My Walls are Suede
February 18, 2004 · Print This Article
Ralph Lauren Paint… maybe the scariest paint on the planet. It’s some pretty kewl paint but jeeze, it cost’s a fortune compared to “normal” paint. However, if you want a wall that gets attention, Ralph Lauren textures are fantastic.
Hint #1 - BUY LOTS OF IT!
This stuff does NOT go a long way. If you get poor coverage with your expensive paint, it’s gonna look like $35 per gallon doo-doo. Figure your wall space and round UP. Remember, length times height gives you the square footage of a wall - if you have 9 foot ceilings, be sure to figure your coverage using that measurement and not the store’s estimate of a standard room, which has an 8 foot ceiling.
Hint #2 - PRIME YOUR WALLS
Waste primer, not paint, especially if you’re painting new construction. While you’re at the paint store, tell them you want a few gallons of cheap primer tinted to match the Ralph Lauren paint you’re using. This will keep you from wasting that expensive stuff on walls that simply suck up the first coat of whatever you put up.
Hint #3 - BUY THE Ralph Lauren ROLLERS
While it may sound like a ploy for more money, the fact is that you won’t get the finish you want if you don’t splurge on the accessories that are recommended. Not all the RL paints require them but there are special rollers that you have to use to get certain looks - if you are trying to match a photo in an ad or picture at the store, be sure to ask if the kind of paint you’re getting requires a special roller.
Hint #4 - FINISH THE WALL BEFORE YOU DECIDE IF YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
These finishes really do look quite different when they’re dry. If you’re going for the River Rock or Suede look, you have to complete the process almost down to the last brush stroke before you see the desired result
Hint #5 - HAVE FUN!
It’s only paint… if you screw up, paint it over. If you hate it, paint it over. If you like it, send photos!
Ralph Lauren paint is GARBAGE. My 500sq. ft. apartment took 14…yes…14 gallons of paint to cover. In addition, painters tape ripped the paint off every time so I had to buy a tiny brush and waste hours repainting around moldings, etc. Spend your money elsewhere and dont waste time with ralph. 500 square feet = more than $500…TOTAL JUNK!
wow… sounds like you were the victim of some real UNhelpful paint professionals where ever you got your paint. you’d think someone would have figured out you needed some advice after the 5th gallon… i’m sort of curious - why didn’t you call the paint folks out on this before sinking so much into it? i would think that after the first $200 or so, you would have gone looking for some kind of explanation from the people who sold it to you (or looked it up on the internet) and received some suggestions to make the job work out better.
i can’t reiterate enough that you HAVE to do the proper prep work if you intend to use this paint unless you want to waste your money and your time.
secondarily, something i haven’t actually ever suggested in here, i never tape off a room. instead, i buy a foot-long wall paper cutting guide and use that as a “mask” as i paint along ceilings or for cutting in around door and window trim. the reason? i HATE waiting for the paint to dry. the number one failure in taping a room is impatience and removing tape before you should — or worse, taping over a painted surface to paint another color before allowing the first color to fully dry. the number two failure in taping is using bargain tape that either doesn’t make a seal or doesn’t come off cleanly (or both, if you happen to find a really crappy roll somewhere).
While I have not tried the rock or suede types, I was very impressed with the quality and coverage of the Ralph Lauren interior satin paint. A helpful hint…
You can add glaze to the paint and thin it out a bit if you are covering walls that don’t have excessive marks etc. As for painters tape… GRRRR. I had better luck free handing my lines, as paint oozed under the tape in places!
I just finished painting my hall and living room in Ralph Lauren Suede. I did the lving room one shade darker than the hall. I LOVE IT. I did use your suggestions and I primed the walls even though it was not new construction. I also bought the recommended tools (rollers etc.) While it was indeed a lot of work, it is well worth it to see it finished.
Good morning:
Can the suede paint be used on textured walls?
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Does anyone have the answer to Lynn’s question? I am wondering as well
I can say that I have used the Metallics and we sanded off the texture prior to paining.
I’m an RL paint idiot, so I’ll see if I can find out from one of the experts and post back here.
most RL paints are designed to simulate a texture. i have only applied them to non-textured walls and have heard professionals recommend removing an existing texture before trying an RL paint or you won’t get the correct effect.
and there’s the expert! heh
We moved into my house a couple of months ago and I thought the wall color in my living/dining area were just too bland (flat tan looking color). I didn’t know what color to replace it with so I tried the RL suede paint (Color: Almond Willow) that is some what along the same color scheme. FANTASTIC!! AWESOME!! Didn’t think the color and texture could turn out like it did, but the risk was well WORTH IT!!!!
