HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER PAINT

I love paint colors. My garage has dozens of shades of greys, blues, and whites.

I also have seasonal favorites, including candy can red, clover green, pink, and orange.

My garage has cabinets and shelves filled with gallon—and quart-size paint cans. Sometimes, it takes a few misses to find the right color.

I hate to throw paint out because I may need that shade of black for a future outdoor project.

Then there was the year I discovered the “Oops” paint in the Home Depot paint aisle. How could I turn down a quart of pumpkin orange latex paint on sale for a couple of dollars?

It got to the point where I was overwhelmed every time I entered the garage.

But when I found the 14-year-old, dried-up gallon-size cans of our exterior house paint, I knew it was time to organize the paint cans.

When I shared this garage entry door update, I knew it was time to tackle the shelves and cabinets full of leftover and unopened paint cans.

Here are the steps I took to organize the paint cans.

STEPS TO ORGANIZE THE LEFTOVER PAINT

My husband loved my enthusiasm for organizing the paints, until I shared my plan to consolidate paint on the kitchen island in a climate-controlled Netflix environment. I was redirected to the garage to organize the paint.!

I was met with over a dozen gallon—and quart-size paint cans in the garage.

It looked like the Home Depot paint department after the morning rush hour of painters and contractors.

STEPS TO ORGANIZE USED PAINT

1. I hauled the paint cans and samples off the garage’s built-in shelves.
2. With a fair amount of certainty, I accurately guessed how much paint was in the can by the weight of the shake.
3. If my right elbow twinged when I picked up the paint can, I placed it back on the garage shelf. I The weight told me there was more paint than a mason jar or quart-size can could hold.
4. If I did not feel the paint move in the can, it likely dried up because the lid was loose.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER PAINT

MASON JAR TIPS

A few years ago, I purchased two dozen 12 16-ounce mason jars for strawberry jam. When I decided to let Smuckers cover the jelly market, I had a cabinet full of mason jars, seals, and lids. It turned out that the wide-mouth mason jars were the perfect size for paint cans with less than a quart of paint.

The paint-filled mason jars are perfect for craft-related paint projects or minor interior paint touchups.

For my recycle enthusiasts (like me) the wide-mouth 16-oz salsa glass jars work well for storing touch-up paint.

MASON JAR TIPS

• Clear glass jars make it easy to sort paint colors (and they look pretty).
• Seals and Lids Included
• Glass jars work for paint samples or almost empty quart-size paint cans
• Mason jars are my go-to store touch-up paint under the sink.  
• Mason or recycled jars work best for the 1-5″ of paint.
• Label the color and finish. I include the paint number on the can’s sticker because Home Depot’s color matches Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams paint colors.
• I suggest wide-mouth glass jars so that foam or a small angled paintbrush fits into the jar.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER PAINT

PLASTIC CONTAINERS + LIDS

 I prefer storing paint in glass or these cans instead of plastic containers.

The plastic lids can be “bendy” and not as stable in my hand.

They looked like this when I pulled thei r plastic containers off the garage shelf.

This post includes affiliate links to products used. I may receive compensation from the product or brand.

. The great news is that many mason jars are made in the USA.

I found these multi-purpose mason jar labels.

I have stored paint for more years than the paint color was on the walls. My daughter’s bedroom was pink for a very hot minute.

Can we agree that everything looks better in a mason jar?

A funny thing happened when I transferred the paint into mason jars.

It had nothing to do with paint.

It was like when the Grinch realized Christmas wasn’t about packages and bows.

Well, neither was the task of storing leftover paint. The best lesson was this project motivated me to tackle those nagging home maintenance tips, like paint and trim touchups.

I no longer dreaded searching through eight shades of grey paint to find the paint color for the back of the front door.

The additional bonus was the shelf space I had once I organized the paint cans!

It was such a feeling of accomplishment. Thank you for stopping by today.

Here is a popular tip for all that tissue paper.

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