Ralph Lauren River Rock Paint

Moderator Post: > Ralph Lauren Paint Help by Handyman on 10/27/2004

After a successful and relatively trouble-free application several years ago, I too had difficulty with a recent application of River Rock--which I believe is now a different formulation from my original experience. In any case, after searching the Web for advice, the best I received was that, after the first coat, forget about painting in squares, and just apply the paint as you would any other roller application.

While it is very important--if not imperative--to use the pricey RL roller, I found it very helpful to remove the splash guard. Do not be afraid to use a small brush for cutting in at the corners or edges, but do try to reroll these areas since the brush tends to remove all of the little silica pieces that add the desireable texture.

Be prepared to use at least three coats, though subsequent ones (and maybe even the third coat) can be restricted to problem areas.

Finally, do not attempt to do very large areas at any stage, and always work in adjacent ones. As you go along through the recoats, you must still attempt to give an overlapping once over, top-to-bottom, of the sections you have been reworking--but don't get tied into the same stripe patterns or that is what you'll see when you're done.

This is a very frustrating and hard medium to apply properly--but if you get even close to a good application, you'll be rewarded for your effort.