Just did my 400 square foot apartment with RL suede in CIlia (Deep Charcoal) everyone thought I was nuts for going so dark in a small space. I did it in the den and hall and I only used under 5 gallons, so I dont know what that guy that posted he needed 15 gallons was doing. Nonetheless, the results are outstanding! You want to feel the wall, almost make love to it. Ive often thought about wearing a thong and pressing myself against it, only it is gritty feeling , like sandpaper, not plush and soft as it appears, but still, the look is sick! Its like the batcave! Maybe thats the answer, Ill go get myself a batman costume and try rubbing myself against it then…..and then stand in my window with the helmet and cape on with the pointy bat ears and allow my neighbors to see my silouette and be like….holy crap! is , is , is that,,,,,bu, bu, bu , batman over there across the alley?
not to play big brother (or big sister) or anything, but i edited the above comment (in case the poster comes back and wonders what’s up) where there was a reference to another person who commented. i’m not big on censorship, but it’s better if we can play nice. and honestly, the batman stuff was too good to pass up. lol
Poon,
You are nutts (lol)! Seems like you have a real “PASSION” for the suede. Awesome it is…
Hey crazy people,
I’m wondering the “BEST” way to apply the Suede paint from someone with experience. I’ve read the instructions, thought about it, watched a video even but I’m SCARED!!!! I just don’t want to screw it up and know what i’m doing before I start. I’ve bought “Rowan Berry” and i’m painting over a cream color. I don’t want to prime if I don’t have to. I have the RL roller for Suede paint and a 3″ brush as recomended.
Thanks!!!!
You did your 400 sq foot apartment or was it 400 sq feet of wall space?
I am looking at the Living room area of 560 sq feet of wall space and maybe the master bedroom at 450 sq feet of wall space. How many gallons might this take?
I’m going to paint one wall in my condo with the Almond Willow suede paint, but I’m having difficulty figuring out what color to paint the other walls. I want a complimentary color and I bought some samples of other flat RL paints but I just can’t seem to find the right one. Does anyone have any suggestions?
P.S. Batman, I want to love my suede like you do. Do you have any tips on how to apply it so awesome like you?
No, 400 sq ft floor space, not wall space, i have 9 ft ceilings so whatever that equates to. I only did my hall and the living room with the suede. It took a fair amount of paint, I ised about 2.5 gallons to roll on the first base coat, and then another 2 gallons to do the second texture coat, but I also had a mess up on two of the walls and actually did them over again, the thing with the suede paint is that I found if you do the second coat of x’s, dont do them in a linear fashion, like a 2 or 3 ft column up and down, because when it dries, you wil have columns of different tones where you overlapped. I found that the best way is to load up the brush with a good amoutn of paint and brush on the x’s in a faily tight overlapping pattern and sort of fan out from there in a somewhat random driection, keep it wet and blend it togeterh, that way when it eventually dries, you dont have distinct breaks in the texture where you wroked you way across the wall. That was what I found worked best, that, and applying the finish completely in the nude except for wearing boots and a black leather choker, with candles lit, a buttery merlot to wet you pallette, some of the “Live at the Acropolis” album by Yanni playing in the background works best………..Kidding. I gotta say though, that as much of a pain in the ass as it is to buy…..and apply, the results are pretty damn slick. My friends had their doubts, but now they walk in , and see the bolivian mohagany floor, the black trim, the strategically placed halogen track and recessed lighting (All dimmable…of course!) and just say “Wow!”……after of course they ask me if Im gay since I like to decorate and have dimmers on every switch (Which Im not,, not that theres anything wrong with it though) Now all thats left is to get one of those plasmas on the wall so I can kick back, set the mood lighting to ultra dim so it funnels down and picks up the subtle strokes of the deep charcoal suede and pop in the uncut directors version special edition DVD of Chocolat and watch it in my red silk Kimono while my almond and apricot peel off face mask does its work………………………..PLAYAS CLUB!!!!!!!!!!! No wonder Im single…….
ok, we have to see this room. any photos (sans nudity lol)???
I’m planning on painting my walls with the Suede Snowdrift color and did some reading on the Ralph Lauren site. It says that, at one point, you should take the 9″ roller from the top of the wall, rolling vertically to the bottom of the wall without lifting the roller. I have a Cathedral type living room and two of the four walls go up about 16 feet. Does this mean I shouldn’t paint the suede look in my living room?
for andrea - i haven’t been able to find a color called “rowan berry” but i did find “rowan white” (which ain’t exactly white but ought to cover a cream color pretty well). for the sake of your pocketbook, if the color you’re putting on the wall is from a different color family (like it’s red or blue or pea green or something), use a tinted primer.
We painted our basement family room in the brick suede and it is gorgeous. HOWEVER, as stated on the can (which we didn’t really notice until after the room was painted) it is for low-traffic areas. We now have numerous ’scuffs’ and haven’t been successful in blending them in by retouching with paint or dabbing them off with a damp cloth. Any suggestions in renewing our beautiful suede walls?
Join the club, my toy gun belt with the plastic cap guns in it left all these scrapes all over my suede when I was playing giddy- up and rodeo one night in my apt……………..IM Joking, you must all think Im a weirdo…..Im playing around. No but I have gotten a couple of scrapes, and it scrapes easily, Even a light brush from something like… a broom leanied up against the wall that falls over and slides along the wall will leave a shit mark. Its the grit in the paint that does it, its like rubbing sandpaper on a cars finish sort of, you disturb the grit thats in the dried finish, and it turns white since its some kind of silica I think. I have a bit of luck with touching up some spots with a loaded brush and going back in with the x’s pretty thick and feathering it out fairly abruptly, but the thing I noticed is that heavy coats actually dry lighter than the thin ones. Notice how the first rolled coat was dark when dry and the second texture coat was lighter where it was heavier through the stroke? Try that, and if that doesnt so it for ya, then the best way is to redo the wall, then put some cones blocking floor traffic to that area, or a velvet rope at the doorway to the room….sort of like the exhibits in the Met, itll give you that artsy fartsy feel then
OOOPS! Im sorry, I honestly didnt mean to type the word “Shit mark” in my last post, I meant scrape mark. I have no clue how I let that one slide, maybe its just late, myabe because im typing left handed while lying on my floor,maybe there shoudl be a spell check up here……maybe I should just quit while Im ahead. ANyway, we’re all adults here, Im sure you have all heard that word before, but Im sorry, I doubt any children will see that curse word, I doubt any 12 year olds are surfing the internet looking for forums on the best way to do ralph lauren suede paint in their bedrooms, and which color will go best to compliment their bunk beds, theyre probably all surfing the internet on how to sue their parents, or make a home made bomb to sneak into school!
