Dodgy paint job

[vicky whitworth]

Hello,
We had the outside of the cottage painted a couple of years ago i.e. doors, porches, windows and fascias. It might seem odd but we had a third painted in black and white Dulux exterior paint, and the rest painted in a pale blue Little Green exterior eggshell. In case you're interested the reason for the split is that the cottage used to be two cottages (well three at one point but one burnt down in 1912) so the newer bit is in the black and white and the old bit in the blue. Anyway here's my problem... the Dulux exterior has lasted a treat, is all rickety-boo and no problems. The Little Green blue is hanging off in ribbons leaving large areas of exposed wood. It's been, to put it technically, c**p. It will have to be re-painted in the Summer. I'm not going down the linseed oil paint route (all the woodwork is modern) so I'm thinking of using Dulux exterior BUT it's shiny and I'm not sure it comes in many colours and I like pale blue next to the white lime wash. Any bright ideas? Do you know of anything as tough as Dulux Exterior paint but less shiny and in more colours? Pic attached.
Thanks, Vicky

 

[plasticpigeon]

That's annoying as I have used little green on my windows, (well only 2 so far). i used it as I liked the colour, mid brunswick green. I found that it didn't stick to the new putty, it came off in ribbons as you have described, but has stuck everywhere else and nearly 2 years on is doing ok. Interestingly I have used a dulux primer so maybe that is why it generally stuck well.

I do know that if you go to a dulux trade decorating centre, they can match any colour in any finish. I recently got some acrylic eggshell matched to touch up some marks on my kitchen cabinets and it is indistinguishable from the original paint. I also bought some little green lead white acrylic eggshell and it is nowhere near as nice to use as the dulux and didn't cover so well. i wish i had just got the colour matched by dulux, so maybe that is the best option in your case!

 

[tobydog]

Our new extension has been up 4 years now. The frames are soft wood but with F&B primer and F&B exterior eggshell (French Grey). They have been battered by the weather from all directions but, I have to say, they still look as good as new. The trick, as the decorator explained to me, was to keep all coats as thin as possible. There are two coats of primer and two coats of top but you would never now. It looks like it's been sprayed on. Preparation between the layers was also key. It interesting that on your windows you have ribbons of paint that are showing exposed wood because this clearly suggests poor application of the primer rather than the paint. Are you getting the same painters back to make good their work?

 

[vicky whitworth]

Thank you PlasticPigeon for your advice. It sounds good to me.
TobyDog, you may be right. I think the man who did the painting wasn't familiar with anything other than industrial strength gloop, but I have to say the Little Greene paint was as thin as water. The same primer was used for both I think.

It's a right mess and with all the rain we've had not good for the bare wood.

 

[Zebra]

Tobydog, would you mind posting a picture of your French Grey frames? I'm trying to decide on a colour for my new external doors, and that's one I'm considering. I'm not much good at colours, and with a yellow external render I'm not sure if grey's the thing.
Anyway, sorry for the interruption.

 

[tobydog]

Zebra - these are the only pictures I currently have that were taken just after the extension was completed. It's probably a bit too far away to fully appreciate but I'll take another tomorrow. Our French Grey is actually a greeny grey and goes particularly well alongside the oak. It could work well with yellow. Where's Joce when we need her :roll:

 

[Zebra]

Hmm, nice, but perhaps a bit green. I was thinking of a more bluey-grey, or perhaps a greyey-blue. I saw a cloud in the sky today and thought "There! That colour!" but by the time I arrived home and got the F&B colour chart out, it had gone. Thanks for submitting the pics though tobydog, your place is looking well.

 

[MatthewC]

Our new extension has been up 4 years now. The frames are soft wood but with F&B primer and F&B exterior eggshell (French Grey). ... The trick, as the decorator explained to me, was to keep all coats as thin as possible.

I was going to warn against F&B for exterior work, but that advice may explain the variable (mostly poor) results I had. Strange that the F&B technical team never mentioned it!

 

[TheForge]

Not very clear in this pic under scaffolding but our windows are a bluey grey. Unfortunately it's a linseed oil colour, sea mist I think from memory.

 

[vicky whitworth]

How about F&B Parma Grey (or is Parma Blue?) as a bluey-grey.
Our exterior (in the first pic) is a sort of forget me knot colour and I think it was called James by Little Greene. It's cheery and nice against the white. I wouldn't recommend it as exterior paint though. It's not a bluey-grey though either.

Cottage is taking another pounding today. Been stormy and raining since last night. Just had a walk on Seaton beach - a large container off a ship has been washed up and the police are there taping off the beach presumably until they know what's in it. You know what looters us West Country folk are showing our lights at night

 

[vicky whitworth]

Have just seen on the BBC News that the container contains 11 million cigarettes. No wonder the police had the area cordoned off.

 

[DJH]

Nah, that's a smokescreen Vicky...

Doug

 

[JoceAndChris]

Just chipping in to say that if anyone wants to know what colour goes with what, really do look at the FnB website and the paint colours. Click on the colour you like or you think you have got a close approximation of, scroll down and have a look at the suggested combinations, which usually have a sound basis in the colour wheel.

I'm not wild about grey with yellow, I'd use an off white. However FnB's Lamp Room Grey may work. It all depends on the nature of the yellow.

Now orange and green are opposite on the colour wheel, and so they work. That's why Nigel's copperas, which is going into peachy ochre, works well with Little Greene's Invisible Green.

Blue and white is a classic combination and always looks good.


Sorry about the failing paint Vicky, that's a real shame. I tend to agree that the way it was applied was perhaps not ideal.

 

[LadyArowana]

Have just seen on the BBC News that the container contains 11 million cigarettes. No wonder the police had the area cordoned off.

Oh yes, all the folks with woodburners looking for some kindling :wink:

 

[tobydog]

Our new extension has been up 4 years now. The frames are soft wood but with F&B primer and F&B exterior eggshell (French Grey). ... The trick, as the decorator explained to me, was to keep all coats as thin as possible.

I was going to warn against F&B for exterior work, but that advice may explain the variable (mostly poor) results I had. Strange that the F&B technical team never mentioned it!

Actually, the advice came just from our decorator and was nothing to do with F&B particularly. Just his personal experience and good practice I guess. Unfortunately I get very bored when painting so I'm fully aware of what happens when I try putting on the equivalent of three coats in one go :roll:

 

[MatthewC]

Actually, the advice came just from our decorator and was nothing to do with F&B particularly. Just his personal experience and good practice I guess.

I realise that. I don't think I put it on too thickly, the paint was lovely and went on really well. Then, having had trouble with poor longevity (like, a year or two) I phoned F&B to discuss/moan and got very little out of them. The next year they introduced the "eco" version and hiked the high price to astronomical levels; I thought "enough!" and went elsewhere.