# Ralph Lauren River Rock



## Schmidt & Co (Jun 2, 2008)

Not trying to kill the Ralph Lauren topic, but..... 

Just got back from looking at a job we completed yesterday with the river rock paint. Painted the walls in a front room with two coats & its picture framing. The last time i used it was about 10 years ago & had a difficult time with it. It was a darker color & took about 5-6 coats to get coverage & had a hard time keeping the cut vs roll looking good. Swore I would never use it again, but had a week moment when I was estimating this one :blink:.

The crew I had there are experienced painters. My lead guy has 20 years in the trade & his helper has been painting for 13. So I know its not them. Its the product/our tecnique. I'm going to try & talk to a RL rep for advice, but I'm wondering if any of you guys in the field can give pointers for when I go back & apply the third coat. Any advice would be appreciated:thumbsup:


----------



## premierpainter (Dec 29, 2006)

My advice is Don't buy or install Ralph Lauren Paints


----------



## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

premierpainter said:


> My advice is Don't buy or install Ralph Lauren Paints


I would have to agree

I wouldn't touch that stuff again with ProWallGuy's 16 Foot Wooster Sherlock Extension Pole

All I can say is roll the Xs and pray to the Paint Gods

Then run (don't walk) to your nearest Daich Dealer and get some Versa-Stone literature


----------



## Fauxdonna (Sep 5, 2008)

My first advice would be to throw out the instructions and just expiriment with the stuff on some boards until you get the look you are after.

What is the problem you are having with the RL river rock. Too thin? Not enough coverage? Uneven finish? It helps to know what the problem is to advise how to fix it, but I suspect it might be one or all of these. 

In my experience working with the product, I start with a base color underneath that is close to the river rock color. I then use a 1/2" nap fabric roller to apply 2 coats (dry time in between) evenly in random directions. If you want a slightly smoother finish, sand back gently after the 2nd coat and apply a 3rd coat with a smoother nap roller.

I also like to seal this finish with a dead flat acrylic based varnish so that you _can _wash it. Faux Like A Pro makes a good one. It will run you about $70.00/ gallon but you can get 2 average size rooms out of it and it is worth the peace of mind.

Hope this helps,
~Donna


----------



## premierpainter (Dec 29, 2006)

And when you think that after all your work is done and your cleaning your tools and happen to touch one of the walls-BAM you leave a white line on the wall.

Once that paint dries, try rubbing your finger nail over it. It is the WORST.


----------



## BryanG (Jun 16, 2009)

When it comes to the third coat u should do it all by brush!! I tried the roller that RL gives u,but I had a latino show me his method and he did it all with a brush and it looked FANTASTIC! I would work in small areas making little X's.


----------



## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

Ralph Lauren is junk. I tried a few of their products when my local ICI started carrying them, they all sucked. I would do my best to talk any customer I had who wanted to use RL products to try something else.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 24, 2008)

RL paint is nothing more than glidden or ICI paints paint. What is it about this paint you don't like? Is it the fact that it is textured? Call an ICI store and they can give you some pointers on it. I love ICI paint. Painting an exterior with Fortis right now. To each their own.


----------



## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

The ICI I go to has discontinued RL paints because nobody will buy it. I tried the eggshell in a bright yellow, It was terrible, I expected it to take multiple coats, but after 4 coats and no real signs of coverage I gave up and went back to the store for ICI's Accents paint, way better results.
RL is kinda a gimick paint, they are selling the name, the product itself sucks. ICI has made a few mistakes like the RL and the This Old House brand paints. 
The TOH brand was doomed to fail because they wouldnt even give contractors a price break. So from a contractors point of view, I could go with Fortis or The Dulux exterior paints that have been working great for me for years, and get a discount on both of these, or switch to the TOH and pay more money. They didnt even bother to maket the TOH paint, they just thought everyone would jump on it I guess. ICI should just stick to their paints instead of these gimick paints like RL and TOH. Contractors dont really want them and 90% of the DIY'ers who buy paint are looking to save money, not spend $50 on a gallon just because the guy who made their shorts has his name on the can.


----------

