Beckers Oljefarg vs. Holkham vs ? exterior wood paint.

[AMc]

Our first round of new joinery for the vinery is due to be delivered on Monday so I need to get paint supplies in place.

Today I took a trip to Paint & Paper in Norwich to talk about Holkham linseed paint and pick up some sample pots. They haven't stocked it in two years and wouldn't be drawn on the exact reasons why. I got the impression I wasn't the first person to arrive in their showroom as a result of an out dated link on the Holkham site.

They've recommended Beckers Oljefarg as a suitable substitute - it's a glossy linseed alkyd-oilpaint, Swedish and appears to have similar properties. Their sample boards had a lovely finish.

I've heard about how good Holkham but I'm not committed to it. I could order it online. I do want an enduring finish they I won't have to recoat every two years and will help the new vinery to last 100+ years like the old one did.

Any one got any experience of Beckers Oljefarg?
Any other suggestions?

 

[Nemesis]

I can pronounce Holkam...

We have a spiffin' Biff oaky type window with Holkham on the outside (he wouldn't let us paint the inside... said he would murder us in our beds or some such if we did... 8) )It's a lovely not so gloss finish, been there a couple of years, northern weather thrown at it, looks like just painted. Don't think Holkham has the alkyld?

But I gather it's not the easiest stuff to put on as it takes some patience to allow it to dry. Maybe some folk don't like that?

 

[biffvernon]

As I understand it Beckers Oljefärg is an alkyd resin paint paint. I'm not sure that any linseeds were harmed in its manufacture. It certainly is not the same sort of thing as Albäck's real linseed oil paint supplied by Holkham Paints. I haven't been able to find any technical data about its vapour permeability, but I guess it behaves like other high quality exterior oil paints.

 

[Ian Bond]

The linseed takes patience, I can vouch for that.

To be fair, a lot of it is down to the seemingly continual rain we've had up here the last 2 years. I've managed to over-haul 7 out of 9 windows only in that time, in amongst other work of course.

There have been plenty of opportunities where I would have risked applying a quicker drying paint. And times when I've gone ahead and it's rained all over the still wet linseed paint. Curses.

If I ever get around to painting my front door, I was considering this stuff, as it has been modified to dry quicker.

http://www.linseedpaintcompany.co.uk/traditionalfinishes.html

Another one I'm considering is this Aglaia exterior oil paint (historic colours???)

http://www.naturalpaintsonline.co.uk/historicpaint.html

So my patience has been tested beyond the limit. On the other hand, I did all this work using modern gloss and it lasted less than 2 years, which was a waste of time and money. :x

Can't help with the Beckers Oljefarg though.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Holkham sell it direct.
I have to say that I am not particularly impressed by Paper and Paints in Norwich, having experienced their lack of openess/knowledge when questioned about a product that I wanted to buy from them.

 

[Lime]

worth a look.

http://www.solventfreepaint.com/

 

[biffvernon]

That's the American supplier of Albäck's real linseed oil paint - same stuff as Holkham's but you'll be paying in dollars. But do look at the video clip

 

[Lime]

Video comes complete with a bl**dy reversing lorry beeper too.

 

[AMc]

The data sheet I was handed lists linseed as the key ingredient but it is currently in the office so I can't read the rest of it to see If it claims to be microporous or breathable. Obviously the absense of it on the be beckers website is a worry. The finish was low gloss and quite attractive but if it's just a gloss paint then I'll move on.

Thanks for the thoughts so far they'll be more research to do on Monday when I get to a full size computer.

 

[Ian Bond]

Thanks for the thoughts so far they'll be more research to do on Monday when I get to a full size computer.

Like this, perhaps?

"Now I just need to invent the World Wide Web, and I can begin my Linseed Oil Paint Analysis"

 

[Lime]

Presumably the big round handle is for compressing files?

 

[Nemesis]

Possibly this could be useful too?

http://americanhistory.si.edu/news/pressrelease.cfm?key=29&newskey=840

 

[Gareth Hughes]

As I understand it Beckers Oljefärg is an alkyd resin paint paint. I'm not sure that any linseeds were harmed in its manufacture.

Not sure that this is linseed on this particular occasion, but here's how it was traditionally harmed in the manufacture of linseed oil:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFcnju1B0o8

{edit} I've just dusted off my Dutch, and "Het eindprodukt is lijnzaadolie voor verf" would appear to translate as "the end product is linseed oil for paint", so there we are.

and here's some paint pigment also being harmed in manufacture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCHReyQQY4I&feature=related

And some traditional timber-harming for window frames, skirting boards, architraves etc:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V3R1lkM4fc&feature=related

And rags being hurt to make paper:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04JYEXofr-c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV62kkbEhlk

All Biff needs for his business (almost). I'll have a word with James about clearing some space in the tea room for all the extra machinery. :lol:

 

[Nemesis]

My word - some may say (not of course me...) that those videos have all the excitement of watching linseed oil paint dry!

 

[AMc]

The plot thickens...
The Paint & Paper price list they gave me has "Tradition Linoljefärg Linseed oil paint" at £25 a litre (vs. £17 a litre for Oljefärg) but I can't find that product on the Beckers site. Unfortuately all searches on that product come up (unsurprisingly) in Swedish.
The search continues

 

[AMc]

And thins...Holkham are shut until the 5th and my decorator and workshop are booked.
And thickens again...Paint & Paper have Beckers Tradition linoljefärg in stock in white only and are open until Tuesday afternoon.

My decorator is keen to work over the holiday to get some extended drying time and well needed cash in.
Looks like circumstance may have forced the decision I've been faffing on for weeks, that'll teach me not to double check supplies for 'stock' items well in advance.

 

[Cloudscape]

Beckers have a UK website http://www.beckerspaints.co.uk, and an online shop. I can't find (on my first search) linseed oil paints at all on the site. The contact address is a company in SW6.

 

[Nemesis]

If you want Holkham and need it urgently, try asking Biff if he has a stock in! He might have a tin or two and it goes a long way...

 

[Craig]

I very much like paints by Beeck

http://www.beeck.de/english/produkte_en/prod_fr.html

I found Holkham to be a disappointment - impossible to keep clean whilst its drying and very hard to get a nice finish.

 

[AMc]

And fate takes another hand - Most of the joinery is now in the workshop and contrary to my specific instructions has all been dipped in preservative :x . While I could still continue with the linseed approach one of the key things I wanted was an all natural finish

Then fate strikes again - "in stock" means 7 litres of white on the shelf and no re-delivery until mid January as it comes from Sweden. Every paint supplier I try has too little or no stock of Linseed based paint or has closed for the holidays. Unfortunately I simply can't put all the work on hold. So I now have 12 ltr/£180 of Beckers Oljefarg in "Vit" and I'll know in a few days how it goes on and a few years how it stays on.

Today's moral is you can't plan too far in advance - when they say 6-8 weeks lead time for joinery they may mean less than 2 weeks :shock: .

Thanks to one and all for their help