Painting - Red Paint

I painted my bathroom walls a Victorian Red. The first coat went on patchy with brush strokes. I have put on 2 more coats and the patches still come through. Is there help for this beyond starting over??!!

What paint are you using? Red is a difficult color, especially if you're using low end paint.

if you did not prime with a gray colored primer or you are not using a paint that has a red base for a tint base, expect about 5-6 coats to get your color. Many reds use a lot of a bright red colorant, this give little hide to the paint. even the good brands have this issue with reds.

If you use a gray primer, then you should only need 2 coats.
If you use a product, like P&L Accolade, that uses a red base for the color then you should only need about 2 coats. The red base is similar to other neutral base colors, expect it has different red pigments in it to help with hide.

The reason you are getting poor hide is simple, the base used to tint the color has very little Titanium Dioxide (a white) in it. This is what gives you hide. the more you have the better the paint is for hiding. the next item that helps with hide is the colorants. Earthtone colorants, Yellow Oxide, Red Oxide, Umber, ect help add hide to the color, but they also muddy the color. So you can get colors that cover in one coat with a neutral base, but rarely is it the bright or deep colors like red because they do not use said colorants. Finially, some paint manufactures make the neutral bases differently to gain some characteristics (hiding and durability) but they should still recommend a gray primer under red. these other bases are also ussuallly expensive.

Hi SadieMae
Welcome to the forums

That would be about right with "Victorian Red" I'm afraid

And yes, it could take 4 more coats to get it looking good

Red is one of the toughest colors
Your "Victorian Red" one of the toughest of the bunch

I'd recommend a premium specialty paint tinted to your color for your next coat(s)

I know Sherwin Williams Deep Colors (sometimes called Deep Accents) would cover in two coats
As described by bclacquer, I wouldn't be surprised if Pratt & Lambert's Accolade also did the trick

As you already have so much red on there, these might need only one more coat
-it depends on what's on there, and your technique and tools

Which brings me to another point
The other causes of blotchyness, uneven coverage, and brush strokes (aside from inferior material), are tools and technique
Bu sure to use quality brushes and roller sleeves, and remember to lay the paint down...apply it...not squeeze it out of the roller

These are especially important with tough colors like reds
I'd recommend Purdy or Corona brushes (from the paint store, they are not de-spec'd like at the big boxes)
And at minimum a Purdy White Dove roller sleeve, a 50/50 poly/wool or all wool would be even better
I'd recommend a 1/2" nap (but a 3/8" could be OK if it's a quality one)

You didn't use red kool-aide to color the paint by chance did you? That could be a problem.

Seriously, sounds like a primer issue. Your topcot has very poor hiding. To get the rich red, you sacifice coverage. All of the "hide" is taken out to make room for the color. The white coverage would simply muddy the color.

At this point, you MAY get coverage with another coat, but it may actually be better to use the correct primer and topcoat again. Sanding any rough spots will help.

Do get a better paint, avoiding the paints from a big box.

Quality brushes and rollers make a huge difference. They hold more paint and release that paint to the wall better than cheap tools.

Keep a wet edge and don't over roll. Only do one wall at a time. If you have help, one can do the edgeing along the ceiling and baseboards while the other rolls. A roller of paint is good for no more than one roller width up and done.