Now that your painting project is done and you have a beautiful home, what happens with your leftover paint? Your painter should be leaving you with extra paint for any future touch-up that you may need to do. 

How do you know what cans are for what areas? Sadly, many homeowners don’t know what to do with their leftover paint. Here are a few tips for leftover paint:

-  Make Sure It Is Sealed

You want to make sure the lids are nice and tight.  If they are ajar, put a towel over the lid and use a hammer to tap it shut tightly.  Air is the enemy of paint, and will quickly dry it out and make it unusable.

- Label It

If you have hired a professional company, they label each can by the area that it goes.  If you did it yourself, use some tape and a sharpie to label the can.  For example: exterior trim, exterior siding, or front door.  There is nothing more frustrating than going to get the paint can for touch-up and using the wrong paint. 

- Where Do I Store It?

If you have an indoor cabinet or closet, that is best. The garage is the next best place.  You want to avoid outdoor storage since temperature swings can make the paint go bad.  You want to avoid extreme temperatures.

- Keep If Off The Concrete

Not only does the temperature matter, but how you store it does too.  Avoid having it directly on the concrete, as moisture transmission can happen.  This will cause the cans to rust and make the paint go bad inside the can.  

If you have old paint that you no longer need or it has gone bad, there are many ways to dispose of paint.  In California, we have a paint care program that allows you to recycle your paint for free.  Most paint stores have recycled boxes that you can take your old paint to, or your county landfill also does.  If you don’t know if your paint is any good, open it up and smell it.  If it smells like rotten eggs, it is bad. 

If you have any painting needs or questions, please call Brooks Painting for all your Sacramento area projects!