# Ralph Lauren "suede" paint????



## bayoupainter (Apr 20, 2007)

Hello to all-anyone ever used the Ralph Lauren "suede" paint?Have a job this week where The HO wants it used--any thoughts-tip-advice?
Always skeptical when designer labels start producing paint products--
thanks a bunch,ARiel:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

*Run!!!*

Run Run Run!!!!
It's Complete And Total Crap!!!!


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## ProWallGuy (Oct 17, 2003)

Triple the materials you'll think you need, and quadruple your labor costs. 
You need to apply it with a big-ass brush, in an X pattern. Probably take three coats/passes to cover sufficiently. Make sure to mask off all the adjoining surfaces, trim, ceiling, everything. 

And oh yeah, like Slick said, RUN its crap!


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## MakDeco (Jan 17, 2007)

I've used it and something similar from P&L, I have used a 4 inch brush. The tip I could give is too base coat the wall a similar color as the suede it help make the suede goes easier and you'll use less.

I have see HO's use a dark suede color over builder white.. Lots of coats there. One other thing its a paint to go over in the future maybe if you tell them that they will not want to use it!


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## 4thGeneration (Nov 23, 2006)

Iapplied this as a favor for a real estate lady. Still looks good today. I did not follow the directions to the "T" because it was crazy. I rolled one coat top to bottom not little square paterns they suggest. Then I used a straight edge 4inch brush to brush in a "X" pattern the total wall space. It was 10 or 12 ft high room with 12x12 floor space. Took me about 4 hours to brush it solid.

I am going to get some pics of that and other work I performed on her home. Funny how her next door neighbor had me do work for them and find out we went to the same Church. Big Church so I never saw them before that.


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## send_it_all (Apr 10, 2007)

I have never used it, but a customer of mine had part of her house painted with it (by pro painters) and it looked really nice.


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## LouisZerr (May 25, 2007)

When I first used "suede paint" from Ralphie(which is close to 10 years now) it was made by Sherwin Williams and was a nice product. A few years back another manufacture started making it for Ralphie and yes, it was different. But needless to say, I've used a lot of Sherwin Williams suede paint and have had great results. 

*bayoupainter--*as was mentioned...vary your method from what the can tells you. On my 2nd coat I like to work in a diagonal pattern across the wall if possible. Overlap on your wet edges and get some variation. Another thing to do is to get a swatch of real suede from a fabric store or a suede leather jacket so that you can compare. It will help. I've put on over 350 gallons of this "crap" and haven't had any complaints. Hope this helps you.


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## gideond (May 17, 2007)

I sell the P&L brand. Never had any issues with it. It is a pain compared to normal paint but you run into that with pretty much anything that is considered a faux finish. It gives a nice finish if you want to put the time into it. Definitely base coat with a similar color though. It's been a while since I've mixed any but I believe the P&L even tells you what color to base coat with.


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## fathersonfab (Apr 27, 2007)

Yes, I have used it and it looks really nice when finished. As one person said, PLAN ON EXTRA... It will need 2 coats minimum for the desired effect. 
It is also hard to work with... imagine latex paint with silica sand mixed in, thats basically what it is. Coverage doesn't go very far, and it will need 2 coats like I said.

ALSO, Do youself a favor and buy the Ralph Lauren tools that they recomend. They are expensive, but well worth the money after you've clogged up 10 regular rollers and brushes with the thick sandy muck. Ralph Laruen faux finshes are a headache only if you try to go the cheap route and use cheap tools. Buy the recomended tools for the job and add it your costs.

Oh Yes, like prowallguy said, MASK everything. If you roll it, the sand will fly off in every direction. You will be covered in sandy paint splatter at the end of the day.


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## pstorey (Apr 23, 2007)

Gotta agree with "fathersonfab".
3 coats is likely and once it's on there the texture isn't going away.
They should sell a 4" X 4" sample board for Ho's to feel and see the texture beforehand. Add in extra for the roller they recommend.
Spatter everywhere.


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## tbird (Sep 3, 2008)

*Suede Paint*

Suede paint by RL is great! Looks great! I have done over 20 rooms with it. Every room in my house is suede, except for the kitchen and baths. My bedroom is dark brown suede and I have a suede head board and it matches perfectly! It is no where near as labor intensive as sponge finishes, or venetian plaster. Def. charge a good amount of money, it is more of an artform in my opinion then a coat of paint. I roll top to bottom, and depending on the type of paint underneath if covers great! New walls take longer and more coats, but it is very thick paint, I disagree a bit with it taking triple the amount of paint. I think it just depends on what you are painting over. I painted a dining room orange suede that was 16X15 and it only took a little less then two gallons. I didn't prime it and I painted over a bright aqua blue color. Darker colors have a more textured look. I have done, green, blue, grey, tan, olive/tan, dark brown, orange and the whiter grey. Blue, orange and the dark brown look the best. The other colors reflect the light differently and don't look as textured. 4" brush is good. Make sure you get into the corners and right up to the ceiling and baseboard or it will look terrible. YOu need to do the x's completely on all the seams. The neg. aspect you can let homeowners know, is you scratch them its over, it needs to be repainted, the colors fade and touch ups usually don't work, you will need to most likely do the whole wall over. They also do not wash really at all! Even if you rub up against the wall it can leave a perminent mark, like a scratch mark. Can be good deterints if you really don't want to do that paint for them to change their mind! Not recommended for rough kids rooms. Hope this helps.


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