Paint Touch-Ups, Storage, and Disposal
If you’ve ever opened a paint can after leaving it in a closet or garage for a couple years, you know how paint storage can influence the effectiveness of an interior painting touch-up in your Branson home. Don’t worry too much if the paint you’ve been storing for years has lost a lot of moisture because your painting contractor will probably be able to find an appropriate paint color by using color-matching technology. If you’re curious about how to touch-up, store, or dispose of paint the right way, look to professional painters for recommendations.
Tips for Paint Touch-Ups
- Box the Paint – You may notice your painting contractor performing a technique in which the painter “boxes” the paint. This method is done when a project requires many gallons of the same paint color. To box your paint, you must combine all of the gallons of paint into one large container to eliminate any fluctuations in thickness or pigment. By boxing the paint, you ensure that the paint leftover for touch-ups matches the painted walls perfectly.
- Thin the Paint – To make sure that a touch-up matches the rest of a painted wall’s surface, thin leftover latex paint with 5 to 10 percent water and leftover oil-based paint with 5 to 10 percent mineral spirits.
- Try the Tipping-Off Technique – Your painting contractor may also recommend tipping-off a painted surface to blend in a paint touch-up effectively. Tipping-off involves running a roller over a paint touch-up in one final stroke upward without using additional pressure.
How Should You Store and Dispose of Paint?
- Try not to purchase more paint than you’ll need for your painting project unless you want to save some leftover paint for touch-ups. Some community organizations accept paint donations, and most states and counties have hazardous waste programs for excess paint.
- Wipe away paint residue from the grooves in the lid before storing a paint can.
- Use a block of wood or a rubber mallet to hammer the lid closed, and then use a hammer to ensure a tight seal.
- Dispose of oil-based paints carefully because they’re hazardous. Look up your local regulations to dispose of them properly.
- Dispose of hardened latex paints in the garbage.
- Don’t store your paint cans upside down if you’re worried about removing the paint skin when you reopen the can. When the paint is stored upside down, the skin will form on the bottom of the can instead of the top, making it difficult to remove.
- Don’t store latex paint in areas with freezing temperatures because the freeze-thaw cycle can ruin it.
- Don’t store paint in a hot garage or attic, near a furnace or water heater, or in direct sunlight because heat and UV rays can damage the paint and fade the pigment.
You may leave the interior painting in your Branson home to a professional painter, but it’s a good idea to research how to store your leftover paint so that you’re able to use it for touch-ups later. If you’re starting a painting project, reach out to trained professionals at All About Paint LLC, a reputable painting contractor, for assistance.
