Gallon paint can storage: upright? upside down? sideways?

[roc_on_the_rocks]

Hello guys and gals,
Is there a preference for long term storage of gallon paint cans? Upright? Upside down? Sideways?

I have about a dozen of gallon cans, most new, some used, placed on shelves in the basement. Some of them are for painting my two-car garage, but clearing the garage is not happening anytime soon.

If it makes a difference, they're all metal cans, mostly latex paint (and some trim paint), most Sherwin Williams.

On the topic... is it better to shake the cans from time to time, or better only shaking it before use?


Thank you!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Not sure this info still applies but I'll offer it. I sold paint, wallpaper and air compressors for Sears during high school and college waay back in the day. We would tell people to make sure the can lid seated well (keep dried paint from building up in the little trench thing) and invert the can during storage to seal out air. This was on latex.

On oil based paint (see, I told you it was a long time ago!) we'd tell them it wouldn't store for long term storage without the pigment and the carrier base separating. Eventually, the pigment/color semi-dries and won't remix well.

Best of luck!

 

[Zeke]

vinyl/acrylic/latex all store pretty well as long as they don't freeze. Metal cans deteriorate faster than the paint. Ideally, you would have nearly full plastic containers.

Oil base I let skin over, there's no stopping it unless the can is full to the lip. Yes, you could shake it once a month, but who does that?

 

[karoc]

I didn’t read other post, but I was told years ago to store upside down. That way air pocket is at bottom of can that will skim over. Another problem is that metal lid will rust along with that metal ring that’s press on plastic can. Which they rust together then hard to get them apart. Long term storing didn’t work for me

 

[vavet]

I’ve tried storing upside down and still had the metal can and lid rust to the point that it flakes off into the paint. I suppose you could try to filter or strain it.

 

[4xdog]

I rotate my paint in all of those directions. It helps keep the pigment from settling into a hard pack that’s difficult to fully redisperse. The dozen or two cans in storage get flipped about once a quarter or half year. Just make sure the containers are well sealed and that one has some sort of secondary containment.

 

[four.cycle]

I've never stored paint upside-down. Lids rust through.
Just keep it from freezing and don't try to store it forever. Use it or get rid of it.
I try to keep the paint inventory at a bare minimum.
It only takes ONE can to rust through on the bottom to understand why.

 

[Bucko]

Once I've finished a particular color I put the remaining amount into a new quart sized can with all the info written on it and the computer label if possible. If a gallon can has a bunch of dead airspace in it the paint will go to **** faster. The quart cans are basically there for touch ups if needed and if more than that was needed the whole room would just get a repaint. Whatever paint will not condense into one or two quart cans gets left in the open gallon can to dry and then trashed once solid as required by the trash company.
Recently moved and I repainted the entire inside of the house, outside of the house and workshop. We ended up with 11 colors just for the inside plus the ceiling, the quart cans take up way less space than the gallon cans. The outside was just 4 colors and I did condense two of the colors from 5 gallon buckets into 1 gallon pails.

 

[bwringer]

Store it inside the house in a closet for best results. Put it in a tub or at least on a tray in case of a leak. Time passes quickly... don't expect 10 years.

Honestly, the best advice is proper labeling so you can get a fresh batch mixed up if you need it. Name of the color, where you got it, the formula label, etc. (preferably not covered in paint...) and make a note of where you used what color. It's not always obvious two or three years later. Color palettes, names, numbers, codes, formulas, etc. change, but most places will be able to find the needed info to reproduce their old colors.

Failing all that, color matching at any decent paint department can be remarkably good if the operator knows what they're doing.

 

[vavet]

the builder left us a bunch of partially used 5 gallon buckets of paint when the house was built. I took a plastic coffee “can” and saved some paint of each color and stored it in the office closet, I don’t know if that will be sufficient or not.

 

[4xdog]

I've never stored paint upside-down. Lids rust through.
Just keep it from freezing and don't try to store it forever. Use it or get rid of it.
I try to keep the paint inventory at a bare minimum.
It only takes ONE can to rust through on the bottom to understand why.

Yes, metal is a problem, whether that be a metal can or a metal lid on a plastic can.

I have a number of the screw-top quart and gallon containers from Dutch Boy -- sold as brand new empty aftermarket jugs at Menards near me. They're secure, non-corrosive, and resusable. I transfer paint from other containers into these for use and storage.

https://www.menards.com/main/paint/paint-sprayers-applicators/paint-trays-buckets/dutch-boy-reg-original-twist-pour-reg-paint-container/1-dbempga/p-1444429354023-c-13972.htm

 

[4xdog]

...Honestly, the best advice is proper labeling so you can get a fresh batch mixed up if you need it. Name of the color, where you got it, the formula label, etc. (preferably not covered in paint...) and make a note of where you used what color. It's not always obvious two or three years later. Color palettes, names, numbers, codes, formulas, etc. change, but most places will be able to find the needed info to reproduce their old colors.

