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Concerned about age / shelf life of paint

10K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  jeffnc 
#1 ·
About 6 years ago, I replaced the siding on my house with Hardie lap siding and had it painted with Valspar DuraMax paint available at Lowe's. I want to put another coat on at this point and went to Lowe's to find the same paint that was used before, only to discover that they have a few gallons of this specific ready-to-apply white that were produced in 2006. Scouting a few other local stores, I was able to find one gallon from 2009 but the rest are 2006. I'm concerned about this paint having sat on the shelf for more than 6 years... Are my concerns justified or am I just over thinking things (as I tend to do)?

Thanks!

-Mason
 
#2 ·
As long as it hasn't rusted the bucket or frozen, which is less likely if it's been sitting on the shelf at the store instead of in some neglected warehouse, then paint can last indefinitely. I'd have them shake it well and open the can to check for lumps, rust, or a sour smell. The sour smell would suggest it's gone bad, usually due to freezing. If it all looks and smells fine I wouldn't have an issue using it, other than it being Valspar, which I wouldn't recommend anyway.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hiya Mason....

How do you know the paint was made in 2006? ...or 2009? I'm not familiar with Valspar's can dating, but most companies code the dates so that not just anyone can identify the age of their paint. Not that I'm doubting you, but it'd be highly unlikely that Lowes (especially Lowes) would have any outdated paint on their shelves from Valspar due to the terms of inventory management between the two companies. Even if a few dated gallons slipped by the Valspar rep who handles such matters for Lowes, to have a finish white that has become outdated is almost unheard of. Whites simply don't stay on the shelves that long. Couple all that with the tremendous amount of gallonage moved by Lowes, it'd be extremely odd if you were to find any material older than 2-3 years - again, especially whites.

I could be wrong (I often times am), but I was not even aware they were making DuraMax 6 years ago...

Anyway, let's say the paint is 6+ years old. The generally accepted standard for latex paints is 5 years from manufacture to performance obsolescence - and that, of course, is predicated on the premise the material has been stored safely and kept from freezing.

Assuming all that, it would be a crap shoot as to how well the product over 5 years old may perform - it may be absolutely fine...it may not coalesce properly...the lifespan may be significantly diminished...properties such as mold/mildew resistance may be adversely affected, if not actually contributing to mold and mildew growth...flexibility may be diminished...ect. etc. - Probably not, but possibly. Obviously if there are clumps or clots that can't be mixed back into suspension, I wouldn't use it - and unfortunately, the smell test may not be the most dependable way to determine the products efficacy.

In my opinion, if those products really are the age you say, it'd be a shame to pay the kind of money for a product like Dura-Max ($30+/gallon?) and not be able to definitively say if the product is viable before an issue of non-performance becomes evident on your siding.
 
#4 ·
What caught my attention regarding the age was that the DuraMax gallons got a facelift as far as the styling on the label a couple of years back, but this particular color I planned to purchase again had the old-school labels still. I'm basing the date somewhat arbitrarily based on the year of the copyright statement on the label, and since I've found labels with 2006 and 2009 for this specific product / color, I'm speculating that the dates on the labels represent the year of production. I can't help but think that the ones marked 2006 are possibly the exact same cans that were there when my new siding was first installed and painted... I'm headed that way later today and will try to grab a couple of photos to show what I've described.

Thanks poppameth and ric for the thoughtful replies, I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on this and think I'd be better off going with something (as I've seen recommended in other forum posts here) like SW Superpaint which most certainly won't have been gathering dust on a shelf for 6+ years... :)

-Mason
 
#5 ·
The copyright date on the labels have more to do with printed information regarding the product - specifically VOC compliancy for that particular time period (those issues would've changed between 2006 & 2009). Most commonly, the date of manufacture is stamped on top (or bottom) of the can and, again, is usually coded.

While I don't disagree with your thought on using SW SuperPaint (some folks here really think highly of it), DuraMax is not a bad product on it's own...and, believe it or not, most Lowes stores will move more gallons of consumer grade paint off their shelves than most SW stores will - so, as mentioned earlier, I really don't think you'd have an issue with purchasing out-dated paint from Lowes.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.
 
#6 ·
I recently did a few touch ups on trim for a customer that I was only supposed to paint walls for.The trim paint was SW super paint in semi-gloss.The paint had been stored for 13 years! It stirred up,looked and smelled ok.I painted base in one bedroom with it and touched up a couple door frames it looked fine although I warned her that it may be trouble down the road.Time will tell.
 
#7 ·
I don't think I would trust those cans from 2006 unless they allowed me to OPEN them in the store, that's 7 years it's been sitting in those cans, these chemicals and substances just don't last indefinitely sitting in liquid like that.
I know from experience that every can of latex paint I've ever bought that has sat around for months developed MOLD in them, even with the lids closed well.
I normally buy quarts of black, yellow and red for my sculpture finishes, I use very little since I normally take a few spoonfulls of paint and mix it with water to make a stain from.
So the paint may sit for months at a time in the original can, I go to use some and there's a chunk of mold on the top of the paint in the closed up can every time.

I know at work they have dozens and dozens of gallon cans of paints and stains any where from months to years old stored in the basement. I opened one can once of an oil based stain, and it had settled badly, mixing it back up for 10 minutes it never really mixed, but left a sort of gritty/granular crud that wouldn't dissolve, it also had a foul odor and was "watery" it was like the chemicals had broken down and deteriorated.
 
#8 ·
Due to low-VOC content in latex paints, they do not withstand freeze/thaw cycles at all anymore. Of course, a lot depends on the seal on the can lids, in addition to where the cans are stored. General rule of thumb is 2-3 years. As recommended here, stir or shake the material, check for lumps and settling, in addition to a spoiled smell.
 
#9 ·
As long as the ingredients didn't seperate and harden in the can then you should be ok. As RWolff mentioned paint can have a foul odor indicating it is bad or on it's way out.
 
#10 ·
If paint is kept tightly sealed, and there is little air in the can (for exmaple, it's full), and no contaminants have gotten in (including mold spores), and the can has been stored at room temperature, it should be fine. That's a lot to ask for, but if it came from the factory and has not since been opened, you have a better shot at it.
 
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