My husband and I painted our kitchen red and had similar problems! First, did you use a primer? If not, you may need to start over with a primer...or keep going with more red coats. If you did use a primer, was it the right color (and not just white)? We had to use a battleship gray underneath our brick red color, and then four coats of red on top of that. I strongly suggest doing red in full coats. I know it's a pain, but our red streaked really bad when we painted only sections, which required us to start over with the primer again (cheap paint was also the culprit...we quickly learned that you get what you pay for). As for sponging on the last coat, it's a good idea, but just remember that it will give your wall a different finish. If you're not looking for a smooth coat look...go for it!