Paint Company Reformulates After Opacity Complaints
Paint company Farrow & Ball (Wimborne Minster, United Kingdom) has reformulated its paint after customers complained about application difficulty and coverage, so much so that designers/builders have begun charging extra to use the paint, or have refused to use it altogether.
The company changed the formula in 2009 to a water base, a move that drastically reduced the product's opacity, according to some customers.
A spokesperson for Farrow & Ball recently told The Telegraph that the company has now changed the formula again, adding between one and 20 percent more pigment (depending on the color) to improve coverage and opacity.
"We are constantly looking at what customers want and we take feedback from all different markets in which we operate,” said Gareth Hayfield, head of research and technical developments at Farrow & Ball.
Because of the paint’s price point (a 5-liter pot retails at 74.50 pounds—around $99), many consumers have admitted to buying tester pots and color matching them with cheaper brands.
Sue Wimpenny, director at interior and construction firm, The Lady Builder, also spoke to the U.K. publication, noting that she had stopped using the brand altogether, but had ventured back in once she heard about the improved color.
"More recently the pigmentation has improved,” she said. “Personally, I have used it since the change and found it to be excellent."