Failing all that, color matching at any decent paint department can be remarkably good if the operator knows what they're doing.

+1 on this. When I have paint mixed I ask the counterperson to print one or two extra labels for me. I make my own swatch cards from the exact batch, using the label on the back along with notes about what room got painted and when. I can go back almost thirty years to show exactly what I did in the event I want to use that color again. And that three-ring file gets used, so it's paid off many times.

 

[four.cycle]

after reading the last few comments let me add:

Put a date on the can. I date everything. I write purchase dates on some food items, even. Masking tape. and ALWAYS paint. That way there's no guessing. If a rattle can is more than 4 or 5 years old, I don't expect it to work. I keep the latex inventory at an absolute minimum. Oil based stuff will go to hell after too many years - the drying agents break down.

I have painted FOUR garages with leftover paint. Round up ALL the latex paint you have - interior, exterior, flat, semi-gloss, whatever.
Mix it all together. Do NOT add green or blue tones. Stick with light yellow/pink/white tones. All four jobs turned out perfect. Worst of the four end colors turned out to be a very pale mustard yellow. (The background you see in the photo attached here was one of those jobs - turned out kind of a half-semi-gloss milky off-white. For free... all rounded up out of other people's garages.)

 

[cpttuna]

If I am storing paint for a long time, I pour the paint into a plastic mt coffee container if it is in a metal can. I am in the process of getting rid of old paint presently. My oil base has separated. I am pouring off the oil part to keep it separate and am going to use it on a fence at my rural property next spring.

 

[humber2]

Do as I say and not as I do, store paint out of the can and onto a wall.

 

[wolfhawk73]

Once I've finished a particular color I put the remaining amount into a new quart sized can with all the info written on it and the computer label if possible. If a gallon can has a bunch of dead airspace in it the paint will go to **** faster. The quart cans are basically there for touch ups if needed and if more than that was needed the whole room would just get a repaint. Whatever paint will not condense into one or two quart cans gets left in the open gallon can to dry and then trashed once solid as required by the trash company.
Recently moved and I repainted the entire inside of the house, outside of the house and workshop. We ended up with 11 colors just for the inside plus the ceiling, the quart cans take up way less space than the gallon cans. The outside was just 4 colors and I did condense two of the colors from 5 gallon buckets into 1 gallon pails.

I do something similar. Once I'm done with a job, I put some of the remaining paint in pint-sized Mason jars. They're fully labeled with manufacturer, name, color, and sheen, and I store them in the rarely-used cabinet above my kitchen refrigerator along with wood putty, plumber's putty, and liquor (for marinades, of course ). They're just for touch-ups. I can drop off paint at our local trash/recycling center where it's either disposed of or recycled by someone who takes it home with them.

But if you have to store paint in their original containers, don't store them upside down to avoid rusting the lid. Make sure they're well-sealed. I am meticulous about cleaning the groove where the lid seats, and I use a paint can opener, since screwdrivers sometimes mess up the seal.

Oils will get a skin on top. You can peel the skin off, toss it in the trash, stir and strain what's left, and it should be fine. I've done that multiple times with oil paint and a 20-year-old can of el-cheapo polyurethane my dad bought from Big Lots for $19.99.

I've had 10-year-old cans of water-based house paint that I've successfully stirred and strained as well. Sometimes the settled components are stiff like clay (and actually is mostly clay, in most cases), but I've been able to either stir it enough to work, or I've taken it to my local Ace where they'll spin it for free even if I didn't buy it there.

 

[Black300zx]

If a gallon can has a bunch of dead airspace in it the paint will go to **** faster. The quart cans are basically there for touch ups if needed and if more than that was needed the whole room would just get a repaint. Whatever paint will not condense into one or two quart cans gets left in the open gallon can to dry.......

I've found plastic coffee containers work well for this. Hold about a quart, won't rust, and a couple wraps of good duct tape around the lid seem to keep it sealed well enough.

Sounds like the OP has a bunch of full gallons. For the cans he plans on using (someday) for his garage, my primary concern would be the can lips rusting. I'd think rotating them upside down periodically should help delay the lip from rotting out.

 

[Hank11]

Snap a picture with your phone of the old can label and color code, print and tape it to the jar or can. Or if you're emptying the old can cut the label and color code off then tape to the new can. Use clear packing tape.