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I need to paint a tiny porch ceiling, I have some paint left in an old tin sat in a cupboard but it's been in there for, ooh, probably three years. Will it still be alright?
Is it liquid?
yes = probably ok.
Probably not.
Depends on loads of factors.
If the tin's been opened then after three years it'll be borked.
Right, so, one all 🙂
Anyone else?
Should be ok- I painted my daughters bedroom last weekend with paint that was left over from the last lot of decorating 3 years ago. The opened tin was a bit lumpy even after a good stir. The one that hadn't been opened at all was much better.
I'm in the "if its runny its ok" camp
I suspect if you open the can you'll be able to answer the question quite quickly....
If its been well sealed and not water based it might be fine. It might have a skin on.
If the tin seal is damaged then forget it.
If you are good at getting a good seal then storing upside down is a good way to retain paint for a long time. There is a risk of leakage so do it in a container.
Open it and find out.
Shake it a lot before opening it in a room temp environment, it might be saveable, but it is likely to have separated by now.
Taste it, see if it's off..
Have you opened it, you'll know if its off, it bloody stinks 🙂 (assuming we are talking emulsion)
Some emulsions go really watery over time, again this will be fairly obvious to spot, three years is optimistic..
Solvent based lasts much longer, for obvious reasons.
runny = ok.
lumpy = not ok.
3 years is out of date by most standards. It should say on the tin. It does depend on when it was made though as most paint has a decent shelf life so it can be stored (on a shelf!) before it is sold and used. However, you might be ok so here on some tips so you can judge for yourself
What sort of paint is it?
I'm going to assume water based and single pack.
If it hasn't been opened it is more likely to be ok. If it has been opened the fuller the tin the more likely it is to be ok.
Where has it been stored. If it has been exposed to high (>40C) or low (<5C) temps you are likely to have issues.
If it has skinned, peel the skin off and dispose, don't try to mix back in.
Stick something in and give it a poke. You need to make sure you can mix it. There is likely to be some separation. Clear or thinner liquid on the top isn't a problem (syneresis) as long as it is only a small fraction of the total depth. It will be a bit sludgy towards the bottom - if this mixes in then fine. If it doesn't you are borked (soft vs. hard settling and dewetting).
Find something to paint (card, wood etc.) and do a test patch. Leave to dry. If it dries then that's a good indicator. Give it a bit of a vigorous wipe to make sure its actually worked and isn't just a colourful powder with no adhesion/cohesion.
If you are colour matching adjacent walls then consider a really tiny square to make sure that it hasn't changed colour - either the paint in the tin or the paint on the walls.
If it's only a small cosmetic area don't worry too much.
If it's solvent based much the same applies except it is probably a little more resilient to storage.
Cheers all. It has been opened and has been in the back of the pantry ever since, fairly steady 15-20degC in there. It's what's left from previous ceilings being painted.
I guess I'll open it and see...
I've got paint that's 10 years old, been kept in a detached garage with no temp control so -10 - +30 across the years.
Still works ok!
Agree that unopened/lots left in tin/kept at steady temp is best.
If I was doing a full room I'd buy new, but keep part tins for touching up.
Depends if you want to paint it twice, in quick succession.
1- 3 year old paint, dis-colours, goes chalky, flakes in 2-3 weeks, never actually dries fully etc, etc, (choose any combination of those).
2 - Use new paint, apply once, sit back and see the results of your labour for the next X years.