I have had BM replicate other company's paint colors and they always do a great job, but not F&B so far. I recently did a bathroom, and the main thing is that you deal with the moisture problem first, which it sounds like you have. In our case the exhaust fan worked but it was not installed flush and not sealed, so it was drawing air from the space above the ceiling as well as from the room. We fixed that, and moisture is not a problem. However, you just need to use a semi-gloss paint. You don't need kitchen and bath, necessarily, just one with a higher sheen to it, so any moisture will bead up. That's the advice I was given at BM. If you are worried about mold, they can put an additive in it, but if you've got mold growing on the walls it is more than a paint question!

Rich, I did just that. Two years ago, I painted my front door in FPE in their darkest green - I forget the name but I call it "British Racing Car" Green. Oil base, high gloss. At the time, it was called Dutchlac high-gloss and I know that they've changed the name of the oil-based line to "HollandLac" but i do believe it is what was "Dutchlac" two years ago. I bought their "door kit" which comes with the brush to use. It is the Omega natural bristle brush - very fine and very good to use. If you don't spray as brushworks says, use this brush. Also as he says, you need to work FAST, spread that paint out THIN, and then leave the painted section alone. Seriously. Fiddle around with it too much and you'll get brush marks and "scratch marks". Apply in *thin* coats without overworking the paint. The paint levels beautifully - but you have to trust that and not go bonkers to make it do so. Get the paint in a thin layer on the surface and then move on - it'll look "scratchy" but the paint *will* level. It won't leave you with a sprayed-like texture but you'll have the hint of brush marks. I like that - it reminds me every time that I painted that door ;-). If you seriously want a pitch perfect brushless look, you'll have to do as he says and have it sprayed. This was my experience with painting with it. Use the oil-base and use it "neat". I had a wonderful time on the first coat with it, but for some reason, thought that perhaps it would be better to thin the paint. I splashed a little of their mineral spirits to thin the paint but that proved my undoing. The second coat became almost unmanageably thin and it "crazed" like crazy. Basically, developed an alligator skin. I really think it was from over-thinning the paint. Upshot was that I had to sand the whole door down, clean it all off, and then re-paint the two coats. But then I did that with the straight up paint-only just as I had done the first coat and it came out wonderfully. If you want to experiment with thinning, I'd say at least start with the unthinned paint and confirm that you can't work with it. I.e. that you can't stretch that paint out in a thin layer, and that you really need the extra working time. And then, very slowly start adding tiny bits of mineral spirits to the paint to see what you really need. BTW, this is seriously amazing paint to play with. But the clean-up, as with all oil-based paint, ... she's a monster.

I think it may depend on the color. I have two rooms painted in F&B right now. One of them in "White Tie" is just a very beautiful cream. Not particularly complex at all and I can see that being matched rather easily. The other one though "Off White" is incredibly complex. It's not full spectrum, but it sure acts like it is. It has these beautiful undertones of gray to silver to sage to taupe at different times of day. This was completely unexpected and only started happening once all the walls were painted. It's just beautiful. I don't see how that could ever be color matched. Same dealio in son's room. The "Chinese Blue" trim is beautiful, but a true, no doubt about it BLUE. The "Cooking Apple Green" different story. Again, while much less complex than that off white, it's definitely one that would be very difficult to match. That doesn't help much does it. I can tell you that if you order F&B from Cox Paint, I usually have my paint in about three to five days. I believe they also have faster shipping options. I have a local vendor that sells F&B but still use Cox Paints on occasion, mostly to save a time and energy when I'm not in a particular hurry. I've been very pleased with them. Good luck! Personally, I think you should go with the real deal. But P&L has such BEAUTIFUL colors too, I don't see how you can go wrong either way. Good luck! Ivette

This is not a definitive answer, by any means, but an offer of an opinion. To me, the best aspect of Farrow and Ball paint is the Estate Emulsion formulation's chalky, velvet-like finish (well, that and the fact that it doesn't give me headaches). If I want a flat finish, that is my go-to paint. I'll even sacrifice a bit on first choice of color in order to use F & B. So, if I cannot use the Estate Emulsion and I do not need to match a previous F & B color, then other possibilities open up. My sense about FPE (not based on experience) is that it does not have that same texture. Earlier posters have stated that it has almost a ceramic feel to it. I would expect better durability from FPE. Since you are using paint with some sheen, I might opt for the FPE, were relative price not a concern. For woodwork and cabinets, I would probably prefer the FPE, with the caveat that some painters do not have the skill or experience FPE application requires. When I looked into FPE for the exterior of a friend's (immense) Victorian, FPE said it did not have a single certified painter in my state, and they couldn't guaranty a satisfactory result. I wish you had a way to contact Pirula (Ivette) who used to post here as she has used both. This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Dec 22, 13 at 13:57