ANyway, my apologies!
So Ive got one for you all. After painting my place up and getting it all set up, I felt something wasnt right, something, didnt flow, it wasnt feng shui enough. I had done my bedroom tackroom white, which was the whitest whit e I could find. My bedding is all white, the ceiling is white, the walls are white, the one lamp I have on the floor is white, and thats it. The only contrast is the bolivian mohagany floor. So, me being the subtle guy I am, and a sucker for slow , easy and gradual changes, have decided to paint my bedroom over, I want to carry the mood through the space, from the deep charcoal grey sued out in the hall and den….so I have decided to change the color of my bedroom from stark white to………..BLACK. THe blackest black I found was Ralph Lauren ebony. You know what they say, the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice. The fact that everyone I mention this color chouice to cringes and says dont do it, mena that its a good idea. They all said the same thing about the charcoal suede. ANd now I have to deadlock my door to keep them out. Plus the magazine “One bedroom apartment beautiful” is supposed to come to do a cover shoot for the spring issue after the holidays. So black in the bedroom, head to toe, trim and all, bolivian mohagany, white bedding, white lamp, and then groupings of black framed B&W pictures, with Black matts in them……and then some strategic lighting, and a large glass floor standing vase in the corner with a green and white paper lilly or a pussywillow stemming out of it…………..Now whats up! My own little cave. ANyway, I picked up a quart of this ralph lauren stuff called candlelight, its some sort of reflective like glaze you roll on over your base color to give a texture to the wall. I was thinking about doing just one wall with the candlelight over the black, either that or pinstripe it narrowly and far apart to be like a suit. Has anyone used this stuff? My concern is this, the stripes will be like a tone on tone, but will that look too TLC Trading places? I hate that cheesey ass show, with their dumb cheap colors and stupid pattern they dump on every peice of crap they dont throw out. I dont want it to look like that, oooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrr………………….If I do just one wall entirely with this glaze, Im afraid its going to look like 1970s Jewish wallpaper (No offense). And the last thing I want to do is take away from the drama of the black walls with some twinkly finish that looks like some Yenta came in and started going to town. ANyone use it? The sample book from RL is cheesy, and shows colors that my grandparents, Liberace, or Yvonna Trump would use.
ANd my thought on the black walls, alot of people tell me “No keep it white, just do black accents if you want that look”
I say, look, that piano keyboard look went out back in the mid 80s with the cancellation of miami vice, cheap porn sets that used black gloss furniture with white walls, along with some neon and an inflatable palm tree. It takes balls to paint your wall black, and you can do it in a way where it doesnt look like some teenage gothic kids room with Rammsteinf and marylon manson posters on the wall with a nasty ass hamper overflowing with black fishnet stockings in the corner and a full length black leather duster balled up at your computer desk with dustballs and boogers stuck to the wall because your a young punk whos trying to rebel and find himself by wearing black lipstick and a blue dead mohawk. Black wall will look like a gentlemans hut, in a black tie outfit.
ANyway, thoughts comment s on this candlelight stuff?
Help!
Has anyone applied the Ralph Lauren Candlelight finish? If so, how does it look when the lights are off? Any and all comments welcom.
I need suggestions that will help to lighten up and/or make my room ooh ah! I just painted my office a dark orange and it is so dark with such a heavy glow that it looks like the lights have been turned way down… I have one accent wall left to paint that has a plastered fireplace that is almost the same color as the ceiling paint.
Benjamin Moore paint: walls are Adobe Orange (dark), trim is Sangria (dark orange red), with Salmon Run (peachy orange) ceiling.
Thanks, J-
I returned my candlelight paint, I thought it would look too much like liberaches crib
poon, you simply must share some pictures of some of your decorating adventures. our poor, lonely flickr group is here (clean pics, please. haha)
thanks for the entertaining comments.
p.s. i have a black room! yes, i do! black is the new black.
how do i put them up
where are the pics?
http://www.flickr.com/groups/thefixchicks/
that’s our flickr group.
poon, if you’re not a flickr user already and/or just don’t want to mess with it, feel free to send me your photos via email, along with any info you want to share about them.
that goes for everyone! send us your stuff, and we’ll make you famous!
(okay, so maybe not famous, but we DO have a lot of readers, and if you feel like showin’ off your decorating / design / DIY skills, bring it on.)
I used the RL Regent Metallics in my bedroom, and I have textured walls. Even though most people don’t recommend it on textured walls, I have to say that mine turned out beautifully!!!
Come on, Batman! I mean, poon. Where are your cave pix?
