How long is paint good?

[Mike in Ohio]

I have alot of paint left over from when I built my house 6 years ago. Would the unopened cans still be good. Can I stir it with a paddle in a drill or must it be shaken to remix properly? The brand is Benjamin Moore. I want to use some of the white as a base coat to go over a medium blue because that room apparently needs to be yellow now. The rest I was going to mix all together and use in my new shop. Thanks alot, Mike

 

[PumpkinCrusher]

You didn't mention whether it was oil based or latex or whether it was stored away from extreme temperature swings. Most likely it is still good if the cans or the lids have not corroded contaminating the paint with rust particles.

 

[jay50]

Ben Moore is top quality paint and worth every penny IMHO.

Unless it has been in extreme temps, it's probably still good.
You could take it back to the BM store and they would shake it up for free.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Ben Moore is top quality paint and worth every penny IMHO.

Unless it has been in extreme temps, it's probably still good.
You could take it back to the BM store and they would shake it up for free.

It is latex It has been in my basement the temp stays pretty constant. The local Benjamin Moore store closed and I havent found another one yet. The new color they picked out is sherwin williams.