I have been painting with Fine Paints of Europe paints for years. This year I was able to head up to Woodstock Vt and join 50 other obsessed Fine Paints of Europe painters to become certified. Officially I am now a certified Fine Paints of Europe painter.
When someone contacts me for painting of their New York City front door I always use Hollandlac traditional oil from Fine Paints. I also use Hollandlac on window sash restoration and on all the wooden yachts I paint or restore. Clients are often taken back when I let them know I wont use any other paint for my doors and windows. After I explain that Hollandlac has superior gloss retention, longevity and durability they start to listen. When I show them the samples they are won over.
The top picture is Brilliant and the lower is a satin. Both are great. For a door to be done up in Brilliant one has to have a little more money. A coat or two of Swedish Putty is used to skim the door. It is sanded back to perfection and then coated with paint. A High Gloss door will set you apart. It is both dramatic and durable. But there is nothing like the classic enduring quality of a satin or matte door. It really goes with everything and is equally desirable but not as dramatic.
This test card shows how Hollandlac covers. The red satin in one coat as well as the dark green Brilliant on the right.
The best and the rest if proof. These test cards show leading designer brands cover ability. Sherman Williams and Farrow and Ball do not get even close with the one coat test. Fine paint covers better because of their high pigment to binder ratio’s. Pick up a can of this stuff and you will realize this by the can’s weight.
Painting a Door in Manhattan can be challenging due to the movement of people thru the doorway. The dust and dirt and grime do not help any either. But working on old historic doors and working with old time paints is a true passion of mine. I can’t imagine spending all the time I do stripping and painting doors and windows and boats and not having a product like Hollandlac to work with. Hollandlac can be mixed into any color, which is a great thing because yacht enamels come in crazy bright colors that do not work on New York’s finest wooden doors.
Typically I spend about $150 in materials to paint an Entrance door in Brilliant or super super high gloss Hollandlac paint. Sanding, priming and painting takes 3-6 days and costs from $1200 to $1800. Restoration is on an hourly basis as its impossible to know where there is rot or broken parts when the paint build up is still on the door. Restoration tends to run $3000 to $5000 depending upon the detail and amount of doors involved.
Fine Paints of Europe has great Marine Varnishes and Eurothane’s that are great on floors, doors, banisters and boats. 
Always use Fine Paints of Europe on your entrance doors!! You will not be sorry.
