Don't Paint Yourself into a Bind: How to Not Waste Old Paint
When you buy paint for the exterior of your home, you may want to buy in bulk because you will need to repaint your home at some point in the future. Having some paint on hand will help to defray future costs. On the other hand, if you don't store your paint properly, it will simply go to waste. Thus, you need to make sure that you properly seal your paint cans.
Clean the Can before You Seal It
When you pour paint out of a can, some of the paint will get into the sealing rim. You might think that this paint will help to create a tighter seal, but the fact is that the paint can prevent the lid from making good contact with the sealing rim. Thus, you should wipe all of the paint out of the rim before you put the lid in place.
Don't Use a Hammer
If you are trying to get the lid to fit nicely into the sealing rim, you might want to strike it with a hammer. The problem with using a hammer is that it can deform the rim and this will make it extremely difficult to get a good seal.
Use Plastic Wrap
To get a good seal, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of a clean paint can. Then press the lid into the sealing rim. The plastic wrap will help to seal out air that will dry out your paint.
Store the Paint Can Upside Down
Once you have a good seal on your paint can, you should not have to worry about it leaking. If you want to keep your paint from drying out, a final way to create a good seal is to store your paint can upside down. The paint itself will help to create a good seal around the lid.
No matter what you do to prevent paint from drying out, it will still dry out over time. Still, by using the above strategies you should be able to get your paint lid tight enough to keep your paint viable between paintings of your house. When you see the paint on your house blistering and cracking, it is time to repaint your house. If you are careful with what you do with your paint, you can use the leftover paint from your last paint job to keep costs low for your next one.
Don't have time to paint the house yourself? Consider hiring Braendel Painting to take care of it for you.