Old Paint

[Jaded]

So, apparently I might have to be painting rooms..

I've found some paint. I know that one tin of gloss is 20 years old and the emulsions are 8 years old. I've opened them and stirred them and they look like paint 

In the oil paint days there's have been a sort of creme caramel of brown liquid, thinks skin and something not very good underneath.

Is it fair to assume that he water based paints I've got will be OK after that time? Maybe I should test first...

[Gattopardo]

No idea but I was going to email homebase about their paint life.

[Ham]

Determine if your effort is worth more than a new can of paint, and then if carrying out a poor job will affect the likelihood of you being asked again. Act accordingly.

Old tights can be used to strain skin off paint. If it is 20 years old, I'd chuck it without a second thought (except as per above). 8 years is just about OK but take care to see if the tin has rusted.

[seasider]

Gloss paint thickens considerably with age. Keeping it in a cold garage does it no good. you will do a better, quicker job using a new tin. If only doing a small room  I always start with a new 1L or 700ml tin. it might seem excessive and expensive but what's a extra few quid to walk past a quality job over the next few years. I would also buy fresh emulsion as well. I never buy emulsion from a well known retailer based in Southampton, go to your local paint shop where the professional painters and decorators buy there suppliers and don't forget to buy the best quality brushes you can afford. Remember you wouldn't skimp on your bike bits would you?

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Made the mistake of using some unknown brand paint on the skirtings over a week before our carpet was put down.  I'd sanded first but for some reason the new paint just lifted off when scraped by the carpet. 

Nothing could be done to restore the appearance short of sanding the lot off and repainting.  Not a nice job over a new carpet and the old paint has very likely got lead in it and where have all the face masks gone?  I used a tea towel over my mouth and nose.

Then I went out and bought a lovely tin of Ronseal paint and took what was left of the other to the tip.  Looks great now and no signs it was all done after the carpet was laid.

[Jurek]

Buy. New. Paint.

[ian]

For reasons*, we painted the living room of our first house a rather off-putting pink. It was like being inside a really big salmon. I can't speak for Jonah, but the sensation of cohabiting in the gastrointestinal tract of a sea creature wasn't quite what we'd planned.

So we bought a giant tub of the cheapest white emulsion available to humanity because it's just white, innit.

Four weeks, fifteen tubs, and six hundred and eighty-four coats later, we thought fuck it, and bought the most expensive cans of white emulsion available and killed that bloody salmon.

*the sort of giddy idea you only have when you are straight outta rental and rebelling against the forces of magnolia woodchip.

[Jaded]

I went last week to our wonderful local DIY store. The paint mixer got taken away by the rapacious bastards that is Dulux. They didn't sell enough... that was possibly because the bastard rapacious bastards, Dulux, charged them more wholesale than the specialist paint place up the road was charging retail.

So yesterday I went to the Odd Tin Shed. Three people and various customers were examining error dialog boxes on the magic mixing machine screen. I came home.

Today I phoned them up to find that the magic mixing machine was working. So before I went in with my alcohol wipes and latex gloves, I went to the cellar to find what we had. All the paint I need is down there. See the OP.

My dad taught me never to waste anything. (Except Windows computers). So I like the advice upthread, but we are in uncharted territory and these are water based paints.

If it works, you'll hear form me.

If it doesn't why not suggest a Post-Apocalypse Thunderbox Ride and you can all arrange to come and laugh at my Kitchen and Other Rooms.

[Wowbagger]

Buy. New. Paint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRyhbVO8cQI

[Gattopardo]

Buy. New. Paint.

I bought the paint when the kitchen/decorating plan started

2 years so far....

[Kim]

If it's landlord-issue magnolia, then it's going to look shit anyway so it doesn't matter.  If it's a proper colour, probably best to buy some new stuff.

[Jaded]

Buy. New. Paint.

It's great advice. 

Although I'm paying most attention to the last word.

[Gattopardo]

If it's landlord-issue magnolia, then it's going to look shit anyway so it doesn't matter.  If it's a proper colour, probably best to buy some new stuff.

Shades of biege here.

[Von Broad]

If you're going to use old paint [whatever ones definition of old paint is] - and personally I'd advise against it [depending on where it's been stored] - one useful tip is too [after mixing as thoroughly as you possibly can] , strain it through something to remove the dry bits from the lid that are bound to present. And that 'something' for me is always a cheap plastic sieve I have knocking about in the van. Another option [and the best] is to consult wife/girlfriend/daughter/sister to see if anybody is about to chuck out some old tights.

Happy painting, there's going to be an awful lot of it going on in the next few weeks - much to the delight of some and the utter misery others!