Hi! I was browsing through this very interesting site, in need of some help and suggestions on using RL riverrock paint and i think i found my answer, not to do it. I’ve been painting on my own for about 6 yrs. I’ve painted with RL suede with success but wasn’t sure of the RR and after doing a few sample boards(a few because i couldn’t believe how badly it was going on i tried it a few times and i am not a fan) My clients want their MB painted, I’ve finished priming the walls with the same tint as the colour of RR that they got but after seeing the sample boards i’m not sure i will venture into this nightmare. Any other suggestions for a light textured finish or i may just suggest suede. Does the suede go a longer way than RR or is it about the same. i id a small 2 pc a couple years ago and can’t remember. Any commments will be very appreciated.
Ralph Lauren paints are great for the colors and effects they offer. However, they are a challenge to work with even for a painting contractor with over 20 years experience like myself. I have applied the Suede to both smooth walls and textured walls with great results. The textured walls actually add character to the overall look of the Suede. I have found that the first coat can be applied like any other paint because the Suede effect is created with the second coat. I am a perfectionist and I had to get over the idea of the “perfect” look. After looking at a sued coat I realized what made it so attractive was it’s “flaws”. River Rock is a pain. You have to apply it perfectly but the results are great. Both the Suede and River Rock produce a very soft and warm “homey” feel or a very modern look to any room. A protective clear coat can be applied to both finishes. I would recommend a flat or matte finish clear coat. Both the River Rock and Suede have about the same spread rate. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when working with these finishes. You can enhance the final look by experimenting with different application techniques. The only recommendation I have is to have a helper because you really want to keep a wet edge as much as possible.
I just painted the bottom (below the chair rail) with RL’s Candlelight. I has been on for about 1 hour and it looks terrible…. It looks like I rolled glue on and it won’t dry? How long does this really take to dry? The can said 30 minutes….I’m getting nervous
Jamie, I painted a dark brown wall in my bedroom with RL’s Candlelight yesterday and looks just like you said. Did it ever dry clear? Let me know?
I just finished painting two walls of my dining room with the Ralph Lauren Candlelilght finish (after painting the entire dining room 2 days prior a deep color called Black Plum) and it has been almost 7 hours and it looks like I painted glue on my walls. I am so upset because this was the last room to get painted in the house and I wanted something that would make the white pillars Pop and look WOW with the chandelier. I should have listened to my husband that it looked great with just the new paint color. WIll this dry clear? Can it be easily painted over to get a smooth finish or am I stuck painting the rest and then starting all over?
Michelle, Relax, give the candlelight 1 or 2 weeks to dry. It will be beautiful. The dark brown wall in my bedroom now looks wonderful. I am sure by now your dining room is looking much better.
Linda - thank you for your comments regarding the Candlelight finish. I am not seeing any major changes yet but it has only been 3 days. I will take your advice and wait a few weeks. I was at Home Depot yesterday desperate for some answers and since this is so new they recommended I contact Ralph Lauren. The expert there was wondering if the chemicals in the finish may have been altered with cold weather during shipping or if it was not mixed properly. I am close to priming and repainting and not re-applying Candlelight but I will wait a few weeks. My dining room has been in my entry way for a week already - whats another week, right? Again Thanks!
There is a MAJOR problem if it did not dry in the specific amount of time stated on the label. Do not prime or paint over it until it has dried. Paint products also have a “cure” time even after they have dried. On most latex paints it is anywhere from 14 to 30 days. So if it has taken the faulty product this long to dry then I would be concerned about it ever curing. Keep your e-mails and make any notes when talking with RL. It could cure correctly but if it doesn’t it will probably deteriorate over time. If I were in your position I would push for RL to have a representative come and evaluate your problem. If it is product failure or shipping problems they need to fix it. I don’t see how not mixing it correctly could cause that problem.
The paint did dry to the touch in the time stated. I just received my response from Ralph Lauren and they said that it will dry to a frosty look. The appearance is getting better as each day goes by so I am going to give it another week. Ralph Lauren said that if I choose I can paint right over the finish directly with my paint used from Behr Premium underneath the Candlelight finish - so that is refreshing that I will not have to prime or buy more paint - I have JUST enough to recover the walls (it is a dark color and took 2 1/2 coats the first time around!) - If there is no improvement I plan to seek reimbursement from Ralph Lauren or Home Depot - should not be too hard since it is such a new product - I hope!
[…] Ralph Lauren paint is still our most popular topic to date. Check out the exchanges in comments following Michelle’s article, My Walls are Suede. There are some lengthy comments on her post, Ralph Lauren River Rock Paint Notes, as well. There are a few good tips around on how to touch up Ralph Lauren paint, too. […]
I lost the instrutions on how to use RL suede paint. ’cause I put the leftover in a plastic container, now I need to touch up the walls where repairs were done, can someone print the basic instructions for me? I can’t find the website for RL paint instructions.Thanks
It has been two weeks and there was no change to my Candlelight finish issue. Ralph Lauren said that it will dry FROSTY - this is more extreme on darker colors. I think that my husband just got used to looking at it and said it was fine. However, after being on vacation for a week and coming back I did not like it. Ralph Lauren said that I could paint right over it with my original Behr Premium Dark plum color. I was able to sqeek the rest out the can and complete the fix (Thank Goodness since I wasted $75 on materials with Candlelight FInish). My dining room looks great. I do not regret trying this product but I do believe that something was wrong with the contents in the can due to extreme weather during delivery (quoted by Home Depot rep.) - I am going to try to get some form of reimbursement. If not successful - I am still a beliver of Ralph Lauren and enjoy the other products that I have used. The one thing with painting - it is ART and the variables are endless from wall texture, temperature, humidity, the painter, and the product contents. This was just one of those cases that I was not happy with the results!
