latex paint | Crestwood Painting

3 Steps to Proper Paint Storage

The leftover (latex) paint in your basement will, sooner or later, become a disposal problem. Here’s how to make sure your next can of paint remains in usable condition.

As a general rule of thumb, if a can of paint is less than one third full it is not worth storing – leave the lid off and let it dry completely. Then, leave it out with your household trash – dry paint is considered disposable household trash.

Important to note: liquid paint is considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of accordingly – the Jackson County Household Hazardous Waste Disposal facility is a great option.

Paint should always be stored indoors so that it can not freeze. If it has ever frozen, it is now toast. A good test for frozen paint: stir it. Stir-able paint should be OK, if it feels like a brick it’s probably been frozen.

The How’s

Cover the opening of the can with plastic wrap
Put the lid on securely
Store the can upside down

The Why’s

Plastic wrap will keep paint out of the “gutter” at the top of the can and will keep paint from drying on the lid. It’s best to plan ahead: as soon as you open the can that will likely be leftover, wash the lid and use a pour spout to keep the gutter clean. Plastic wrap will also keep the lid from contacting the can where corrosion can start. See the photo.

Now, before the lid goes on us committed Paint Geeks will exhale long and slow into the can. This will displace oxygen (dries paint) with CO2 (not so much).

Now, the lid – securely. Thumb-pressing is adequate; hammering is excessive and will usually damage the seal.

Finally, upside down storage means the paint in the can seals the lid, making premature drying that much less likely.

Industry experts acknowledge that just about 0% of the paint stored in your basement is likely to ever see the light of day, so the whole storage thing may be a triumph of Hope over Reason. At least now you’ve got reason to hope that your paint will remain in usable condition.

Still not sure if it’s usable? Give us a call – we’d be happy to take a look.

Titanium Dioxide in Your Paint Can

paint ingredients titanium dioxide kansas city

Met our paint supplier rep this week. He tells me there’s going to be a price increase effective early next year – 5-6% for paint. We’ve had steady increases for at least the last 5 years.

Here’s what’s going on: titanium dioxide is a key ingredient in paint. Or, at least, high quality paint. TiO2 is a naturally occurring, mined product – just like the gypsum used in drywall. It looks a lot like baking soda. It’s used in sunscreen (the white paste on your life guard’s nose) and also in paint.

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Exterior Paint on New Homes

Builder quality paint doesn't last very long Home builders are notorious for using “builder grade” (poor quality) exterior paint. Paint so bad that it starts to deteriorate after the last check clears. Here’s what’s going on and what can be done to remedy the situation.

Builders (and some homeowners) apply poor quality paint because it simply costs less. Then the homeowner finds that their new house doesn’t look so good after a couple of years – the paint film breaks down from weather and the sun’s UV rays – even bird poop. It loses sheen, the surface gets chalky and you can often see the substrate right through the paint film.

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How to Dispose of Old Paint

Old Paint - Disposal — Best to take old paint to the local recycling center for safe and legal disposal.

Painters in Kansas City – whether DIY painters or pro’s – all have the same challenge at the end of a job: how to get rid of old or leftover paint. There are the environmentally responsible options and then the legally questionable options. Let’s take a look at both.

A certain environmental agency may construe your donation to be disposal and suddenly your kind gesture is seen as dumping rather than donation

Keep Some

It’s never a bad idea to hang on to a small amount of your current paint color. Just an easy and quick way to cover dents and dings from everyday usage. But any quantities beyond a gallon or two present a problem. You can keep it in your basement, yes – but sooner or later you’ll have to deal with it. Sooner is always better.

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