Is your indoor space squeezed, and the only room left to store your items is in the garage? Most of the time, people use this space to keep various items, especially those they’re not about to use.
You can store paint in the garage. The Ideal temperature of the garage should be between 60 to 80 degrees. Otherwise, temperature conditions like too hot or cold will damage the paint. Ensure to airtight the can’s lid if you’re storing used paint cans.
You need to be careful with the temperature before storing your paint in the garage. To understand more about this, read this informative article.
Is it Right to Store Paint in the Garage?
You can store your paint in the garage if it’s heated. But if it’s an unheated garage that’s likely to be damp most of the time, your paint will separate and become unusable. Extreme garage temperature will spoil your paint if you leave them there for long.
However, you should note that the current, versatile paints can handle various ranges of temperatures over a short time. But if you’re to store your paint in the garage for longer, it’s advisable to do that if the garage’s temperature is always between 60- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit.
Effects of Storing Paint in the Garage
During the summer, the heat in your garage, especially when closed, will interfere with the paint’s consistency, color, and water level. The heat will also leave your paint thick, but if you leave it for long, it will become a rubbery block that’s not useful at all. So, if your garage is not temperature controlled, it’s not the best place to store your paint.
How Long Can I Store My Paint in the Garage?
Paint can last over ten years if you’ve got a consistent cool and dry temperature in the garage and properly seal the paint in a suitable container. This is if it’s a latex or water-based acrylic paint.
If you’ve got oil-based or alkyd paints, they can last up to 15 years. In this case, your unopened paint will retain its liquids and be semi-solid, but the ingredients may separate.
Where Should You Store Your Paint in The Garage?
If you want to use your paint after some time in the store, it’s advisable to look for a cool and dry place. This place should also have low moisture content with controlled temperature. It will rust if you store your metal paint cans in a wet room. If your paint’s can/ lid is rusty, when you open it, the rust will fall on the paint, which will affect it. But don’t place the paint cans on concrete floors as they’ll encourage rusting.
How To Store Paint in an Uninsulated Garage?
If you happen to have lots of paint you’re to use in the future and want to store them in an uninsulated garage, be creative. This means you need to design an insulated enclosure for your paint in the garage. Then create a wire rack where you’ll protect the paint from the cold floors. After that, insulate the garage’s floor and cover the lower part of the rack to close any gaps where cold can pass through.
Place OSB rigid foam insulation foam and scrap pegboard on the floor under the rack. Then place them on top of the serpentine channel, which you made using scrap vinyl. After that, you can store your paint in the garage as you’ve insulated it.
Tips to Store Your Paint
Check On the Paint’s Storage Temperature
Before you store your paint, regardless of the location, it’s advisable to consider the paint’s recommended storage temperature. This means you need to feel the temperature of the room where you’ll be storing your paint.
If you’ve got water-based paint, it’s best not to keep it in colder rooms as it can freeze there. But the oil-based paints tend to withstand any temperature without freezing or getting spoilt.
Get Good Storage Containers
Another thing that you should put in mind before storing your paint is the container you’ll use. A good storage container will keep your paint in perfect shape and usable in the future. Ensure the container doesn’t have any dents, and if it has, replace it with a new one from the local hardware.
Alternatively, you can use a vacuum-sealed jar for this. Also, make sure no traces of paint go on the lid, and the edges of the container, as this will give you a hard time opening it when it dries up. This is because the paint will glue the lid on the container. Then thoroughly close the lid to avoid air escaping into the container drying the paint before time.
Label Your Paints
If you’ve different paints, don’t forget to label their lids, noting down where to use them. Doing this will prevent further confusion when you’re about to use them, and you can’t tell which is which as paints containers are similar. It will also prevent you from opening every tin when identifying them, affecting those you’re not yet using.
Also, note down the color codes and number display so that you won’t have challenges if you need similar paint in the future.
Place Your Paints in A Central Location
Whether you store your paints in the basement or garage, ensure you keep them centrally where you can easily reach and remember them. Let this place have a favorable temperature and not damp to affect the quality of your paint or make it unusable.
Places to Store Paint in House
- Basement
- Garage
- Cupboard
- Attic
Bottom Line
Paint can be stored in the garage at a controlled temperature. If the garage is too hot or cold, it can spoil the color. Properly stored new Cans of Paint can last over 10 years. However, opened cans can last approximately two years.
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