Masonry paint - dusky pink

[Keefiedee]

My 1650s Norfolk farmhouse is pink - as far as we can tell from an old paint tin left behind by the previous owners, Sandtex Dusky Pink. This is, of course, no longer listed. Enquiries in local DIY shops and builder's merchants are rather confusing, but I gather Weathershield can be mixed to order, but only certain colours. I see from a Google search that Johnstone's do a dusky pink which might be a fair match, but I can't even begin to understand their colour charts. Can anyone give us any advice about how best to go about getting a reasonable match - given that we haven't the time or the energy to repaint the whole place at once!

Keith

[Mike]

Find a Dulux Decorator Centre (Trade place) .. they will colour the paint until you have what you want. They will slso give you a record of what has gone in to achieve the colour for further use.

Mike P

[The Natural Philosopher]

I had dulux mixed up on a builders mercahnts. They have a selection of dyes and a few base colors.

In essence any color you like can be mixed up, BUT you have to understand how to translate 'I want X' into '3cc of Y, 32cc of Z and

10cc of P in a substrate Q' which is all they will be able to do.

Get a color chart and star with the closest match, and then ask whet the minimum quantity they will mix is, and mix a test pot, slap it on and let it dry, and then go back and say 'a little less x this time' etc.

Really if you are prepared to spend teh time and money, you will get as close as you like..

[John Rumm]

A Johstones branch will colour match any of their competitors paints as well. So there is a fair chance they will simply be able to look up your original colour and mix it. Failing that they have extensive swatch cards - again choose one that matches, and they will mix based on the instructions on that. They also have scanning capabilities usually, and can colour scan and match something if you have it printed etc.

Last time I needed an obscure colour, I only had a mixing stick that had some of the previous colour on it. Took that in, and they matched a swatch to it.

[Rod]

I do not know about other branches, but my local Johnstone's branch is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. [1] I suggest dropping in and asking for their help - it seems likely that the people in your area would have come across this question regarding local buildings.

[1] I do work for a part of the company that owns Johnstone's/Leyland but have nothing to do with paint.

[Toom Tabard]

I'd second finding a local trade place used by professionals and seeking their advice. Is there anything usable in the tin, or on the label, or that can be chipped from a wall to allow them to scan and match? My impression is that when they make up or match a specific colour, they combine the necesary volume of the primary colours according to the volume of paint you need. That is then added and mixed to the tin of white base paint. Does that need to be a special base, or if they added it to a tin of white paint of your chosen make, would that work? They should know.

In any event, if the source sample is from the tin or contents it will be different to the weathered paint. A weathered sample should give a close match. When repapering and painting half a ceiling, I got a piece of the scraped paper scanned and matched. I know and can see where the fuzzy join is but it wouldn't be obvious to anyone else. Otherwise, doing a closest colur match from these colour chart cards for getting the paint made up specially will probably be as good as you can get, or need.

Toom

[geoff]

Until the new paint weathers, anyway ...

[Peter Scott]

There's a Dulux trade center in Whiffler Road in Norwich. Have a chat first and tell them you're doing a major conversion or somesuch and they'll give you a discount card.

Traditionally taciturn lot (if not gloomy) but know their stuff and are helpful.

Peter Scott

[NT]

Modern masonry paint is entirely the wrong stuff for most 1650 constructions. Medieval buildings normally rely on damp evaporating from the walls to avoid problems such as rot, which is often structural with such properties.

The standard recommendation from SPAB et al is lime paint. To make this pink you can colour it with iron oxide rather than the traditional suffolk pink, which is animal blood added to lime paint.

I've used lime, and it lasts just fine. And of course it costs about =A36 for a lifetime's supply of it.

NT

[Rod]

The companies produce multiple base paints. Maybe, dark, red, light and so on. Not sure how many different ones. But adding pigment to white paint would not create the range of colours that they can achieve.