Free Paint!

[Tom Bender]

Just posted this deep in another post but thought it would be worth repeating here.

Some years ago I had some OSB to paint. It drinks paint for the first coats. I looked in my paint cabinet at the half cans of various colors and had an idea. I asked friends and neighbors if they had any half cans they would like to get rid of. I got lots. Opened it and if it didn't look too bad it went into the bucket. Mix, mix, mix, then paint. I wasn't much concerned with the type or brand as long as it was water based. The color was mud. Paid for a gallon of top coat and it all went well. And there is new found space on some home shelves. 30 years later the paint still looks good.

[Scott Clausen]

Some advice to add get a drill mixer to help mix the settled solids up and get a paint strainer to catch any dried chunks in there. Paint stores carry a cheap version that will fit over a five gallon bucket. In my neck of the woods there are recycle centers that also collect used paint remnants. That also allow it to go back out for use. Both of these uses can explain some really bad color choices on rental property.