How do you touch up Ralph Lauren suede paint?

Here’s a question we received via Myspace:

Hi,
I repainted a dresser a few years ago with paint I purchased at Home Depot that I thought was Ralph Lauren suede. It has looked great, but now needs touchup. How do I do this? Do I have to strip the whole thing and repaint? Can I paint over what I have? I remember a 2 step procedure with a base coat and a glaze? Help!
Debbie

As I have personally never opened a can of RL paint, I shall have to consult Those Who Have Gone There and Done That. I will report back here with my findings.

Meanwhile, if any of you fix chicks have experience with this, feel free to comment away!

Ralph Lauren River Rock Paint Notes

The Fix Chicks have received lots of mail about Ralph Lauren River Rock paint. In fact, that’s the ONLY Ralph Lauren paint we get email about, even though we feature a room done using their Suede textured paint. See the original article and additional comments here.

We’d like to thank Eric, who wrote in about a River Rock paint application solution that he and his wife, Erin, came up with.

Dear Fix Chicks:

My wife and I found your website after we destroyed our kitchen walls with Ralph Lauren River Rock, we had roller marks all over. Feeling confident with your hints I went over the walls again, still with no luck of having a finish we could both live with. So as a last resort we purchased a Wagner Power Painter and went over the walls yet again touching up the walls we were unhappy with. A third coat turned out great. The living room was next, we were kind of shy about doing the living room, but having invested in 3 gallons of Sandstone we hated not to use it. After the Power Painters’ second coat our living room looks great.

How we did it is we took workable sections and sprayed from left to right trying to coat the wall evenly without streaking and blending the next section. Try to maintain the same distance as you go. It still looked kind of streaky so the second coat we went from top to bottom, bottom to top to blend in the streaks. The first coat was dry by the time I was ready to start the second coat. Both coats took about 3 hours, but the prep time of masking off the room took about 2 hours. Take your time masking off the room and drop cloth the entire room; the paint and sand fleck will be everywhere. For safety wear a painting mask with plenty of ventilation. The living room was a breeze compared to the kitchen and worth the purchase of the paint.

Thanks for sharing Eric! Your shiny, happy Fix Chicks mug is on the way!

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My name is NOT Ralph

Next time you’re bored, go to Google and type in “ralph lauren paint.” Yep, we’re usually near the top under that topic. Why? Because we wrote a couple of articles about the RL Paints we used successfully, and we keep a message board specifically devoted to that paint and the topics and problems associated with it. The odd thing is the number of folks who seem to think that we, the Fix Chicks, ARE Ralph Lauren. Truth be told, I have no idea if there even IS a real Ralph Lauren. Have you ever seen him? I haven’t. And besides, I think he was supposed to be a clothing designer. How his name got stuck on a can of paint, I don’t know.

Guys and gals, let’s put this in perspective - first of all it’s only paint. If you don’t like it, paint over it. It’s not PLAIN paint - it requires technique and patience to apply, but it’s not real texure. If you think you got ripped off, talk to the paint store where you bought the paint - perhaps they’ll be willing to exchange it for regular paint. If you’re really PO’d about it, call the customer service number on the paint can and ask for Ralph… I dare ya.

My Walls are Suede

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!