here....  and it is very expensive compared to the UK

[Chrisdubna]

[quote]We are at present purchasing a house in Tarascon SW France, I have heard from a couple of sources that French paint is not as good as we have in England and that it also very expensive.I would be inte...[/quote]

In general it seems to me that external french paint (masonary) is cheaper and better than external paint bought in the UK.  Internal paint seems to be cheaper and better in the UK. 

I feel a day trip to Jersey or Guernsey coming on to visit B&Q and to pick up those other things I miss which cannot be bought easily in France - bacon, gammon, stilton, cheddar, custard powder, Coleman's Mustard etc.

Oh forgot the duty free!

CHRIS

[Val_2]

We are great fans of french paint except for Dulux Valentine here. It is made specifically for the type of construction in France and for the climate too. You need to check very carefully what you are buying and that it is suitable for the room you are decorating, i.e. damp proof for the bathroom and perhaps washable for the stairs where little hands make marks. I've never understood why people lug great containers from the UK when they can get paint here albeit a little more expensive but not in regards to space and ferry fares. Besides, I feel if you have a place in France you should support the local economy. Even the AVA paint from Super U or LeClerc is very good quality.

[IAN_S]

I have had some bad experiences with cheap paint from the likes of Bricomarche but have since found a supplier called Peintures Gauthier with a 92 area address who sell Robur brand gloss that I have used on shutters, barn doors etc and it seems very good indeed. Their local branch have a computer controlled mixer so the colour range is vast.

It brushes on well and works fine with a compressor with a 10% white spirit dilution.

It is about €14/litre plus tax.

GLH

This branch is in Lavelanet so not too far from you.

 

 

 

 

[Teamedup]

I wouldn't say paint was only a little cheaper, it is blxxdy expensive here. I pay 37+ euros for emulsion and up to 43 euros once for 2.5 litre tubs of paint. That is expensive.

I like some of the dulux valentine range but not all. Although I have to say that if you have a mucky wall or ceiling their Plafond Lumiere Plus special plafond tache, an oil based mat covers just about everything and in one coat. I have used this as white and have coloured it too. It is around 37euros a pot, but one I don't actually mind forking out for if I need something that gives that extra cover.