I tried as well Doreen but gave up for the same reason - I’m just going to have to take my husbands word for it - for a change;-)
It's really great listening to all your feedback on here.. I just wanted to add that the reason I run this business from my shop in Hebden Bridge, is not because I personally think French paint is terrible.. I've never used it ! It's all built up over the years of customers coming in to my shop to buy my paint and take it over to France with them, because THEIR opinion, was that French paint is expensive and bad quality.. I fully understand that there may be French makes of paint that are good. All we are doing as a company is catering for 'a market' that would like sound one-on-one decorating advice, and an English product they trust. There are many companies out there now specialising in delivering English produce over to France. We are just one of them :-) And we really enjoy catering for exciting and interesting decorating projects in your neck of the woods :-)
Hi Graham
I think we have all probably met the type * I'm directing my comments to those who think they are competant in the decor domain as they've spun round B & Q a couple of times and purchased a power sander, a roll of wallpaper and a gallon of creosote* but I'm still a bit lost as to who this was directed at in this particular thread?
And yes, it does cost a lot more! As do basic foodstuffs, glass blocks, tiles and trainers - which is why I shop in Spain. But that is another discussion :)
I recently completed a full paint interior restoration to a mid-60's Normandy cottage working to a rock-bottom budget - I purchased all the paint from the local Bricomarche in Pont L'Eveque and wondered why I'd never tried these low end (French) price range products before, as the completed job was emminently satisfactory!
Tracy, I'm not in no way implying your husband doesn't know what he's doing and I'm sure his credentials are wonderful - that is not in dispute! I'm directing my comments to those who think they are competant in the decor domain as they've spun round B & Q a couple of times and purchased a power sander, a roll of wallpaper and a gallon of creosote to throw in the trunk before getting the ferry out of Dover! I find it hard to believe that paint costs twice as much here in France than the UK, but am prepared to accept this - but I've only been here 42 years so have probably got used to it!
Thank you Tracy :-) I really appreciate that feedback. I am fully aware that cost is an issue when renovating a property.. Especially a full renovation.. By the time all the building work has been done, plastering, new flooring, kitchen, etc etc. The budget for paint has usually been eaten in to!
I ALWAYS try and cater for all my customers paint requirements and keep their budgets in mind. It is important that people feel like they are getting the best product and 'a good deal' :-)
I have a huge range of all different kids of paint products which vary in price. So I can cater for everybody :-) It's just a case of giving me a call in my store and I can offer the right deal for you :-)
I do have offers on a lot also.. eg; on home delivery orders, we do a 10ltr tub of breathable Leyland trade quality matt emulsion in white or magnolia at just £21.50 per tub...
So all of a sudden we have all these 'pro' DIY decorators from across the Channel who swear by UK products
Please don't offend people with statements like that Graham. A UK City and Guilds qualification from the eighties, with a certified equivalence from the Chambre de Metiers is actually a professional qualification. We have been here over 20 years and love it here - part of that is recognizing that life is not perfect and in some cases the UK has superior products. We have been here long enough to know these things. If you reread what I wrote
From my hubby's professional point of view, its naff. He uses Dulux professional but says it is outrageous prices over here.
then you will see that I said French paint is naff but Dulux is available but expensive, when you google prices as well as availability you too will understand. Don't want to sound snappy but fed up with people assuming non-french artisans are are not properly qualified.
Good luck with your venture Kate, it's a great idea.
I would agree with you Phil, you can find quality paint in France quite easily, it's just that it is so much more expensive than what Kate can offer.
Similarly, when we shop in Alcampo in Spain (one hour away) we save around 25% compared to Auchan who are the French arm of the same company. It is a simply a case of what they can get away with charging.
Isn't that what is being said Graham, that top end products such as Tollens are equally as good, but considerably more expensive than the same quality paint bought in the UK. I did check out some prices and it seems that one can get 10l in the UK but only 5l in France of the similar quality paint (circa £50 or E50 springs to mind)
It's the everyday paints that seem to be poorer quality in France. Dulux France doesn't seem's much less viscous and takes more applications than Dulux UK to do the same job (my terrace). The paints being bought in B&Q and Brico Depot, which are both Kingfisher companies. Can only speak as I find.
