Cuprinol versus Farrow and Ball paint for wooden planters February 4, 2019 19:03

Cuprinol paint is probably the go-to paint for painting outside. It is reasonably priced (though no paint is cheap), easy to apply, available from any DIY store and comes in a wide choice of colours. You might be wondering how it differs from a more expensive paint such as Farrow and Ball's. I have used both, though given the price difference mostly Cuprinol.

The couple of times that I have used Farrow and Ball is when the customers have wanted to specifically match a particular colour. One customer already had window sills painted in Farrow and Ball's Vert de Terre so wanted that exact colour. The other customer wanted to use Farrow and Ball's Railings to match existing wooden planters. Now, if you are colour matching you don't necessarily need to use Farrow and Ball, any specialist paint shop can colour match a paint from the RA number. Leaving that aside here is my experience.

Cuprinol is very easy to apply. You just paint or spray on 2 - 3 coats of Cuprinol and that is it. The coats dry within an hour or two so not much time is needed. Farrow and Ball requires a primer, a couple of coats of undercoat, and a couple of top coats. You can buy primer and undercoat combined so that saves a bit of time but still it is a more time consuming process, and a more expensive one.

With all these extra coats is there a difference in the final appearance? I would say yes, the Farrow and Ball paint does look more luxuriant. However I wouldn't necessarily say it is worth the extra cost.

Here are wooden planters painted in Cuprinol's Urban Slate and Farrow and Ball's Railings,