I have to say, twice I nearly gave up painting suede as I followed the instructions and wasn’t happy with the finish. Instead I searched many websites and found one or two very useful pieces of advice. What was amusing was the extent to which people were getting personal. There seemed to be “those who loved it” and “those who hated it”. I was the latter and resented the first group of smug know-alls who were patronizing in their tone, but after finding a really useful piece of advice I persevered and now I get loads of compliments.
This is my advice (and I’m no expert) – firstly I chose the brown ‘Arrow Wood’ for a dining room and at first it started looking like excrement - now it looks great (in a smug know-all tone)…so for what its worth:
1. Don’t bother with the boxes of 28”x28” or the sweep ceiling to floor motion – it’s the 2nd coat that matters.
2. Just paint the first coat to cover the area in any way you want.
3. Second coat make sure you cover everything with sheets: furniture, floors, anything that you don’t want covered with splashes.
4. Get your brush and load it up with as much paint as it can hold. (BEST ADVICE EVER)
5. Splash it on in the recommended crisscross (X’s).
6. Don’t do part of the wall and step back to check it, - it will look crap to you and you will start resenting the effort, instead paint the entire wall.
7. Wait for it to dry.
8. Now stand back and admire.
9. The problem I had initially, was not knowing if what I had done was correct!
10. The best look is from a few feet back - not close up, I had a problem accepting it when viewing it close up as I was trying to compare this technique with standard painting. The effect is only to be admired from a few feet back - after that realization I accepted the technique and finish and I’m a person who is quite pedantic so to admire the finish “as is” was a huge step to take and it only came after following points 3, 4 and 5 and admiring it from a distance.
lalalalallal bamba
Hi there. I used some ralph luren suede paing about 2 years ago. It was custom made, and we no longer have the paint can to have it redone in the same color. So….. I would like to get as close as I can to the old color. Do I have to repaint the wall with a base paint first or can I just paint suede over suede? Thank you!
HI There,
I want to paint Ralph Lauren Suede in one of my bathrooms, which has a shower in it.
Will the Suede finish be a problem with the moisture? The paint store guy thought that it might hold in the moisture b/c of the finish.
Has anybody used Suede in their bathroom? If so, how do they like it and how long have you had it in your bathroom? Any problems with rippling or peeling b/c of the moisture?
Thanks!
I just painted my son’s room (he left for college and also left a room full of doodles, nail holes, tack holes, hole holes, marker and all manner of paint marks) and wanted to have a clean fresh slate and a more sophisticated yet neutral backdrop the room since it would be used as my younger daughter’s art studio. Both of my children are artists and while the rest of our home is very colorful with paint colors and artwork, this room needed to be neutral so as not to affect the light. I
first primed the whole room (ceiling included) and painted the walls Behr “Light French Gray” (forgoing RL’s almost-too-good-to-pass-up “Artist’s Studio” for being a tad too dull of a gray). Final coat was the RL Candliight finish. Wow. Very very nice. The room just glows and it really makes the gray color richer and less boring — I was really afraid of boring with the walls being so neutral a color. I do think, however, that the Candlelight finish would look very strange on a daker wall (as previously noted by the poster upthread) and would not really SHINE in the decorative sense on anything but neutral, paler colored walls. BTW, I work occasionally as a professional painter, and I didn’t have any trouble with this finish, but again the paint color made applying it forgiving. On a darker wall, with the finish drying to a frosty look, I imagine any application errors, stopping/starting, and differences of application due to more than one person applying it, would be quite obvious.
We bought some RL paint at HD in Jan and painted a huge wall to wall, ceiling to floor cabinet with the Balmoral Red. It looks great, but it is STILL not cured (yes, it’s now AUGUST–8 months later!). Feels dry to the touch, but EVERYTHING (including a lace doily with nothing on top of it!) sticks to it after setting on it for even just a few hours. My husband put a binder on an interior shelf and when he lifted it, it pulled the paint clear down to the primer. It was an old existing cabinet in the house and so we did a lot of prep work to it. We also put in all new shelving and doors and prepped all that. I even contacted a local cabinet company before we started to make sure we prepped it correctly. So prep work is not the issue. I’ve contacted HD and RL and got the run around. According to RL, their paint “isn’t made for wood shelving or anything that might have something setting on it”. When I explained that the can states it can be used for wood, masonry, etc and says nothing about not using it for shelving, etc, the rep said that the description only refers to walls and that HD should not have recommended their paint for the project. (HD actually didn’t, I had contacted others about what type of paint to use and they all said a laytex would work fine, HD just had the color I wanted.) HD, Sherwin-Williams, and three cabinet company painters told me they think the paint is faulty, but according to RL they “don’t have faulty paint” and the rep refused to even run the codes on the can to make sure there hadn’t been a recall or problem with that run of paint. RL says that we probably didn’t vent and dry correctly as our house would have been closed up in Jan. (well duh, it was 30 degrees out–like opening the house up would have helped it dry any better with those type of temps). Then he assumed that we just went from heat to AC and that was the problem because it didn’t get to vent properly. I informed him our AC didn’t come on until July, so it had plenty of fresh air to vent to from March to July when neither the heat or AC was on and temperatures were mild, which would have been perfect for it to cure.
