Hi Echodropz,

Bummer!!! I can't help you, directly, but perhaps I can shed some light on the cause of your problem (perhaps for your benefit and that of others ...)

Ralph Lauren Paints have been 'complained' about notoriously. I hear of VERY few success stories with their paints and methods of application. So I don't recommend this brand when attempting 'exotic applications'. You need to search-out what works well and hear it from someone OTHER than a Ralph Lauren salesperson.

Prep-work goes a long way. SOmetimes, 2 coats of Primer/Sealer are needed, especially for novice painters. (The Pros know all the short-cuts and tricks.) Anyways, buying a HIGH-quality Primer/Sealer (as well as finish paint) goes a long way, especically when you're only talking about a few $$$ when it comes to a washroom. One should never skimp on material because you may get what you pay for.

And lastly, even using the best of paints can prove disasterous. The paint needs to be THOROUGHLY mixed, the walls/room needs to be dry, AND the temperature needs to be just right. Although this may sound silly, one should read the Instructions on the paint can WHILE STILL IN THE STORE to see if it, and what's being painted, will meet their needs.

All that said, you may end up having to 'start over'. If you do, DEFINITELY Prime/Seal a minimum of 2 coats since the paint is Navy-colored. Otherwise, the Navy will 'bleed through' to your topcoat. And, expect a MINIMUM of 2 topcoats for novice painters. (Even I am not that good to get away with 1 coat.)

My best to you (and others) and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: GOd Bless America!

Thanks for the help. I know that I 'should' strip the paint off, prime it and redo it, but that is out of the question because it's not my house. My options are either using a clear glaze and sponging or making vertical strips. The problem with the stripes may be that it won't completely cover all streaks and I probally won't get a clean crisp line due to the texture. What glaze should I use and what method would be best?

You really dont need to strip or sand the RIver Rock paint. You can actually paint right over it and with in 2-3 coats it will cover the texture.

Yours is the most common complaint about the Ralph Lauren River Rock paint. It requires very specialized application techniques that come from practice and rarely work well the first time.

You need to roll gently over the seams so that no seams appear when it is wet. If they do, roll over them lightly and quickly with just a bit of paint on your roller. Also, use big strokes and minimize the number of seams by not re-rolling up and down quickly. Big, long strokes that cover the most area in one swath are the best.

Ultimately, I decided against against the River Rock paint for this reason and others The texture is also too subtle and the little alternative, complimentary paint specks (which I liked) are not visible from far away. I also realized that the look I wanted was accomplished from faux finish techniques that used complimentary colors subtly painted on top of each other (sponge, diluted paste, or otherwise).

I ultimately just decided to use top-quality paint that creates as good a finish and cost the same or less.

[This message has been edited by Lawrence (edited March 14, 2002).]

Hello again,

well a few weeks back i fixed the walls. i went out and bought a glaze, mixed it w/ the river rock paint, 4 parts glaze, 1 part river rock, and sponged it on the walls. after about 4 coats of sponging, the walls look great!!! i got this suede-like / cloud-like effect. we're very happy with it now and we've learned our lesson: never buy ralph lauren's texturized paint!!!

Sorry to hear about the poor performance of the River Rock technique; I've heard similar horror stories about Ralph Lauren Suede.

On the positive side... I just finished a room in Ralph Lauren Denim finish, which went off without a hitch. The technique was easy, even for a beginner like me. (I used Flag Blue over Hacienda Blue, which gives a very nice navy denim look.)

Just finished using River Rock and it looks great. Didn't follow RL's directions since after reading some posts thought the public knows best. Best pieces of advice, use a very, very light touch and just divide your wall into equal columns of about 30" wide and divide that length in half. Load the roller with paint, don't be skimpy. Try not to overlap too much. If lines still appear after all dry, go over ever so lightly but with well loaded small roller. It seems to me that as I added the texture (well loaded roller) it took away the streaks. Good luck -- keep it light and it does look nice.

