Review on Rust-Oleum Specialty Dry Erase Brush-On Paint Kit - White for Enhanced SEO by Keith Leach

After reading the reviews on this product, it was scary to use but I really wanted a dry erase wall. So I called Rust-Oleum customer service and asked them a series of questions based on the reviews I had read about Revain. Here's what I learned to get this product working.1. The number one reason for product failure is expired product. End of the story. This paint has a shelf life of only one year from the date of manufacture. To determine the date of manufacture, look at the number printed on the bottom of a large jar. Let's say it says 83219R there. The rep told me to ignore the first and last number and look at the one in the middle. This color must be done on February 19, 2013 (first the year, then the month, then the day). If more than a year has passed since manufacture, send it back as it will fail. I realize this is at odds with another excellent review that says to look at the last number on the bottom of the tin. Perhaps Rust-Oleum has changed their numbering system and may do so again. If in doubt, call. I wouldn't buy this product online either as you can't inspect the jars in person (sorry Revain). The first cans I bought from Home Depot were actually expired, and when I traded them in for a newer product, Home Depot put my expired cans back on the shelf and pretty much ignored what I said. So some other poor guy will have a wall from hell that can be washed dry. I would recommend checking each can before buying, period. You can call Michelangelo and raise yourself from the dead to paint your wall, but when the product is expired, it sucks, no matter who uses it.2. The second reason for failure is using the product for too long after mixing. It's only good for 60 minutes after mixing two doses. Period. If you start getting lumps, bumps or whatever, it's been too long and will fail. Don't hang that on the wall, call Rust-Oleum and throw a tantrum. I used a disposable paint tray and cut it in last so the freshest paint was applied to most of the wall. I threw away the disposable tray when I applied the second coat to keep produce older than an hour from mixing with fresh produce. The fresher the better. It seemed to work very well.3. Rust-Oleum says two coats is enough. I do not agree. When I applied two coats to the wall it became apparent that the opacity was uneven so I applied a third coat. This seemed to work. A fourth probably wouldn't hurt either, but I was honestly sick and tired of the whole saga and figured three was enough. So far so good.4. Use the videos they recommend. If you don't do this, you will end up with blisters, sticky drips, etc. When using the recommended roles, everything went exactly as described. I got the wrong roller when I came back for the third shift and had to redo it with a foam brush to get rid of the bubbles - exhausting to say the least but I deserved that I took the shortcut. So follow the instructions.5. Once dry, use the recommended markers - no faint odor! We used traditional expo markers and they were fine. Exposure remover is also useful for a full clean, simply erasing it leaves a faint stain. My 8 year old is a great wall cleaner and the fact that he does some cleaning is wonder enough to give him a positive review. There is no need to sand, sand or otherwise remodel the wall before painting. (See previous comment on Michelangelo.) I simply painted the wall with a good primer and applied dry erase paint over it. Your wall may be as smooth as a child's back, but if your paint is old your writing won't rub off and you'll get mad and come to Revain to write a scathing review. You don't have to kill yourself with repairs to make it work! After the wall hardened, we tried drawing on it and everything worked. My son draws superheroes to his heart's content without the clutter of a chalkboard. They are beautifully erased and he moves on to the next topic. So good luck! I gave this product four stars because I think Rust-Oleum needs to take a serious look at their packaging and consumer education. It should clearly state how you can tell if your product has expired. It is not a fast selling product so it is likely that the items on your store shelf have expired and the product will get a bad rap because of people using old paint. They also need to train their front-end staff (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) to recover old kits so more people have a successful fresh kit experience. You should also emphasize that old paint (more than an hour old) should not be mixed with new paint. So do not pour the new mixture into the old bowl with the leftovers from the previous set. It's harder than chalk paint and their packaging and instructions should reflect that, but they don't. So yes, we have a totally cool dry erase screen, but I practically had to get a master's degree in dry erase research to guarantee that. Was successful. It pays to plan ahead and make sure you're getting the right product and using it as intended. Much luck! ****UPDATE**** On 1/28/2015 there were very few issues with it. If you leave something for a long time, it is not easy to erase with an eraser, but easily removed with an Expo or Windex cleaner. Different colors of markers are harder to wash off, like purple, but Windex removes everything, so it's not a problem. I am very happy with this purchase. No stains, looks fantastic. UPDATE FEBRUARY 2016 Here is a photo two years later. Any stains can be removed with Expo Cleaner or Windex. It looks a bit yellow because I took the photo after dark. I'm honestly very happy with it! LAST UPDATE AUGUST 2020 This year we finally decided to dry erase the wall! It has served us well, although hairline cracks have appeared on its surface in the last two or three years. However, they didn't seem to alter the wall's ability to wear away at all. She played very well until the end! To paint the wall, we first had to sand it down with a grinder. Luckily my son is old enough to renovate his own house and that was his job. It took him about a day to do this because the surface of the wall was difficult to break through and I don't think the paint would have stuck to the surface without prep. After he scratched the wall we covered it with putty to ensure the scratches were completely covered and again we had a porous surface for paint to adhere to. I've added photos of this (very dusty) process to the gallery. Then we painted with a mixture of paint and primer from Behr. It looks really good! I am sad that it is showing its age due to the dry erase wall and can definitely say it was a very good investment. I have a photo of my son in front of what used to be a drywall. This is a wall behind a computer desk, it turned out beautifully, there are no problems with paint sticking. Good luck to you all and thanks for all the votes over the years!