Farrow & Ball gutter paints transform modern and traditional homes

Why Cast Iron?

Throughout the UK you’ll find rainwater guttering and downpipes in cast iron on many heritage and period properties. It is incredibly strong, last for decades and is 100% recyclable. If properly installed and maintained it will enhance the properties it protects by looking timeless, authentic and beautiful for over 100 years.

If neglected and exposed to the elements without proper protection the characteristics that make it such a great eco choice, its recyclability, become its weakness – that process of natural recycling begin with rusting, then flaking and eventually end in disintegration.

What Protects Cast Iron? The Answer is Paint.

If you are living in or responsible for a beautiful heritage building or period property the last thing you want is to see a rust stain running down the walls from your cast iron guttering. This indicates a lack of proper care and maintenance. The paint type, its quality, number of coats and care when it was applied influences its durability, life expectancy and ongoing maintenance costs.

Why Farrow & Ball Paint?

The traditional way to ensure longevity of both the protective paint coverage and therefore the life of the rainwater guttering, downpipes and other features has always been to employ an experienced professional painter/installer and use a high-quality paint like Farrow & Ball.

They are constantly refining and rigorously testing their paints and using only the finest ingredients to ensure long lasting performance and high levels of rich colour resistant to flaking or fading for up to 6 years. AS you’d expect, F&B paints combine their unique range of signature colours with durable hard wearing formulations designed to withstand the elements while also remaining as kind to the environment as possible.

Dedicated heritage installers and established experts like long-time Rainclear customers GSL will apply the paint to the cast iron on their premises, ensuring good coverage and following optimum drying times in between coats.

A few examples from the 132 F&B colours in the Exterior Eggshell/Full Gloss ranges:

Dimity, Archive, Setting Plaster, Picture Gallery Red, Incarnadine, Radicchio, Ball Green, Green Blue, Lichen, Pitch Blue, Drawing Room Blue, Stiffkey Blue, Downpipe, Pelt or Railings

Why Factory Painted?

Another, newer way to ensure your authentic heritage rainwater system remains rust free for decades with minimal maintenance is to install a fully factory painted system. 

The Apex certified paint used on our heritage cast iron rainwater components is an advanced and environmentally friendly three coat system, factory applied under strictly controlled conditions so it preforms better than manually applied paint. A high-solids styrene acrylic emulsion is applied over an undercoat and a two-part epoxy primer and contains a flash rust inhibitor.

It can last up to 10 years before needing repainting although, depending on the weather it is exposed to it may need a touch-up in 5-6 years to maintain protection.

It is available from stock in (primed and) heritage black for next day delivery, or 7 standard colours in 15 working days.

The 7 Standard Colours:

Which is the Better Option? The Answer is …Your Preference.

Factory painted Cast Iron can cost around 20% more than the primed cast Iron, but then you are not paying the labour cost for the installer to paint the system and there’s the cost of the primer, the F&B undercoat for metal and the F&B Exterior Eggshell top coat too.

But you’ll have to wait 15 working days for delivery unless you choose black.

You’ll have to wait longer (15-20 days) and pay an additional surcharge (recent example was £400 for F&B’s French Grey equivalent ‘BS381 210’) if you choose to order a bespoke RAL or BS colour. 

Although a rainbow range of colours are available you only have the choice of RAL or BS colours and not all of them will be available. None are an exact match to Farrow & Ball colours. Some are close, but vary from ‘slightly different’ to ‘distinguishably different’, so may not match that well with doors or window frames already painted with F&B colours.

The transit primed cast iron is available from stock for next day delivery, but it will take the installers time to paint the rainwater components by hand and allow for optimum drying times (dependent on the weather/temperature) between the necessary coats. Obviously, the more primed cast iron components you have bought the longer it will take. But you will have the exact colour, the rich, dark hues or lively accents, muted pastels or subtle neutrals that are only supplied by Farrow & Ball.

What is most important to you? 

• a unique F&B colour now (which you can always change in 5-6 years time as it will require repainting anyway by then) 
• or lower maintenance costs in the future (weather dependent: may need a light touch-up in 5-6 years time or may not need repainting for 10 years (regular inspections are recommended)). 

The answer to this question will help you to decide which is the best option for you.

Visit the website www.rainclear.co.uk now to see the difference the Half round, Victorian Ogee or Moulded profiles make to the finish at the roofline of a period property and download Rainclear’s‘ Painting Cast Iron with Farrow & Ball Guidance’ created with advice from Farrow & Ball.

 Or to get in touch with the friendly, knowledgeable team at Rainclear call 0800 644 44 26