How to store touchup paint for future long-term usage? (Home Depot, conditioner, painting)

[unknown00]

I need to touch up and repaint some areas of my house. Nothing major nor big, just touchups. It is going to be put on drywall + moldings inside the house. I have cans of paint but will barely use any of it. How do I store paint the for future long-term usage? I want to be able to reuse the same paint in like 5 years for more touchups

Not sure if it matters, but the paint is Sherwin-Williams Kwal paint

[kab0906]

I used to keep extra small amounts of paint in mason jars. The secret was to use plastic wrap to keep the paint from touching the metal lid.

However, if you don't keep it away from extreme temperatures it'll spoil anyway.

[unknown00]

Originally Posted by kab0906

I used to keep extra small amounts of paint in mason jars. The secret was to use plastic wrap to keep the paint from touching the metal lid.

However, if you don't keep it away from extreme temperatures it'll spoil anyway.

Can I not keep it in the can it is originally in?

[JustMike77]

I have had some success in bringing old paint back to life with paint conditioners. Since I only use Behr paint from Home Depot, it's nice to know that if they EVER sold it, they have the formula to make up a fresh batch. I did that recently and it was a perfect match though they had stopped selling it years ago.

[Brian_M]

Paint oxidizes, so you want to keep it in the Smallest container possible. Baring that, cover it with cling film, right on the surface. You also want to keep it from freezing (and probably 100+ degree temps too), so in the house.

Regardless, paint doesn't keep for very long in the grand scheme. Probably should have bought pints instead of gallons (or maybe you did?)

[davebarnes]

I find these containers to work well.

Eat the peanuts first.

[kab0906]

Originally Posted by unknown00

Can I not keep it in the can it is originally in?

Tin cans will rust and this ruins the paint. I prefer glass jars for small amounts.

[Seguinite]

Originally Posted by unknown00

Can I not keep it in the can it is originally in?

I've kept partially full (empty?) cans for years in a pantry closet. Stirred up again they're fine for touchup. When painting a room originally, I always put the lid back on tightly every time it's open to fill the roller pan or plastic bucket if I'm brushing.

[LIcenter]

What you want to achieve is, the least amount of air in the container you are storing the paint in. Anyone here make jam, or jelly? Same idea, the paraffin is there to void the air to insure longevity of the product. The more air, the shorter the shelf life.

[Briolat21]

I agree that having a minimal headspace (the air gap between the surface of the paint and the lid of the container) will contribute to paint longevity. That said, we tend to buy a lot of paint in 5gallon plastic buckets (we only buy paint when its on sale, usually because someone else had an "oops". Likely because it's a plastic container, we've never had an issue stirring the paint up YEARS later, and it being fine. In fact I just painted a bathroom with paint we moved down here from our previous house - 9 years ago. The 5 gallon was about half full, and the paint went on and cured beautifully. So I think the type of container is even more important perhaps than how full the container is.

A lot of the new paint cans have a plastic film liner in them - I'm certain that helps with longevity.

For "touchups" we bought a Rubbermaid product years ago that was the "paint buddy". Small Tupperware like tube with a tiny 1" roller on the end. The paint in the tube stayed fresh, and you could use for a quick touch up. Unfortunately they didn't sell well and they ended the product. We bought about 6 of them (clearanced out) and so for most of our house we can just grab the appropriate paint buddy to touch up a small nail or screw hole or whatever.