Reply
Sat 21 Aug, 2004 06:29 pm
Ralph Lauren paint is the worst paint I have ever used (although they have the best color selection I've seen). I would just use Ralph color swatches and use any paint companies "colormatch" machine to copy the color.
I painted a bathroom that is NEVER used in a RED with 4 coats and waited 3 months with an eggshell finish (I have no problem with the amount of coats or primer I had to use, I expected this with Red.) You could still wipe the paint off with a slightly damp cloth: Even 8 months later.....
I then received the consumer report that rated Ralph as one of the worst for scrubability and washibility. They said it tended to come off even in higher glosses....the whole idea of Eggshell and Satin paint is that they are supposed to be washable.
Consumer Report rated Behr and Lowe's brand as the highest and "best buys" and EXCELLENT even in FLAT! for scrubability. I went back to Home Depot and they said, Ralph was know for color match and style and NOT durability (it was made by Glidden). They Recommended I Colormatch the Ralph paint to Behr and go over it again with another coat to "seal" it.
I did this and it worked (it no longer rubs off any red) but why is Ralph $8 more dollars a can for a powder "whitewash" finish that rubs off easily with an EGGSHELL finish???
Why is Behr....a better paint at less cost? And why didn't I know you could color match anyting to Behr paint? Or to the Lowes paint also (they color match too...)
I would only use the RL swatches and have them color matched. My experience with Ralph Lauren paint is that it is meant to be looked and not touched. When I called the RL hotline they told me and I quote: " Lauren paint is not meant for people with pets, children and room that you use a great deal; also you should wash them down at all." Is that crazy!!
Wasn't this women describing most of the country??? Who would use this paint then? A museum???
I have pets and kids and most of my house is painted with RL paints - but I like things to look a little worn.
Multiple layers is not an issue for me either because wall painting is my meditation. Sometimes I use color over color over color to get the effect I want.
I don't like flat color - which is what you get with most paints.
I do confess to doing a lot of touching up, though. I also change pictures around a lot so I have to cover up holes - a great excuse to touch up scrapes and scars.
I guess its all based on personal preference.
I've at least looked hard at a Lauren color, when we were choosing a sludge color for our gallery walls.
We choose a slightly lighter sludge from Benjamin Moore,
still my favorite paints re both color and paint.
Ralph Lauren Paint: Poor Quality & Coverage - Color Match Only.
I couldn't agree more that the quality of Ralph Lauren paint is poor. I used to paint professionally until a little over 10 years ago and always used Benjamin Moore. When Consumer Reports came out with ratings listing Walmart Color Place as #1 (or at least very high - can't remember - it was a while ago! and yes, I know Color Place has dropped in the ratings since) I gave my customers the choice of BM or Color Place. The Color Place was so easy to apply, had great coverage and was a great price. Last week I started painting all of the interior walls of our 10 year old house. Now remember, I was a professional painter so even though my house is just 10 years old and the walls were in great shape, I did all the right prep before paint touched the walls. I was planning on color matching the RL color I'd chosen to the Behr paint but I started with just a quart of the first color I was using (wanted to make sure we liked the color) and the price difference was just a few dollars so I went with the RL paint. We chose "Kauwai" as the color which is a greyish green and I was painting over BM linen white so I was planning on needing a couple of coats. What I wasn't planning on was the poor coverage, streaks and brush marks. I NEVER experienced this with BM or the Color Place. First I was using a 3/8" nap roller (Purdy - high quality) and then switched to a 1/2" nap even though the walls were in excellent condition and were very smooth. The 1/2" nap improved coverage slightly but only enough to make it slightly better than poor. Coverage was still was uneven, left roller streaks and brush strokes ( I use only Purdy very high quality. ) So going forward and for the rest of the house I will color match to either Kilz satin (@ Walmart -rated #1 by CR but haven't used yet) or Behr Premium Plus.
I have never used RL paint, but I love their colours. I always by Benji. Great paint!
@Mame,
my home depot paint department refuses to change ralph lauren swatches into behr paint.
I moved in Sept 2007 and the van had to take my furniture ahead of me. I arrived to find everything in place. When I opened the kitchen (back) door, I was face to face with my china cabinet which tilted so severely to the left that the doors would not close.
Although the walls of the kitchen were yellow (the previous owner is a blonde, probably a "summer" in color me beautiful terms, while I am a winter), not a color I find easy to live with in huge swatches, I hadn't intended to paint it first. However, since my little cabinet (prob 36" w) needed serious shimming, I decided to paint the kitchen first. I went to the hardware store down the road, the first paint selling place I was aware of where Glidden is sold.
I used dark colors . . . French blue for most of the kitchen with a very dark shade (passes for navy) on a sort of addition made from what had been a porch. I started with gloss. This midnight blue color looked horrible in gloss on the walls, despite being in a contained area about 5' x 11'6". I finished a coat in the gloss then switched to matte. It washes well.
I am using Benjamin Moore's historic colors in the dining room and used BM's Aria in the living room. Have not had to wash the living room. But did not prime so the much repaired 100 year old walls soaked up paint.
BTW, most of the house was painted yellow.
@plainoldme,
Most of my house is painted in yellow and orange - but I live in southern California, that somehow gives us a free crazy ticket
Benjamin Moore is the best there is.
@CalamityJane,
I hope you don't think my non-use of yellow is something personal, aimed at you. After all, how would I know that your house is yellow and orange? I can not wear yellow and don't use it for decorating. My former husband insisted on lots of yellow because he had red/green color blindness. He would actually destroy things of mine if he thought the color was something he didn't like.
@plainoldme,
Oh no, POM, I didn't think you aimed that at me, not at all. We all have
different tastes in colors, I just had mentioned my color scheme
@boomerang,
R U KIDDING? I wouldn't use behr paint if it was the only paint available! I don't know what you do with your walls, but if you need to scrub them maybe you need to spend more time parenting your kids! I have ONLY used RL paints and will continue to do so...personally I rate a paint based on ease of application, color selection, overall finished appearance. I agree that RL paint does rub off when scrubbing however so do most paints! I'll say this, I typically paint my house every 2-4 years and I have tried other paints (behr being one of them) only to find I need multiple coats of any other paint to each single coat of RL. If I get a mark on a wall, I will touch it up with a bit of paint which blends seamlessly with previously painted walls (RL only). I once needed 9 coats of behr paint to cover a darkly painted wall...it took soo much time that I gave up and purchased some RL which covered the same wall with 2 coats! My time is worth too much to use anything else!
@5 mins for fighting,
That's fine but I don't think many people paint their houses every two to four years! Heavens! It took almost a month to paint the living room! stenciling was a snap compared to the painting.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace