I LOVE Farrow & Ball. To me, expensive but worth it! I find I just don't paint as often since the depth of color changes allows me experiment with different decorating ideas. I'm an oil based primer gal so I just use Kilz (oil based!!). It's more a clean up for sure but over the years I figure it's been worth it more then having to do *over*. If you have problem (like patched areas) or glossy surfaces go with the oil based primer. If your current paint is glossy, you really need to sand it down some or the paint will eventually peel. I've NEVER had F&B take more then 2 coats with the second coat usually being because I missed a few spots with the roller. I've never had the primer tinted but I don't see how that would be a bad idea at all. I haven't had any wear problems with the Estate emulsion. It is a flat so if you touch it with moisturizer on your hands, it's going to show like any flat paint. My house is a old/new construction one so I wanted the historic look of the flat that's the reason I use the estate. The house that I'm selling is old so the estate hides very well too so I used it here. But by all means try the modern! That said I'm sorry, I've never used F&B trim paints. I found Fine Paints of Europe Eurolux satin (non yellowing white, my fav) (also come in high gloss) very, very nice so I'm sticking to it. If you are painting exterior parts & want a super high gloss the exterior oil in Brillant finish is to die for!! It goes on almost like a factory finish. (just had to fit that in! Haha) Of course this is another expensive paint at 90 a gallon or so. That's just my experience. :) KAT

Okay, I’m going to put in my 2 cents here, mostly to educate the DIY’ers out there About paint. I worked in the paint department of both Home Depot & Lowes for a combined 6 yrs up until 2016. I’ve taken ALL the available paint classes. I’m going to tell you guys a secret... the reason it takes a MINIMIUM of 2 coats, is due to several influencing factors. #1) your wall texture. The more porous, or heavily textured your wall is, the more likely you will get less “coverage” out of your paint, because it is either being sucked up by the texture, (usually unprimed) or it is a bumpy texture which has more surface area to cover per brush/roller stroke. #2) your roller. The texture of your roller must match the texture of the wall. Smooth walls require a shorter napp. Heavier textures require a longer napp. When these things don’t “match” so to speak, you’ll get what are called “hollidays” in the painting world. It’s those little spots where the “under Color” shows through, as if the new paint took a “Holliday” in that spot. This happens all the time when using rollers, regardless, but it’s worse when your napp is too short for the texture. #3) the amount of titanium white your paint brand started out with Before tinting. Titanium white is GENERALLY what are Considered “solids” in the paint, although I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting. #4) the COLOR of the new paint. each color has a “depth” which requires a particular amount of tint. Whites, off whites, pastels, and generally lighter colors are tinted using a WHITE tinting base. These cans are the purest whites that company offers, and can be used right off the shelf. They are usually 3/4 or more full of Titanium white. Medium dark colors are tinted into a “medium” tint base. These cans CANNOT be sold directly off the shelf and must be tinted. They have less overall volume inside the can to begin with, (in order to leave room for tint.) & they are around 1/2 titanium white. Dark or deep colors are mixed into a ”DEEP” tint base. These cans have the least overall volume to begin with, and there’s about 1/4 or less of titanium white in each can. Here’s the secret.. titanium white is what provides the coverage! Tint, by itself, doesn’t cover, it’s somewhat like a gel, and is VERY sticky on its own. It is essentially pure pigment, mixed with an additive to make it viscous. when you take a color, let’s say RED, which by itself has a very translucent property, and you dump a whole boatload of it into a can which (in order to achieve that deep rich he’d you’re looking for) has virtually no titanium white in it, you’re going to get a see through paint, no matter the brand. now, have you ever been offered a tinted (usually grey) primer to put on under that red paint? Did you choose against it, thinking it would be unnecessary? Think again! That neutral grey, gives that red paint a dark neutral base to start from! It richens the color on the first coat! You can sometimes have the primer tinted pink, but grey primer or a grey paint base coat works best. (Don’t believe me? Do a sample board painted 1/2 white, 1/2 medium grey, then paint red across the whole thing.... see? 😉) also, don’t expect your deeper colors to dry as quickly. they don’t. Tint, by itself, never stud.. or “cures” because there are zero gardeners in it. All that tint needed for that deep color, created a very sticky situation inside that can. The other secret I’m going to tell you deals with the other additives in your can besides the titanium white. They are the clear liquids. The chemical mixture and amount of each of these, determines the dry time, viscosity, elasticity, yellowing propensity, durability, hardness and water soluabLilith of the paint. They are basically the GLUE holding it all together, and keeping it on your wall. Each company has a different proprietary blend, making its paint unique. Ive found, that for the most part, how well it turns out with YOUR can of paint, is based on the project, the knowledge of the painter, and the teaching/advising capabilities of the sales clerk. Other than that, MOST paints are created FAIRLY equally. Do your research people. There! Now that’s a thing you know. 😉👍

I don't know Sherwin Williams paint colors so I cannot say how any one would match to F&B. F&B All White is their brightest, whitest white without undertones if I recall correctly. What I do know is that most paint lines have an equivalent -- the brightest white. I would look at those from SW and from BM and others. A lot of the way any white will look depends on location. The same white paint will look much different in Texas, where the light is very strong and New England where it may look more gray due to the light. Noon has the brightest daylight. I would suggest looking at paint samples then. Also in the a.m. and late afternoon. See which looks best to you at all times of the day.

Yes! Many cabinet refinishers will achieve incredible results spraying 2 component polyurethane's and 2 component conversion varnishes in a home... whether or not they should. Let's not forget that Conversion Varnish uses synthetic formaldehyde and will offgas for years, not to mention that Conversion Varnish is lovingly referred to by many painters as canned respiratory distress. Stick your head in a cabinet freshly painted with conversion varnish and win a free trip to the emergency room and a nice lecture from a doctor. Not to be outdone, 2k poly's have isocyanates. While isocyanates are used in small amounts and are only dangerous for a while (while aerosolized), they are quite dangerous. The deadliest industrial accident in history was the accidental release of aerosolized Methyl Isocyanate which injured over half a million people and killed several thousand. I am generally OK with 2k polyurethane's being sprayed in a home that will be vacant for the entire painting process and a couple of days after, but in my experience painters often adopt products and skip the safety precautions. Which is fine so long as the homeowner is aware of the dangers, but they are too often left in the dark. --- If this were my house, I would look into Envirolak 200, but still take a few days away.