Homes are made to be lived in, as such the walls and trim can get marked up over time through normal wear and tear. If you have kept some leftover paint that’s a good thing, it makes it easier for your painter to touch those spots up.
How should I store my leftover paint?
Two things to keep in mind when storing leftover paint:
Make sure the lid is sealed tightly. Air will dry out your paint and make it less usable over time, so make sure the lid is seated properly on the rim.
Make sure you store your leftover paint inside. If paint is exposed to freezing temperatures the solids will separate from the solvent and it will be unusable. If you must store your paint in a shed, garage, or outside, bring it it before temperatures dip below zero. I have had paint spoil in as little as a half hour in sub zero temperatures.
How long can I store leftover paint?
Paint can be stored for at least 2 years and sometimes more. Oil, or Alkyd paint usually will last longer than latex paint, sometimes upwards of 10 years. Latex paint generally lasts 2 to 5 years.
To check and see if your paint is still good, simply open the lid, give it a stir with a paint stick and if it’s an even consistency without any lumps – keep it.
How do I dispose of leftover paint?
Wait! Before you dispose of any leftover paint be sure to take pictures of both the lid and the label. This will help your painter if you want any touch ups done in the future. From the pictures your painter can get a new can of paint that will match what you currently have on your walls or trim.
In Toronto, there are several transfer stations that offer Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop offs, or you can arrange a pick up of your leftover paint using the toxic taxi. Click here to find out more information about locations or to book a toxic taxi.
Do you have any touch ups that need to be done around your Toronto home?
CAM Painters can help, regardless of if you have leftover paint or not. Book an estimate today and CAM Painters will Transform your home with lasting beauty!
Here’s a fun post. As many of you know, I have my own custom coffee blend made by Golden Gecko Coffee, a local roaster. It’s called the Caffeinated Painter.
So my absolute favourite coffee shop is in my kitchen at home, using my very own custom blend. If you are also an avid coffee drinker, you may want to invest in a dual coffee maker. You can click here for a list of dual coffee makers. The beauty of having a coffee machine at your disposal in the home is flexibility. With home coffee machines, you can make everything that a coffee shop would, maybe even better as you can create it exactly to your taste. Whilst the initial cost of a coffee machine can seem like a big expense, the money you will save by making coffee at home will ensure that the machine pays for itself, and when having guests over, it will certainly make you seem like the host with the most.
But what’s a Caffeinated Painter to do when he’s not at home? Fear not, there is The Caffeinated Painters Exhaustive List of Good Toronto Coffee Shops or TCPELOGTCS.
This list has been made possible by years of research and many cups of espresso using a staff of trained espresso aficionados with highly developed coffee palates. Please enjoy the fruits of our labours:
If you have any additions, or comments feel free to contact us.
I hear many different recommendations of how many estimates to get when hiring a painting contractor, or any other contractor for that matter. Let’s address that question….
Personally, I think you should get as many estimates as you need to feel comfortable with the contractor you select.
Some people need to get as many as 10 estimates, and some people only need to get 2 or 3.
It would be good to start your search with gathering the names of 10 different painting contractors. This can be done by:
Asking friends or neighbours who they have used – word of mouth is generally the best way to find a contractor
Going to your local paint store and asking for their recommendations
Googling “Painting contractor in Toronto”
When asking friends or neighbours you can ask them about the painter’s cleanliness, punctuality, or anything else that’s important to you. After all, you want to have a great painting experience, and you have a great painting experience when your painter is attentive to your needs.
When searching on Google for a painting contractor, see how many positive Google reviews they have received. This is shown by the stars beside their name in the listing, 5 stars is good, no stars means they haven’t gotten enough reviews yet to have stars beside their name.
The next step after you have found some potential painting contractors is to go to their websites and look for a few different things:
See if they have any testimonials from satisfied customers. Many painting contractors have written testimonials from past clients, which is good. But do they have any video testimonials? Most people are very shy when asked to speak on video, so if they do a video testimonial they must be a raving fan!
Do they have WSIB and liability insurance in place?
You can also look for any pertinent blog posts about something that is important to your painting experience.
It is also worth checking if they have any relevant qualifications or training. This isn’t limited to painting, but should also include the running of the business. Contractors not only have to do the work themselves, but also have to do all the behind the scenes work and keep their business running effectively. There are training schemes that will give contractors all the skills and knowledge they need to be able to run their business correctly, but you can find more Professional Contractor Training Advantages here, should you need further convincing of how relevant this type of training is. It means that you can guarantee a contractor who has taken such training will be efficient in how they run their business and are less likely to let you down in the long run.
After you have done this, you might only need to book a time with 2 or 3 painting contractors, or maybe more.
The important thing is that you schedule estimates with painting contractors that you feel comfortable with and would potentially like to do business with.
Hope this helps you with selecting your painting contractor. Feel free to schedule an estimate with CAM Painters and Transform your home with lasting beauty!
Should I keep my leftover paint? If so, what are the best ways to store leftover paint?
These are both very common questions which I will address in today’s post.
Should I keep my leftover paint? Yes, you’ll want to keep leftover paint for any touch-ups that need to be done in the future. When the exact same paint is used for the touch-up the touch-up will have the best chance of blending properly.
What if I just make note of the colour, shouldn’t that be enough? Not necessarily, we need to have the exact same product as well.
Different paint products show differently on the walls because they have different chemical compositions. This is fine if we are painting an entire wall, but can be problematic if we’re trying to do a small touch-up and not an entire wall.
What if I take note of both the colour and the product? This is much better and will usually work fine for touching up. However, there is still a small chance that there could be a variation between gallons, due to differences in calibration of the tinting machines at the paint store.
So, to be on the safe side – Keep your leftover paint.
How do I store my leftover paint?
The biggest thing is to store paint where it will not freeze – once paint freezes it becomes useless.
If you have paint in the garage right now, it should be brought inside. Generally I recommend bringing paint inside before the end of October.
Should I store paint in the original can, or can I transfer it to another container like a mason jar?
I would recommend keeping it in the original can, if possible. If we need to get more, the original can gives us the product name, and the paint formula which allows us to get the best match possible.
Whether you’re just looking to spruce things up a little bit with a few touch-ups or you want your place painted from top to bottom, schedule a quote and…
Homes are made to be lived in, as such the walls and trim can get marked up over time through normal wear and tear. If you have kept some leftover paint that’s a good thing, it makes it easier for your painter to touch those spots up.