Does house paint go bad?

[DeadHeadHorn]

I need to do some touching up on some spots in my house before we move out, and there's a bunch of old paint lying around. Does it need to be replaced or just shaken up. It's oil-based and probably three years old.

Call me a cheap bastard, but I'd prefer to save a few bucks as we're already getting ****** on the security deposit.

 

[Agamemnon]

I'd be interested in know this, too. I opened a 5 gallon can of semi-gloss that a contractor had used at my duplex. It had been about 4 months since it had last been used and I got this whaff of bad milk scent. Blew me away. I tossed it out and bought new paint but I never really knew if it was "bad" or not.

 

[Agent007]

I am led to believe that if the can has been opened, then it will go bad after a short period of time. Exposure to air could also potentially affect the hue of the paint. I always hear people that say to buy extra paint when you start so you can save it and do touch ups later, but if the paint has been continually exposed to open air then i think it can go bad or change hue.

 

[gecko]

My house is being painted today...so I asked a professional if oil based goes bad and the answer is, "no". They said there may be a scum that forms on the top of the paint...scrape that away and have it shaken.

 

[MilkmanDan]

I touched up some spots in our house using a can of paint left behind in the garage by the previous owners. After it dried, I realized that it had yellowed noticeably. The can wasn't perfectly sealed, which probably contributed to the change in color.

 

[hollisdude]

In Houston, opened paint cans will spoil and mold very quickly. Best advice I ever got was to always get the paint codes of the mixtures so you can get an exact match later on at the store.

 

[DeadHeadHorn]

Thanks for all the help. I think I'll try my luck just buying some primer.

 

[wolfman]

You might as well try to use the paint that you have. If there is a problem with it you can always just paint over it.

I agree with Hollis on the paint codes. I needed to paint my bathroom a while back with enamel and wanted to match the color or the water based paint in the rest of the house. I had a can of the water based paint that was over 5 years old but you could still make out the color combination code on the label on the lid. I took it to Home Depot and they used the code to mix a gallon of enamel that was a perfect match.