by Chris Harris
If you use high end paints like Farrow & Ball, Annie Sloan, Little Greene or any other premium brand, you’ll know the reality, you rarely use the full tin in one go. Most people open it, paint what they need to paint, and then keep the rest for touching up scrapes, chips, corners and future jobs that crop up over the next few years. And that is precisely when the problems begin.
The Problem With Keeping Paint in Its Original Tin
Paint tins simply aren’t designed for long term, repeated use. ‘It doesn’t say exactly what it should say on the tin’ to sort of quote the old Cuprinol ad.
They’re made for manufacturers, not for homeowners who open and close them dozens of times. Each time you go back to the tin, a little more paint dries in the rim, building a crust that stops the lid sealing properly. Once the seal is compromised, the vacuum disappears and air sneaks in, slowly but consistently. That oxygen exposure forms a skin, thickens the paint, and eventually hardens it altogether. This isn’t carelessness, it’s just the inevitable weakness of metal tins. They fail because the rim becomes contaminated, and even a millimetre of dried paint is enough to let in the air that spoils everything.
How Much Paint Gets Wasted? More Than You Think
In my own case, and in many households I’ve worked in, it’s common to lose between a third and half of a tin of Farrow & Ball or other upmarket brands, simply because it hardens over time. When you consider the price of these paints, often £30–£90 per litre, that waste adds up painfully fast. Multiply that by the various pots you’ve collected over the years for touch ups, and you can easily be throwing away hundreds of pounds’ worth of pigment simply because the storage method is flawed. Most people don’t realise how quickly paint deteriorates once the seal is compromised, nor how much money they’re effectively pouring down the drain by keeping it in tins that were never designed for repeated use.
The Solution: Move the Paint Out of the Tin
The best way to preserve expensive paint is to remove it from its original tin as soon as you’ve finished using it for the first time. Decanting leftover paint into a better sealed, airtight container prevents the oxygen exposure that ruins it. The right container can keep your paint fresh not just for months but for years. I know it is totally obvious, but like so many obvious things, we never think to do them.
Glass Screw Top Jars
Glass screw-top jars, old jam jars, pickle jars, or proper Kilner jars, are among the very best options. They seal tightly, have a clean smooth edge that doesn’t clog, and don’t rust. Their screw down lids provide an airtight closure that paint tins simply cannot match. One of the biggest advantages of glass is that you can see exactly what’s going on inside. You’ll know immediately whether the paint has separated, thickened, or needs stirring. There’s no mystery, no lifting a lid to discover a hardened lump. Glass jars also come in various sizes, making them ideal for storing small amounts of expensive paint you want to keep in perfect condition for touch-ups.
Plastic Screw-Top Washing Tablet Containers
Surprisingly, screw-top washing tablet containers from brands like Surf, Ariel or Fairy also work exceptionally well. They are robust, airtight and have wide mouths that make it easy to pour paint in and out or of course, use just as is. Once washed thoroughly to remove detergent residue, they become highly effective long term storage pots. They’re especially good if you have a larger volume of leftovers. Their durable plastic doesn’t warp, and the screw lid gives a far better seal than a traditional paint tin ever will.
Clip-Top Food Storage Tubs
Clip-top containers such as Lock & Lock, Sistema and IKEA 365+ are another solid choice. They provide a reliable airtight seal, stack neatly on shelves and are easy to label. Although they don’t quite match glass jars for long-term storage, especially for oil-based paints, they are still much better than keeping paint in the original tin.
If You Use Expensive Paint, This Trick Pays for Itself
If you take one tip from this, let it be this: as soon as you finish using a tin of Farrow & Ball, Annie Sloan, or any high-end paint, decant the residual paint immediately into a glass jar or a screw-top plastic container. Fill it as high as you can, wipe the rim before closing it, and store it somewhere cool and dark. Years later, when you need to touch something up, you’ll open that jar and find perfect paint — not a solidified £40 disc of wasted pigments. This simple habit can save you an extraordinary amount of money and makes maintaining your home far easier. Oh, and that faff of the added insult of a trip to the shops to but a tin of paint you assumed incorrectly would still be nice and wet inside!
#StoringPaint #StoppingPaintDryingOut #FarrowandBall #PaintedFurniture #HomeDecoration
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