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How Do I Store My Leftover Paint?

How Do I Store My Leftover Paint?

When you finish a painting project, there is paint leftover to store. This isn't a bad thing, since it is likely you'll want paint for touch-ups or matching for painting another room. The key to storing leftover paint is to limit air exposure, since evaporation is how paint dries and becomes unusable.

In order to keep your leftover paint from drying, always cover the can unless you are actively using it. Be careful not to get the rim full of paint, as that can prevent it from sealing properly. Once you have used at least a quarter of the can, there begins to be a good amount of air inside it, even when closed. Use a clean plastic bag and lay it flat on the open can, then gently and evenly push it down until it contacts the paint. Now put on the lid over the plastic. This way there is a barrier between the surface of the paint and the air in the can.

Another option, especially if there is not much paint left in the can, is to pour it into a different plastic container. Anything with a lid will do -- tupperware, water bottles, yogurt containers... just don't confuse the leftover paint with your leftover dinner and stick it in the microwave! Use the container that will hold the paint adequately but minimize the amount of air. When you transfer the paint to another container, it is critical that you label the new container. Take some tape and write the type of paint, color, and codes, so that you can order more in the future. It is also helpful to include on the label what room or exterior area that paint was used.

Brooks Painting is one of Davis/Woodland/Sacramento’s leading painting contractors. We provide both residential and commercial painting. We happily provide free estimates.

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We would recommend them highly. [They] painted and did a good job. Kept everything clean and cleaned up after, very polite.

Muriel Y.

Great job in every way- quality of work to customer service.

Debbie M.

Brooks Panting Inc. just finished painting the exterior of our house. The crew did a terrific job. The house is a mid century modern with redwood paneling and an unusual amount of trim work. The Brooks crew was efficient, the quality of the painting was exceptional and the work was completed on time! Because of the age of the house several panels needed to be replaced. Brooks had the expertise to closely match the new paneling with the old paneling. I would not hesitate to recommend this company. They are professionals!

Daniel Dykstra
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Brooks did a fantastic job on our exterior and interior paint jobs. Quality was high, price was reasonable, and the team was extremely professional and detail-oriented. Mark was our crew lead and the team performed a number of exterior wood repairs, a door re-stain, interior and exterior painting. Mark clearly takes a lot of pride in his work and went above and beyond to ensure the work was high-quality, including finding exact matching siding to fix dry rot, and performing minor repairs that weren't even included in the quote. He and the team were all consistently positive and personable, joking with each other throughout the day, while also genuinely complimenting each other on the quality of their work. It was great to see, and that positivity definitely showed through the work they did. We couldn't be happier with the end result.

Ryan Schauland
Google

What a difference!! We hired Brooks Painting to do both an interior refresh painting and a completely new exterior color. Everything was handled professionally and as promised. The team, from estimator to office to painters on site, was responsive, friendly and skilled. Brooks Painting is the most reliable contractor we have ever hired. Thank you Jeremy, Dan, Israel, and Kristen.

Joie Watson
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My house is so beautiful now…great work. Courteous, prompt, awesome work.

Lisa H.

We are long time happy customers with many positive experiences with Brooks Painting. We have appreciated the assistance (and patience) with selecting paint colors, the professionalism of the staff and the high quality of workmanship. We recently had some interior painting done and the crew was on time, neat, careful inside the house and very easy to work with. They also cheerfully handled some unexpected drywall repair. I highly recommend Brooks Painting.

Teri Greenfield
Google

Consummate professionals! We hired Brooks to repaint the exterior of our house, and they did a fantastic job. The paint looks wonderful, everyone was also on time, friendly, and respectful of our property. Exceptional communication through the entire process. I was worried about damage to the landscaping near the house (bad previous experience with another outfit), but they were all very understanding and the crew was super careful. Did what they said they would do with no weirdness, no smoking, no radio, and they cleaned up after themselves nicely. This picky customer is very happy!

Lisa Goodin
Google

Brooks Painting gets in gets it done and out! Quality job, great price. Touch base daily with a report on progress of job. It's important to have confidence in a company that works for you. Brooks is that company.

Jeff Allbright, Nugget Markets Corp.

We chose Brooks Painting based on their excellent reputation. It was an excellent choice! We had them do a complete exterior and almost complete interior painting of our two story house. They were done separately, while we were out of town. We are very pleased with the quality of the work. They even fixed up a few mistakes made by a crew that painted a portion of our interior ceilings a month prior (removal of asbestos popcorn ceiling), at no extra charge. Cleanup was great, also. They repaired some dry rot that was uncovered (extra charge, but worth it), and they even moved furniture back into place as well as put back the curtain rods that I had taken down, which wasn't expected. I highly recommend them, and will use them again for any future paint jobs.

Charlie Russell
Google

Very professional. Painters were very accommodating on the little things.

Claude V., Dixon

Brooks Painting painted our home in Sacramento in March of 2022. Tim did a great job power washing our home. Corey, Flint, and Kristen were very helpful in the bid and. planning. process. The painting crew was excellent. Arrived on time each day and the project was finished in 5 days as promised. All worked very hard.

M Hawkins

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