Some interesting comments, which of course, I respect! In 1976 I brush painted a Sunbeam Rapier on the dock in Monaco with Tollens gloss enamal for yachts - the result was impressive! So much so, that in 1982 when I bought an old run down 6 room apartment in the centre of Nice which required a total revamp, I decided to go with Tollens - eggshell for the walls, and semi-gloss for doors and cupboards. That paintwork was still in good condition when I sold up in 2010. However, I did some googling earlier and looked at www.tollens.fr followed by www.duluxvalentine.com plus a couple of others. I'm not comparing prices as I don't have a paint project as yet, but to say that these top end products are naff is being unrealistic - they wouldn't still be trading in the current financial climate if that were so! What I need out of a paint job is that it lasts, that it doesn't start peeling or cracking after a couple of years and has to be redone because I went cheapo in the beginning, and bearing in mind that if the prep work isn't done properly, then no paint finish will hold up!! So all of a sudden we have all these 'pro' DIY decorators from across the Channel who swear by UK products - didn't anyone know that ICI outsourced fabrication to Romania??
Kate, very interested in chatting to you about our next project once we get back to France, p.s. I loved trips to Hebden Bridge when I was a kid, fond memories.
That'll do for me then Tracy, the professional should know best. It seems to be the case that the based on price equivalent British is by far the best quality, but to get equal quality, the French is considerably more expensive.
Why should that be, especially as France seems to be even more of a DIY country than the UK.
From my hubby's professional point of view, its naff. He uses Dulux professional but says it is outrageous prices over here.
Reading Graham's entry, it would appear that the idea of French paint being either inferior quality or very expensive may be an urban myth. However, it seems that there are many anedoctal stories that would suggest that French paint is not a patch on British equivalents.
In my limited experience, Tollens paints seem to work well on the exterior, but works out more expensive than, say, the equivalent quality Dulux or Sandtex, for instance.
So, is it an urban myth or is the average French paint actually naff!!!
Hi everyone, Im Kate the owner of the english paint business. Please feel free to ask any paint related queries and I'd be more that happy to help :-) I'm in our lovely store Monday - Sat, or you are more than welcome to email me and I'd love to discuss your decorating projects with you :-)
French paint is truly dreadful and extremely expensive. We usually bring ours with us en voiture but this sounds brilliant. I know there is an Irish equivalent but am not sure of the details.
I've been following the recent posts on 'cheaper paint from the UK' and having personally used French paints for the last 40 odd years in different applications varying from full on yacht paint jobs to interior decoration of flats, houses and manor restorations, I don't agree there's any price differential if one takes the time to source properly at the varied outlets such as CastoRama, Leroy Merlin, Mr.Bricolage, Bricomarche etc etc. The only product I haven't found in previous years was Rustin's Floor Coverings, a two part epoxy varnish, which now has a number of very good French equivalents. My present accommodation in Nice was painted with a primer coat and 2 topcoats of off white 10 years ago with Tollens eggshell and still only needs a wipe off every spring with a mild detergent! Could the problem stem from not understanding the instructions or the fear of 'foreign' products? If I recall, ICI , makers of Dulux, bought out Ripolin and Valentines some years ago, products I find excellent at competitive prices and on the shelf when I go to the paint store!! Good luck to this UK paint export company though now they've found this non-existant niche market!! (IMHO)
Hi, Your article prompted me to mention that my friends run a shop selling English paints in Audierne, Finisterre. Russell is English, Pat is French and they have had considerable experience of restoring old houses. It's a beautiful shop, converted from an old warehouse, and they sell textiles, lamps, china and tea as well as paint. Their website is www.lartetlabanniere.com/.
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As a Decorator John, I must disagree. Paint is paint the process of Painting is what makes the difference, if you use the correct product and prepare properly, with the rite product the job is good. Many of the problems we encounter is really through no fault of our own, we may have the rite product but we can’t be sure of what the previous owner/occupant used, most modern paints are designed as though the surface your painting is brand new in the case of painting woodwork internally or externally.
An example of this is: if you purchased 10 year guaranteed Dulux weathersheild too paint your walls outside because you do like the sound of the guarantee and it began too flake in around 4-6 years you would have a good rite too complain, but if it’s on top of some unknown previous paint, forget it, you’ll lose, as the blame would be towards the surface you have applied it too.
Even if it was in good order before you applied your weathshield as you may have not liked the previous colour.
The products are out there, that do an excellent job if we use them correctly & prepare correctly.
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Hi Kate
Where in France is your store located
Regards
Derek
Derek
Kate has not posted for a few years…so you may not get a reply…
Leroy Merlin does superb paint… as do many other stores…
best of luck