everything you want to know about Farrow & Ball paints

Farrow & Ball offers 11 different paint finishes to cover all your decorating needs. All Farrow & Ball paints are water-based and eco-friendly, with low or minimal VOC content. They dry quickly but last long, and are low odour, which is great for you and the environment.

Estate Emulsion: F&B’s iconic chalky, very matt finish. It has a 2% sheen level that works perfectly with all types of light. It’s a very elegant choice for interior walls and ceilings, ideal for less busy areas such as bedrooms and living rooms. You can wipe it, but don’t wash it.

Modern Emulsion: durable and versatile matt finish, with a 7% sheen level. It’s washable and mould resistant, perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, and other busy areas. It has excellent scrub and stain resistance.

Estate Eggshell: robust and subtle silk finish for interior wood and metal, with a 20% sheen level. It’s washable and highly resistant to lots of stains like wine, coffee, and crayon, and works perfectly on woodwork, kitchen cupboards, furniture pieces and radiators.

Modern Eggshell: a mid-40 % sheen that makes it slightly glossier than Estate Eggshell. It’s the toughest F&B product: you can wipe it, wash it, and it’s highly scuff and stain-resistant. It’s ideal for kitchen cabinetry, skirting boards, stairs, floors, and other hardworking interior wood or metal surfaces.

Full Gloss: the glossiest water-based finish of all time, with a 95% sheen. Ideal on interior and exterior wood and metal, it’s the perfect dramatic statement for a front door. It’s resistant to water, flaking, peeling, and colour fade for up to 6 years, but don’t use it on exterior plastic or decking.

Exterior Eggshell: silk finish with a 20% sheen ideal for your exterior wood and metal. It works on almost anything in your outdoor space, from wooden window frames and cladding to metal guttering and railings –; but avoid using it on exterior plastic or decking. No flaking, peeling or colour fade for up to 6 years.

Exterior Masonry: very flat matt finish with a 2% sheen, ideal for exterior walls and accessories. It gives you the perfect combination of breathability and water resistance, and it won’t peel or fade for up to 15 years. It doesn’t come in all the F&B colours, but only in a few lucky ones.

Dead Flat: ultra matt finish (2% sheen) and multi-surface. It can be applied to interior walls, woodwork, and metal, which makes it ideal for colour drenching. Scruff resistant, washable, and wipeable – it can be easily cleaned without shiny patches or water marks.

Casein Distemper: highly breathable very flat matt finish (2% sheen) for interior plaster walls and ceilings. It’s ideal to recreate an authentic look in historical properties and will let moisture pass through the walls to avoid issues with damp. It’s not available in all the F&B range of colours.

Soft Distemper: highly breathable very flat matt finish (2% sheen) for interior walls, ceilings, and plasterwork. It’s highly breathable and can be easily removed to maintain detailing and intricate mouldings. Not all the F&B colours come in this finish.

Limewash: highly breathable, very flat matt finish (2% sheen) for interior walls, ceilings, and exterior walls. Historical finish, it bonds to the building itself to protect the walls from elements. It doesn’t come in all the F&B colours, and we highly recommend giving us a call or speaking to a decorator before using Limewash, because it needs some pro skills for the application.

how much Farrow & Ball paint do I need?

Now that you’ve chosen the finish, you need to open your calculator app to get the right quantity of paint. If you hate numbers, don’t panic. We’re going to help you with some fool proof calculations.

First, get that tape measure out! If you’re a DIY pro, just measure up your room –; we don’t need to tell you what to do. If you’re already confused, here are some ballpark figures:

• small rooms are around 2 x 2 m per wall
• medium rooms are around 4 x 2 m per wall
• skirting boards will need less than 1 litre
• feature walls are usually 2.5 x 2 m
• count the ceiling as a wall, as it will be a similar size.

Now do your maths to get to the total square metres you want to paint, write it down and let’s talk coverage.

If you want your freshly painted walls to look flawless and last longer, coverage is key. Good coverage means no waste and no wasted money. That’s why we always suggest TWO even coats for that perfect durable finish.

All Farrow & Ball paint is packed with pigment for a great, durable finish. Applied evenly, F&B paint covers on average 12 m2 per litre –; so you’ll get 30 m2 from a 2.5L tin.

To go back to the ballpark figures:

• a small room (16 m2), feature wall or ceiling? 2.5 L tin
• a medium room (32 m2)? 5 L tin
• the skirting boards of one room? 0,75 L tin

If you’re painting exterior walls, or something more complicated to measure (kitchen cupboards anyone?) or if you’re dealing with a historical property that needs a specific finish, just ask us! All our paint geeks have a paint calculator installed in their brains and will tell you how much paint you need in no time.