I'm repainting the walls and trim inside my house. I have about a gallon of the old paint (alkyd, satin sheen) that I'd like to use to touch up dings in the baseboards and walls. Is is likely that this paint will still match the old paint color-wise? How can I tell if the paint has "gone bad"? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy some new paint and pray that it matches the old color well enough to blend in?
Thanks,
Jean
Mix it well. Swab a bit on some scrap wood or paper. If it dried it will be OK. The color may be off a bit as the exposed paint probably changed over time, but it may blend in better after a couple of months exposure.
I've used paint that was a few years old with no problem.
You will know if its bad when you try to use it, but I dought if it will match, oil paint darkens and looses sheen, so it will be noticable.
Mix well, apply with a tiny brush or q-tips the smaller dings. If it dries overnight, the paint is ok, and hasnt lost it's drying agents nor thinner solvent. If it is a whitish color you are trying to match with oil paint, the new paint will dry slightly lighter, whether or not you replace the old can of paint with new. Oil paint, unlike acrylic, especially light colors, slowly darken with age.
You'll probably need to strain it for chunks of dried paint and debris that sometimes accumulates on the lip and inside edges of old cans especially if you are rolling it on.
I used some old primer (tinted with new paint) and I was picking paint boogers off the wall the whole time because I didn't strain.
A painter told me that premium paint has a shorter shelf life than standard paint. It does spread easier and last longer on the wall but just not in the can. I am not sure why though.
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