Problems with mixed to order emulsion

[Jimafblack59]

I painted my kitchen and dining room last week and I've had a big problem with color variation. I've used Dulux mixed paint in the past and never had any issues.

For the project I used Graham & Brown scrubbable emulsion in a fairly dark to mid brown color. I bought 2 x 2.5 litres. After the first coat, I realized that I would need another 2.5 litres. I then tipped the remains of the first tin and the tow new tins into a paint bucket to avoid any issues with matching,

I stirred the paint every time I tipped paint into the tray and did my usual sequence of cutting in a rolling. What became obvious when the paint dried was that in many areas the cutting in was a lighter color than the rolled area. I repeated the cutting in on those areas but if anything the matching was worse.

I had the bucket covered at all times to prevent air contact, and the brushes and rollers were new. I did notice that between stirring the paint was showing dark areas of tint.

I have contacted the manufacturer but wanted to ask if anyone has seen has see any problems like this before. I think I will have to recoat the whole room again which is a pain. Would have to be the worst room in a house to decorate. Any advice appreciated,

Jim

 

[Doggit]

This often happens, but another couple of coats cutting in should even things out.

 

[Jimafblack59]

Graham and Brown say that there is a problem with the paint and are working with the manufacturer, which I suspect its Farrow and Ball based on what the shop manger told me. to identify the problem. They offered me replacement paint or my money back. I see a complete repaint looming, but will try cutting in again to see if that helps at all. The painters I know are using Johnstone's a lot as they say its better than Dulux or Crown trade. I used their trade water based undercoat and satin topcoat on the woodwork and I was very pleased with it. Pity about the patchy walls....

 

[chappers]

get your money back get a load mixed to the same colour in dulux or Johnstones, (they will be able to mix just about anyone else's tints and go over it again. If it is Farrow and Ball essentially it doesn't cover that great anyway, several decorators I know quote extra to paint in F & B due to the extra labour(extra coats) involved

 

[myddleman]

We have just decorated a kitchen using two 2.5 litre cans of Armstead matt, and noticed both cans had unmixed pigment under the rim. They were both from the same store, on different days mixed by different people. If we had not noticed and stirred it properly, we would have been in the same situation as described. As it was, we got away with it, but maybe this is not unusual?

 

[Doggit]

There are so many paints being mixed to order nowadays, and then shaken to mix the pigments, you should be warned that stiring is an essential part of buying and using the paint.

 

[opps]

Years ago, I painted a client's room with Farrow and Ball emulsion. It was cream colour. I kept getting red dots of pigment stuck in the roller.

I rang F&B, their response was "we advise customers to stir each tin of paint for 10 minutes". I retorted that no amount of stirring would have broken down the grain sized lumps of pigment. She didn't give a toss and even said "it is a characteristic of our paints". From that point onwards, i stopped recommending their paints.

A year later, I purchased 5L of Dulux Trade mid Brunswick green oil based eggshell from a local decorators' merchant. It seemed to be ok until I lightly sanded the first coat. I noticed hundreds of sand grain sized yellow spots. I went back to the shop, they went to the mixing machine and checked the yellow pigment, it was faulty. There were tiny grains of yellow pigment in the yellow pigment. They gave me new tin and apologised.