You know that feeling when you are sitting on the couch, relaxing, feet up, and getting a neck massage? And then the person massaging your neck won’t stop asking if they can also massage your feet? Well, neither do I. But let us subtract the massage for a minute and continue with the rest of the visual. So you are sitting on the couch and you look at the wall and notice that there is a scratch on the wall. Well you actually didn’t just notice it, you have been looking at it for 8 months and every time you sit down and see it, you tell yourself ” I have to paint that little spot on the wall. I will bring in the paint can from the garage when I get a chance.” Sound familiar?
Every home gets nicks here and there from moving furniture, kids playing, and even cleaning. Which is why you shouldn’t clean. Did I just write that? I meant, which is why you should have a different system for leftover paint storage, other than the paint cans in the garage.
I have mentioned before that we haven’t painted the interior of our home for almost 10 years. Recently, I painted the boys bathroom, our master bathroom and the dining room but all the existing paint was in pretty good condition, we just wanted to update the colors. I was able to push off painting for as long as I did, thanks to this system (and good quality paint, of course).
My tip: I always store a little bit of the paint from each room, in these small Rubbermaid containers. Any airtight container will do, so the paint doesn’t dry out.
I take the leftover paint can and fill up the little tub. The paint cans will go into the garage when I am done. I won’t be using the cans unless I need to paint a whole wall. Who wants to deal with opening up rusted cans of paint just to touch up a small area on a wall? Not I.
I label the container with the name of the paint color and the room it was used in. When I am done I store them all inside a closet the house.
If you have a playroom you know that it is not “if” the wall gets scratched, but “when” the wall gets scratched. And when they do, have a “paint stash” and little brushes close by to fix the problem. If it’s a really small nick, I have even used a cotton swab to paint over the area.
So grab one of these tubs and fix that little annoying scratch so that you can finally relax on the couch. It will be one less pain in the neck. And then you won’t need the massage.
Am I alone here, or do these little things annoy you too?
-Maria
sedrate organizes says
If I store the paint in an opaque container then I paint a big spot on the lid so I know what colour it is. Sometimes even with the label I have no clue. And on the label I write how they mixed the paint, so many drops red, so many blue, etc.
Maria says
That is a great idea! Especially, writing down the specific formula. Thank you for sharing that!
Renew Your Space says
Fantastic post – Getting ready to paint our new home 🙂 Got to keep it all organized!
Maria says
Thank you! Congrats on the new home!
– Maria