Does anyone know the shelf life of water based paint? Living room due a repaint, I looked into the storage cupboard for painting supplies. I found a unopened pot of Dulux (vinyl matt) from when I first did the flat some 6 years ago. Wondering whether it is a good idea to use it or whether I should play safe and buy new paint instead. Any advice appreciated!
cheers, OC
It'll be fine. I've used 6 year old opened emulsion to patch up before now.
Has it separated at all? If so mix it up and leave for an hour or two. If it separates again pretty much straight away, then it is well past its best. Also, if it smells musty, then dont use it - waterbased paints can go mouldy.
Note that if you intend to keep your paints for a while, it is best not to paint from the tin, but to decant some off. Repeated dips of your brush into the tin transports mould spores into the tin. If enough of them get there, they will overcome the biocide and the paint will go off.
As long as it is in a plastic pot (should be at that age). The tin can ones tend to rust with water based paints, which gets mixed in with the paint. With care some can often be salvaged. As long as it hasn't dried out it should be usable. The old paint will be a different (cleaner) colour, but if painting the lot it shouldn't matter.
Thanks all for the advice, very useful!
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