Home Improvement Hack: How To Save Leftover Paint with Plastic Wrap

If you bought paint recently, you know that good quality paint is not cheap, so when you buy a gallon you want to make sure you use every drop of it.  So, if you finish a project and end up with half a gallon of paint, you’ll probably want to store it safely so you can reuse it next time.

Now, although the can is half-filled with paint it’s also half filled with air, and that air can cause problems. For instance, a thick skin will form on the top layer of the paint, making it almost impossible to use next time.

This happens, not only with paint, but also with clear-coat varnishes and sealers, so to save the leftovers, you’ll want to seal out as much air as possible before you tuck it away in the garage or storage shed for safe keeping.

That’s where your simple household plastic food wrap comes in.  Yes!  Simply pull off piece of it and lay it right on top of the leftover paint in the can.  Let’s make this absolutely clear:  you don’t put the plastic wrap over the top of the can – you set it as carefully as you can on top of the paint, right on the paint itself, and then press it against the sides of the can (it’s a good idea to wear some disposable gloves when you do this to keep paint from getting all over your hands and under your fingernails).

So once the plastic’s sitting right on the paint like that, just replace the lid and store the paint. Then when you’re ready to paint again, just pull off the lid carefully.

Remove the plastic from the inside (have a trash can handy) – the paint will be fresh and ready for a new coat!

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Photo Credit:  Hugh Adams / Shutterstock.com