I’m at a loss of what to do. RL said I could “try” to use their clear coat sealer over it, but he wouldn’t guarantee that it would cure since the underlying layers of paint haven’t. His other solution was to paint another coat of a high gloss over it. I don’t see how that would be much different; plus, I don’t want a high gloss cabinet. I have a rustic, country house–a satin is about as glossy as I get on the walls and a semi-gloss at the most on trim. I’ve contacted SW & two other paint contractors and the only thing any of them have suggested is to do the quick-dry hardner from SW that mixes in with your paint color and try that with a prayer or strip it all and start over.
If anyone has any suggestions, I’ll gladly listen. This cabinet took us a lot of time to do and I can’t imagine having to strip it and start over.
Thanks!
If you use this paint properly it does go farther than what most on this forum state. I primed the walls with Behr primer (previously primed walls) tinted to the color of the suede paint . the room was approximately 300 feet and 8 foot walls. (approx 600 sq ft of painted surface). I rolled the first coat in random, tapered v’s and thought about leaving it as is. The suede texture was already there (used the brush, 4″ RL roller and 9″ RL roller) and it did look good once dry (be carefull not to put too heavy of a coat on the wall or you have to watch for runs). Decided to do the second coat and I am happeri than before. It really does look good, but be careful as it does discolor if you lightly scrape it. (maybe a ligher color will not have this problem). At the end of the process I am left with approx. 2 gallons (originally bought 5 gallons and one gallon of Behr primer-also have some primer remaining).
the things I do agree with that I read, the paint is messy so keep a wet rag on hand or cover with plastic, it is expensive, do not go back over the paint as it gets close to drying as you will see you new brush/roller strokes, it does look great when all the paint is dry.
Help! My family room is painted in a Ralph Lauren Suede paint. Today, I decided to touch up one of the areas to get rid of a couple of marks. Well, little did I know that I couldn’t do this, and now I have these blotchy marks on my walls. I have one full gallon of paint left. It looks as if I need to redo the wall. Since I am painting it the same color, do I need to do 2 coats of paint following the 2 coat process as RL indicates, or can I just do one coat using the ‘X’ method since I already have the color on the wall. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!!
Hello -
About 9 months ago I painted my family room in a RL suede. Today, I decided to touch some areas up on one wall. Needless to say it didn’t work and from research I did - it looks as if I need to repaint the wall. My question is - do I need to repaint the wall using the 2 coat process - Coat one with the roller and Coat two using the ‘x’ method, or can I just paint the whole wall using the ‘x’ method since it is the same color. Please help
Thanks!
I used rivier rock in my formal living room and powder room and it looks awesome. You definitely have to buy the rollers for river rock to obtain the correct finished look otherwise the paint will come off with the roller. RR was very tedious but if you took your time and followed the directions exactly you will love the finish. I did use about 3 gallons for a standard room size (13×13) with 9ft ceilings in rr. For the suede we did both coats in the directed “XX” pattern in our formal dinig room and it look like a professional did it. I thought it was very forgiving, you really couldn’t screw it up because it was a random fuax patterned look. We love it and everyone asks us who the painter was that did it because they loved the look. It is costly but you get what you pay for. Good luck!!
Hi There!
I have used RL suede paint three times since I last entered a comment and each time it has worked out beautifully. As far as touching up your wall, just do the X’s over again but it will look a little different than the other walls. Good luck let me know how it turned out.
Hi,
I would like to know how the touch ups are coming with the RL sude paint. We painted a room with this and we were having construction done around the house, someone (still trying to figure out who) put a scratch into the paint before it dried. I am wondering if I put a sealer on top of the paint after it is dry to avoid the scratches would work. Also I don’t want to have to paint the whole room over again. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!
HI all- I am new to this forum and found it by Googling “how to with suede paint.” I tell ya, I’ve gotten more than I bargained for and enjoyed reading all of the comments. Where’s Poon, though? He’s like he just dropped off? Did he ever send pics? He cracked me up!!
Quick quesiton. Has anyone done an accent wall with a different suede color? I am painting a loft area that will be the media room. I am not sure of the color scheme yet, except that I have an older leather (dirty cream/beige color) furniture set that we are putting in that room. That’s what I have to start with. Any suggestions on the colors? I thought, since I can’t decide, that I might use an accent wall.
Thanks again for this great site…
Hello all! I am new to the forum and just had trouble posting my first comment, so I am retyping. If by chance the other shows up, I apologize
I have really enjoyed this forum. I found it by googling suede paint and how to do it. I am wondering though, what happened to Poon? He was so funny! Did he ever post his pics?
I am painting a loft area, which will be the media room. It’s a blank slate right now and I really do not have any color ideas yet. I’ve thought about chocolate walls, but not sure about that. One thing I can say is that this old leather set will be in there and it’s a light beige color. Anyone have any suggestions on color schemes? Has anyone done an accent wall with the suede paint?
Thanks for any help
Michelle
I have used several gallons of rl suede with fairly good results, and have watched the how to video countless times. My question is…when doing the x’s on the 2nd coat, do you completely cover the wall? I do, and my finish is almost to subtle. I have used both light and dark colors, and I thought the dark ones would show more, but was suprised that they did not. The pics on the rl site show more variation, so I must be doing something not quite right.
