lorraine, about the only thing you can do at this point is like Samantha(Bewitched), blink your nose and say, "Abra-Cadabra This wall is now SPRAYED." Sorry, that was a little humor from me. This is one website and instructions that just make me sick. They are so good about filling customers full of this & that "knowing all along this souped up semi-gloss paint" is going to show roller marks. The only way to get a mirror like finish is going to need to be sprayed. Also notice how they show the instructions (which is a joke in itself); there is either a 7' man painting an 8' wall or the opposite a tall female . No ladders around, not even a step ladder- why - because they have the tall giraffes already there. Just for the record I hope no one gets offended by my observations on the Ralph line. I just think customers really should understand some of the mishaps that are going to happen and this is just one of the classics. The candlelight ain't no better . Sounds like your painter has used the floppy moppy rollers and ideally that is the general purpose of these rollers is to camouflage the visual tracks. So if your painter is game and wants to give it another go, there are a few things that might help you. Have him/her to get a size 3 or 4" (better 4")soft color wash brush. When your painter has rolled out two sections, take the soft brush and lightly do soft x's to blend out where each roller track ended. Other tools that could be used also are very soft natural wool sea sponges or woolie to tap out the demarcation lines or the use of a very soft badger brush. Another MOA is to use one of the covered ends whizz roller and do soft upward criss/crosses for the technique. Roll and lift the roller and roll in different directions. This is a great roller for dutch rolling at the ceiling line and for baseboards and corners as well. Another good tip is to always try and start with a base color as close to the finish color you have selected. Keep the paint stirred often because what particles are in there has a tendency to settle. You want your painter to roll in one direction and don't cross the micas with the roller ; this is causing the tracks. A true metallic paint will have smaller mica particles and when rolled they line up with each other the way the the little particulates should. The only thing I like about the RL metallics are the colors. They are really nice. I much prefer MM metallics or Blue Pearl. They are so much easier to work with. Another thing I would like to point out, excess air or extreme hot temps is going to be the worst enemy to trying to work with metallics. So watch how your air is flowing or excessive heat. I hope it all turns out great for you. :) Wow Faron, that was a lot of River Rock.

I forgot about this thread! Paintgal... Is your RL "Merlot"-color a Flat? DEEP tones in many Flats will burnish fairly easily. Reason: There's SO MUCH pigment relative to the "coarser" binder-resin that's inherent to a "Flat" paint. Paints with more of a sheen resist this better. >>> I'm assuming it's been dry/cured for some time??? RedB... >>> Make sure you let your paint cure a day or so b4 a load of steam hits it!! >>> What sheen did you get?? >>> FULL cure for washing is 1 MONTH. I know Decorpas post was over a yr. ago, but we've NEVER had THAT complaint!!! ...but then again...we're using the ACTUAL RL paint/ACE formulas...not getting it matched down into Super-spec or something...like some painters feel the need to do... >>> Our RL colors are spot-on! >>> Many customers need to make sure they SPECIFY the ACTUAL BRAND APPLIED in their painting contracts...IF that's what they desire. >>> Then there's no doubt about the colors/result. >>> If colors or tones seem off...it's NOT the store's fault. It's usually a contractor who just took a liberty to match into "their preferred paint"... I've heard this statement b4... "We applied the color they wanted & it looks off..." We dug a little deeper, and lo and behold...it wasn't actual RL paint used! (I wonder why I have "some" gray hair...;-)) Faron

I've used it in my dining room, and really like it. It's subtle but adds interesting effects which vary depending on the light. I also saw mixed reviews but decided to jump in anyway. We put it on one accent wall over a light blue/aqua (it gave it a much more sophisticated look than when the blue paint alone was there). I would do it again. That said - here are the caveats... I think it would be tough to get a good result in a bathroom where you need to cut it in around a lot of detail (it's kind of sloppy to apply, and the criss-cross application with the roller seems it would be tough to achieve in a small space). Our dining wall was perfect because it was essentially a big blank canvas and this was a good backdrop for art. It leaves a slight 'milkiness' even when dry, which is fine on light colors but would probably look uneven on dark. Anyway, I had good luck with it in my situation. Like you said, you can always paint over it...it does leave a slight texture though so if your walls are smooth this would still likely show even if painted over.

There's some emulsion/slight texture to candleight, but it's not like heavy texture. It's actually just rolled on and then you basically do a general x pattern over your rolled on strip with what others call a rough roller and Ralph calls a $25 "application roller". http://rlhome.polo.com/rlhome/products/paint/candlelight_howto.asp?step=11 LOL I haven't actually done candlelight, but I've done denim, linin and river rock in an old place of ours. Did Seude in the office of my current place. I really liked river rock and seude casts a nice glow. (random shot attached)--there's a white sofa with 10,000 & 1 pleats covered in plastic under the mirror. ;-) On a serious note, make sure you have enough paint and work fast because if you allow the edge to dry, any of these techniques can become a total mess.