Colour matching Farrow & Ball paint: why the real thing is worth it
You've found the shade you love: a soft, chalky neutral or a deep, moody green you first saw in a Farrow & Ball sample pot. Then comes the temptation. Surely a paint shop can scan the colour and mix it for less? It can, and for some jobs that's a perfectly sensible choice. But a colour match is a copy of a colour, not the same paint, and the difference shows up once it's on your walls. Here is what to expect, and why we think the genuine product is worth it for the colours that matter most in your home.
Why colour matching Farrow and Ball is never quite the same
A colour match is a close approximation, not a copy. Even paint suppliers who offer the service say so: one UK supplier describes the result as a near-visual match rather than a chemically identical colour, and notes there is no official Farrow & Ball formula outside Farrow & Ball's own range. Four things tend to get in the way.
Different light, different colour. A scanner reads a colour under one light. Two paints made with different pigments can look identical in daylight and drift apart under lamps or LEDs. This effect is called metamerism, and the industry standard ASTM D4086 describes it as the result of using different colorants to reach the same match. Farrow & Ball makes the same point: a different balance of pigments can look right in daylight and shift in artificial light.
A different base underneath. Farrow & Ball says less than 8% of a tin is colour and the rest is the base that shapes depth and the way light plays on the wall. A matched colour is added to someone else's base, so the finished wall can look flatter or behave differently from the shade you chose.
Sheen and texture change how we see colour. A paint technical bulletin from Dunn-Edwards lists the type of light, surface texture and sheen among the factors that affect how a colour appears. A match to a matt sample in an eggshell or satin finish may not look the same.
The quality of the match varies. The same bulletin describes a quick "read and shoot" scan, versus a technician who checks and adjusts the result by eye. Which one you get depends on who is behind the counter, and a poor match is hard to spot until the walls are done.
What you get with the real thing
When you buy genuine Farrow & Ball, the colour and the paint are designed together, and each batch is checked.
Consistency, by the maker's account. Farrow & Ball says it tests every batch of tint and base for colour accuracy against a tolerance it describes as unnoticeable to the human eye, and checks colours under different kinds of light.
Proven durability. In 2022 Which? named Farrow & Ball Modern Emulsion a Best Buy in its washable paint tests. Which? said the paint was the most washable and durable in the test, with no flaking, peeling or fading after repeated washes.
A finish designed with the colour. Farrow & Ball says its colours and finishes are formulated together, with a higher proportion of resin and minerals than many brands. That is why the depth and chalky softness people love is hard to reproduce on a different base.
Dead Flat: one finish for walls, ceilings, woodwork and metal
Dead Flat is Farrow & Ball's most matt finish, launched in 2023 after five years of development. Farrow & Ball describes it as ultra-matt, washable and scuff-resistant, with a 2% sheen and the top Class 1 scrub rating.
It's big practical benefit is that you can use it on walls, ceilings, woodwork and metal. Painting the skirting boards, doors and radiators in the same colour and finish as the walls gives a seamless look, you only need one product, which also keeps touch-ups simple. With a colour match you'd normally need a different matched paint for each surface, and each one is its own approximation of the original.
A professional decorator who tested it on the Decorators Forum was impressed by how well it scrubbed clean. He said it keeps the traditional chalky look, and recommended it for hallways and other busy spots.
When matching makes sense, and how to test before you commit
Colour matching Farrow and Ball isn't always a mistake, and a good one can be close. Matching can also be the sensible option where performance matters more than the brand, such as specialist surfaces live uPVC windows.
For the colours that set the mood of a room, though, we'd choose the genuine paint. Whichever route you take:
Start with a sample pot of the real colour. Paint a large piece of card or a patch of wall rather than judging from a small card.
Look at it at different times. View samples next to a window and in a darker spot, in daylight and at night, with the lights on and off.
If you do get a match, test that too. Always ask for a tester of the matched paint in the same finish, put it next to the real sample and compare them in the room where it will be used, in every light.
Allow for two coats. Genuine Farrow & Ball is designed to be applied in two coats, so budget for that when you work out how much paint to buy.
Choosing colour for the whole room
A paint colour never sits on its own. It has to work with the floor beneath it, the rug on top of it and the light that moves through the room. Floor Design Wetherby has been helping local homes get that balance right since 1983. Browse our large format paint samples in the showroom and hold it against carpets, wood, laminate, Amtico and rugs before you decide.
Our Wetherby showroom is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Contact us to discuss your project with our expert team.
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