As a professional painter, I have some very important suggestions. No, I mean requirements. If your going to paint anything, DO THE PROPER PREP. If you’re going to paint over dirt, or lumps, or grease spots, or not prime, or sand, or fill in holes, etc., don’t complain when it comes out not meeting your expectations. I can think of hundreds of jobs I’ve given quotes for where the client questions why it will take so long. “When I painted it, it only took a third of the time you say it’s going to take”, is a classic line I’ve heard many times. “That’s because I take the time to prepare the surface”, is my reply. “That’s why the job you did looks like a monkey-flung poop”, is what I think to myself.
As far as tape goes, use a quality brand. Make sure the tape is down securely before you apply paint. Run your finger down the ENTIRE edge. Loose tape is the ONLY reason that paint seeps under the edge. When painting over it, paint AWAY from the edge. Never towards. This will prevent the paint from being forced under the tape. When pulling the tape, always pull the tape at a 45 degree angle or less, from the surface. And pull slowly to see if it’s going to tear the paint.
Very important! Get quality tools. I’ve seen people apply $75 a gallon paint with a $1 dollar brush. A decent brush may cost you anywhere from $15 to $30 but should last for years and hundreds of projects. Buy a $2 dollar wire brush and a brush spinner and you’ll be able to keep your painting tools clean. You know it’s clean when no more paint comes out as you run it under the faucet. Once cleaned, put the brush back into it’s cardboard sleeve. Any decent brush will come with one.
It may sound stupid but most people don’t even know the proper way to use the tools they buy. Proper use will contribute to the quality of the job as well as the ability to make them last indefinitely.
Make sure you’ve got good lighting. It will help.
Painting. Whenever possible, do not paint out of the paint can. Buy a paint bucket and a liner and they will last forever with proper care. Put a little paint into the bucket. You’re only goint to dip one third of the brush in so you don’t need to fill it up. Once you dip the brush in, tap it once on each side on the side of the bucket. Never drag the brush on the edge of the bucket to scrape off excess paint. This will only remove the paint that you are trying to get onto the brush and will ultimately make a mess of the brush and the bucket. Think of it this way. The brush is like a fountain pen that has a resevoir filled with paint. It’s not like a knife that you use to frost a cake. Get it?
When using a roller and tray, only put enough paint in the tray to fill the bottom. If you’ve covered the grip part of the try you’ve put too much in and you’re going to get uneven coverage on the roller, too much paint on the roller, and you’re going to make a mess. With paint in the tray, roll the roller into just the edge of the paint and pull it back. Use the tray grip (the textured part) to squish the paint into and onto the roller and repeat until the roller is filled with paint. If you can’t lift the roller out of the tray without it dripping all over then you’ve got too much paint on it and you’re going to make a mess. You should never have to press hard when applying paint. If you’re pressing the roller hard against the wall you are not using enough paint and you’re going to get an uneven surface.
Never start a job in the middle of a wall. Go from side to side and complete the wall before moving on. When doing 2 coats (it’s going to take two coats, don’t kid yourself), on the first coat, roll first and then cut in the edges. This will take less time and paint. On the second coat do the opposite. Remember, 2 thin coats is better than one thick coat.
I could go on for days about the subtle techniques I use to acheive the high quality results I get but life calls. I hope the few hints I’ve given here help. I’ll be checking in so feel free to ask questions or comment on my suggestions. I’m always looking for new ways to get better results. Good luck and use a drop-cloth.
Considering using Ralph Lauren Candlelight? Have no fear…you’ll be amazed! Like so many, I saw the Candlelight brochure at Home Depot and was intrigued by the finish. The walls of my living room are traditional oil-based oil glaze. The finish is about 15 years old but people still marvel at the look. I didn’t want to go through the time or fumes to do it in my newly- remodeled dining room and saw Candlelight as a reasonable alternative.
I painted the walls two-tone. Above the chair rail is a light color, below dark. I used both Glidden and Behr paints in an eggshell finish. I allowed the paint about five days to cure. (A guess on my part.) the Candlelight requires the purchase of two specialized rollers. You MIGHT be able to get away with something more conventional but I chose not to cut corners.
Anyone who has worked with artist’s acrylic paints and used Liquitex products will immediately recognize the color and smell of Candlelight. It resembles Liquitex Matt and Gloss Mediums with their distinctive ammonia-like odor.
Before starting the project I viewed the streaming video on the Ralph Lauren Web site…I highly recommend it! It suggested washing the rollers and leaving them damp before using them. Something I otherwise would not have done.
I decided to first apply Candlelight to two facing walls since the adjoining walls needed to be masked. I like the brown craft paper mask with adhesive on just about half the paper.
Applying the Candlelight was easy if you follow the directions. It was a lot thicker than I thought it would be. Pay attention to overlapping. My 13 x 14 room (with two doorways and a double window) used only half the can…a real surprise since it should have consumed the whole can. I was concerned that I was not applying it thickly enough but that was not the case.
It dried to the touch in about an hour in an air-conditioned environment. And what a result! It’s difficult to describe. Under certain lighting conditions you can’t even see it. But at the right angle or, under the reflection of light, it has this metallic opalescent effect. It’s beautiful!
This is not a technique I would want to use in my whole house but I could see it used, besides a dining room, in a bathroom or powder room, formal living room or bedroom.
If you want to contact me for any more information, please feel free at .
Anyone try the RL demin or bright canvas…the directions look similar. One more step to the demin.
Thank you to thelowmax - your suggestions are very helpful.