I USED THE RIVEROCK PAINT AND AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL PAINTER AND IT TURNED OUT WONDERFUL...I LOVE IT...WE DID DO A LOT OF PREPPING FIRST THOUGH

I love River Rock Paint. The first time I used it, it was a disaster. My husband finally helped me as I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and here is what we have found:

Do not follow the instructions. You don't need their rollers. You do need 2 people. Use a roller that is rated for rough surfaces or semi-smooth. Don't be a neat painter like me. Apply it thick, in a random V. First person just paints like normal paint. Second person works behind first using dry roller rolling floor to ceiling also in random V, just smoothing out those roller marks as the texture in the paint runs and gobs up, you just need to keep smoothing that out until it's dry enough to hold itself up, which happens very quickly. This is probably the only paint a humid day helps, because it keeps it workable longer. Do not cut in with a brush, just use a small roller and work in with the big, don't cut in and go back and start with the big roller. Cut in a small area with small roller, then fill in with big roller, and second person with dry roller smooths it out.

I hope this helps. It is gorgeous paint when it works.

Hi there!

I just bought a house that happens to have RL River Rock paint in one of our rooms and the color just doesn't look good. I want to remove it. From reading the above posts, it sounds like I don't have to scrape it off to go back to smooth walls. Is it true that primer and some high quality paint (like Benjamin Moore) will cover the texture?

Thanks!

Wow I was looking to repaint my new house in this because I used it in my current home. I had no problems and loved the look for over 10 years.

i have used this paint also and it looks exactly like its supposed to. I was not an experienced painter when i did it and i did buy the special rollers and followed the directions. The salesperson at home depot recommended a primer tinted grey with the green moss RL paint and I did that too.It did take longer than using regular paint, any texture would though. i used it about 6 years ago in a busy room and it still looks great, it has not rubbed off like someone told me it would.

I have had great success applying the first coat as directed, then as I roll on the second coat in a perpendicular direction, I use a fat stiff brush to stipple with additional paint all over at random. This obliterates all streaks.

The best thing you should do is to check this out http://goo.gl/UMfeoI
it can help you a lot. You can save your time ,effort as well as money. .

DID SUEDE RL FOR A FRIEND YEARS AGO. NO PROBLEM.
NOW IT'S DRIPPY & IT DOES NOT RESPOND WELL TO FIXING IT.
If I wait too long to fix, paint came away & left partial coat of sand!
I did use a primer of the same color bec. at first it was not covering at all.
I've read the above responses & am ready to tackle the bathroom some more!

YOU DIDN'T READ THE DIRECTIONS I READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

FIRST: YOU SHOULD HAVE USED A PRIMER

SECOND: DID YOU READ HOW TO APPLY IT - DON'T THINK THAT'S POSSIBLE. YOU PAIN IN ON IN NO MORE THAT 2 OR 3 FOOT STRIPS - TOP TO BOTTOM THEN YOU ROLL FROM THE TOP (CEILING) TO THE FLOOR IN ONE ROLL.

I've PAINTED A LOT USING THIS PAINT - ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. I KNOW MEN DON'T READ DIRECTIONS BECAUSE THEIR SO SURE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING LOL LOL LOL LOL A WOMAN WHO HAS PAINTED FOR YEARS AND ALWAYS FOLLOW DIRECTONS.

wow, I just read some of these comments. I stripped the wallpaper off my dining room back in about 2002. I primed walls and painted with RL river rock (color was Buckeye)... a quart I had found in oops paint. Got another quart at regular price after painting one wall. Just rolled it on, one coat, and it still looks great!

I actually love this type of paint. It takes much more afford to make it looks great. We used on the wall with had previous color Killz, sometimes multiple layers . Rest of the walls were painted with just the easy old method of structured paint. I love to experience with the depth of the paint. I'm not artist. And yes this paint takes a lot of afford to do. My husband was painting and I did manual brush strokes and adding the paint as needed. Sometimes two or touch up third coat. We also pre-painted the painting with spots of darker color, just for the depth. It's not needed.
Till today we are getting so many nice compliments on the finish of our walls. It looks like almost white but it has such a niche texture. I'm really desparate to find other supplier, I would love to do our other bedrooms and touch up. It's really worth it.