On-Site Mixing

Painting a room is hard work, and if you have a whole house to do then it only seems to get harder as time goes on. If painting is something you are not accustomed to doing it can wear you out fast.

Sometimes in such situations we start to look for “shortcuts”. One shortcut that can backfire is mixing leftover paint to do a room. Assuming the various paints mixed together are compatible, the biggest problem that occurs is running short on paint. It will be almost impossible to replicate the color and sheen if you don’t have enough to finish your project.

When you hire The Painting Company, we can mix custom colors at the job site using high performance tints. We often do this if the customer has difficulty finding the perfect color out of a color deck. If you are mixing various left over paints to save time or money there are some general guidelines to follow.

What you can get away and what you should do are not the same thing. Paint is pretty cheap and when you buy paint and have it mixed/tinted you don’t have to be concerned with compatibility, consistency, etc.

Mixing Leftover Paint

First and foremost be certain the paints are compatible. Mix water base products with water base products. Oils with oils. Latex with latex. Make certain the paints are still good. Signs of spoiled or bad paint are bad odors, debris in the paint, extreme separation of the components. Is the can shot? Often if the paint can is a rusting mess the paint inside is bad as well.

Mix the paints well prior to mixing them together. It is advisable but not a must that the paints are from the same manufacture. Same for sheen. You can mix an eggshell with a flat. After everything is well mixed you should strain the paint.

What you end up with will be a unique combination of color and sheen and difficult to replicate. Make certain you have more than enough to do the job and any needed touch up.