Dulux not covering felt tip pen - what to do?

[alasia]

Ok first of all apologies for the strangely worded title but my brain is fried - combination of two under-5's, being 39 weeks + 5 days pregnant and STRESS has mangled my brain! :)

So - we live in a privately rented house with magnolia-painted walls (landlord painted it, not my choice). About a week ago, my lovely ahem children decided to draw on the walls. Not just one wall, mind; there are now 4-foot wide scribbles at preschooler height along one kitchen wall, through to the stairs, up the stairs (both walls), the landing wall and a few scribbles in my bedroom and their room for good measure.
This was all done in 10 minutes while I 'trusted' my eldest (age 4) who I thought was drawing in the next room - I thought he was sitting at the dining room table as I could hear him proudly chatting about drawing 'wavy lines' and 'zigzags' - and in dark blue and bright pink felt tips and red wax crayon (courtesy of my 3 year old).

So anyway as I'd recently painted over the walls with dulux paintpod paint (still magnolia) I was upset, annoyed, in tears...etc etc. And everywhere had sold out of the paintpod paint so I bought 'normal' dulux emulsion - thinking that as it was also magnolia it would be the same shade as the paintpod paint (wrong) and as it was dulux, it would cover the marks (wrong again!)

This £16 pot of paint has done nothing apart from make my walls look WORSE, as it's a whole SHADE darker than the paintpod paint - no idea how or why, but it's not even slightly covering the pen marks and they're all still soaking through the paint after the third coat.

What do I do now? If anyone has a miracle felt-pen removing idea I can use on the marks I haven't tried to paint over, or recommendations for a decent paint that will cover over it I'd be eternally grateful, as my third baby is due in 2 days and I don't want to bring him home to a tip of a house :(

Alternatively, does anyone have any ideas for a colour paint that is similar to magnolia so as not to annoy the landlord too much, but darker so it'll cover the marks more easily? I have no idea when it comes to colour schemes and all these off-whites, coffees and lily-whites confuse me :/

Sorry this is an epic-length post, any help appreciated.

you need to get some stain block spray

I have got felt tip pen off a magnolia wall with jif. The old fashioned liquid kind MIT the spray sort.

Firstly, relaaaaaax ... It's not the end of the world, even though I know it feels like it. I have a 9wo DD and remember the intensity of wanting everything perfect.

Secondly, my Auntie Joan is a nutball. She buys my sister and I the weirdest presents. For my birthday she got me one of these:

www.jmldirect.com/Doktor-Power-Magic-Eraser-PD0516

And I think, as a mother of a grubby 7yo DS as well, its amazing. You can get them in Asda and Boots I think. Go get, and then relax! And good luck with the baby :)

Stain blocking undercoat.

I don't think any kind of eraser will work as the pen has been painted over. It is in the paint now.

I would contact the landlord and let them know that you're trying to rectify a problem and see if they have any suggestions.

We've used an oil-based undercoat then emulsion over the top to cover over marker pen successfully.

Have you try washing first? baby wipes usually get most felt and wax crayon out, without stripping the paint.
Too late for the already painted wall, I have no idea for that one. Nothing will be dark enough unless you use the colour of the pens. May be wash the paint away if it wasn't a water resistant one? you can find soap for walls in most B&Q, you usually wash the walls before painting them.
Also you can try to sand the places where the felts show on your freshly paint wall and try another layer.
good luck

You will have to use stain blocker - then let it dry 24 hours and then paint over it again

As other posters have said, you can by a stain block paint for this sort of thing. I've got a spray but you can gets it as a brush on paint as well. It's much thicker than emulsion and won't let anything show through. Once it's dried you just paint over.

It sounds daft, but hairspray and a cloth is brill. It works on perm marker pens on whiteboards

Just make sure you test a small bit first

Hth

This or similar.

I would lightly rub sandpaper on it to try and remove the marker pen.

Ooh, thanks for all the suggestions - whoever said no paint will be dark enough apart from the pen-colour panicked me a bit though; I don't want dark blue walls! Hehe.

I've tried baby wipes, washing up liquid, things like that; I'll have a looks for the stain blocker stuff though - although that sounds very expensive ;)

My children are never having pens again...lol - oh and I know I sounded overtly upset considering to some, it's 'just' scribbles - but you should see it! There are face-looking circly things, lines, zigzags, and they're everywhere and HUGE! Even the guy that came to fix the phoneline the other day went "OMG!" as soon as he saw it...

will try some of the suggestions, thanks again :)