I would like to do some painting. I am not sure what the walls are covered in - I believe it is a seude or riverrock(?) but they are gritty to touch. I would like to go back to a smooth finish but am unsure how to accomplish this. Any advice?
Glad I found this! Ugh, it’s been five days since the RL Candlelight went up overtop “Palace of Versailles” (dark dark green) and it still looks like glue. I’d done a small test area, and it though it took a full twenty-four hours, it did clear up. Maybe I’ll give the rest of the walls another week. Michelle, did yours *ever* clear up?
I ‘ve been a profession faux finish/mural artist for 20 years….I just had a client request a room done in RL Candlelight …I was intrigued, got the paint and finish, read all instructions, called the company etc. Most of the room turned out beautifully,( the walls that were only 8ft.high) , one wall however (20 ft. long X 12ft. high) looked terrible,….I called the co. again, and was told they don’t recommend this product for walls over 9′……great…..I re-painted and re-finished the whole wall…again…..a little better, but still not great…you can see subtle verticle roller lines, despite treating it the same as the other walls……I am VERY frustrated and not sure what to do with this now……client understands the process,and all , but isn’t exactly thrilled with this wall either……any suggestions????
I painted my room with candelight today and i am really unhappy with the results i didn’t follow the instruction well enough and now i can see the places where i cut in and it dried before it could be blended is there any fixing it?
HELP!
I have applied RL Candelight over Behr paint (mixed to exactly match a RL color featured in the RL Candelight brochure). I did the proper prep work, and for the most part the walls that are complete look very nice (the changing daylight and shadow produce a different look). I do have a problem since I am fairly picky. I do not like the way the cut in at the ceiling looks. I am thinking of going back with a trim pad and re-applying a band of Candlelight, then either using a fairly dry Candlelight roller or using a sponge to take some of the paint off.
Anyone with experience ‘touching up” Candelight walls?
BTW, throughout the house, I need to replace flat ugly doors with raised panel doors. I have other remodeling priorities that have my initital attention, so to spruce up the doors, I used RL Regent Metallics with the correct rollers etc. The results are just amazingly beautiful. I have used several of the colors in differrent rooms and I used one of the Metallics on a wrought iron stair railing — fabu!
In response to Cynthia, I too am a decorative artist and have been for over 20 years. I do a wide variety of faux finishes and had a client who wanted the Candlelight finish. Like you, I read all the instructions and followed everything to the letter. I was painting a 2 story foyer where the lighting was unforgiving. No matter what I did I could still tell where the roller ended. Eventually I had to repaint the foyer and do some grisalle work instead. I have come to the conclusion it is fine to use in smaller areas, but not good for larger ones. I believe this has to do with the drying time. It seems to set up too quickly to get all the way down a long wall and begin starting your next column. I love the appearence of the finish small scale and since I just moved I am going to try it in my bathroom to see how it works. Good luck with your future jobs.-Carol-Ann
I also used Ralph Lauren Regent Metallics to paint my iron stair railing. I think the color I used was called Bronze Statue. I had a tired looking stair railing, nothing special just plain rails, painted white with wood along the top. The Regent Metallic paint looks great, almost like a high-end wrought iron railing with a special finish from the factory. It even made the light wood along the top look more up to date. It was time consuming to paint and did require several coats. I would highly recommend using Regent Metallics for this purpose.
Now I’m thinking of painting a cabinet with Regent Metallics. The instructions on the RL website mention painting furniture. I was wondering if anyone has tried it.
We recently painted our living room/family room RL Suede and we are loving it…
we have wonderful trim in our apt. it is fab…I thought it was going to be difficult after hearing several people complain even a lady at home depot (shopper) told me not to waste my money… Looking at my walls now it is beautiful…
According the color that i chose I also purchaed a primer tinted (a bit lighter) …I asked for the cheapest primer.
after priming the walls I waited then tried the suede…I was a bit scared at first but since it is a faux finshed and not perfect I went at it..
The walls that were not so perfect after my first coat were the ones that looked great.
I am getting ready to paint with the Ralph Lauren suede paint. I don’t really understand how to apply the first coat. Do you paint it on every which way or uniform strokes?? Second coat are the criss cross marks right? Thanks
Hello. Does anyone know (i mean, REALLY know for a fact) if the RL Suede paint can be mixed with some type of gloss? My aunt painted her walls with RL Suede and my uncle HATES it. Everytime I visit, i hear him comment on the paint. He thinks its primer! LOL!
So my aunt asked me if i would help her fix it without spendind more moeny. I was thinking of painting over the walls with a Semi-Gloss paint. Does anyone know what will happen if the Suede Paint is mixed with Semi-Gloss Paint? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
P.S. How does one go about becoming a professional painter? I know the basic principals of painting and the basics on colors but what are the requirements to paint for a living?
Ralph Lauren Candlelight - Want to use in my powder room. Applied RL mademoiselle, but am worried now about applying the candlelight topcoat because of the small room w/window, doorway, etc. and trying to do the x’s correctly in small areas.
Any suggestions?
I have now used RL Regent Metallics to paint my stair rails and my master bath vanity. I used Silver Plate on the vanity and then lightly rolled a little of Great Hall Cream on top. It looks great! I would highly recommend using the Regent Metallics. I am now thinking of using RL Candlelight in my powder room and am wondering as the previous posted asked about correctly applying it around the door opening and other small areas. Does anyone have experience with this?