If you do any sort of painting, I know you can relate to having a fair share of leftover paints from prior projects. So what do you do when there isn’t enough paint left in the can to complete a job, but enough leftover that you feel guilty for throwing it away?
My solution… I’ve been mixing my leftover paints for small projects.
Here’s why I like this idea~
1. Nothing goes to waste and I’m staying green by ‘using’ rather than ‘disposing’.
2. Using up the leftover paint means I can deposit the empty cans into my Recycling Bin to create more space in my work area…yaaaaaay.
3. The process of mixing is fun and rewarding. I take an artistic approach to creating a custom color by getting my fingers right in there and smooshing the colors around like a real AR~TEESTE!
I recently mixed leftover amounts of Annie Sloan’s Old White, CeCe Caldwell’s Simply White and my very own Homemade Chalk/Mineral Paint in a Neutral Beige. I mixed all three together and created a warm Soft Bisque and had enough product to paint two Retro-70’s side tables.
I rarely forget to take before pics but for some odd reason I only took a before pic of one of them??…must have been an off day!
Here are a few things to keep in mind when mixing your leftover paints…
Make Sure The Paint Is Still Usable
Paint does go bad but if properly stored, it’s probably good to use even if it’s old. Give the paint a thorough mixing and see if all the components stir together nicely. If it has rust, dry paint or any other crud in it, not to worry… you can easily strain the paint before mixing your custom colors.
Only Mix The Same ‘Type’ of Leftover Paints
When mixing leftover paints to create your custom color, only mix the same “type” of paint together. Using different brands of paint won’t make any difference, but the paint components will. Super important ~ Water base with water base, oil with oil, chalk/mineral paint with chalk/mineral paint, milk paint with milk paint, interior with interior, exterior with exterior… and so on.
Mixing sheen’s is also fine, however if you mix a flat with a gloss… it will not be as glossy.You’ll know when paints aren’t compatible (for example an oil and water-based) because if you try to mix them, you’ll end up with a lumpy unusable mess.
Mix-Mix and Then Mix Some More
I’ve opened cans where the old paint has looked disgusting but once thoroughly mixed the paint was perfectly fine. The key to mixing leftover paint is to mix the individual paints really well. Strain if needed. Then mix them all together and mix thoroughly again. Mix and mix and than mix some more!
Use A Container With A Lid
I have amazing thoughtful neighbors who provide me with a ton of paint containers. Thank-you Denny&Kim for drinking a lot of Folgers Coffee! The plastic coffee cans are great for mixing and storing paint because they’re a good size and seal with an air tight lid. As seen below, I’ve also used plastic storage containers purchased from a Dollar Store and empty paint cans purchased from a hardware store. Any container large enough with a lid will work! As a bonus, the plastic containers are washable and re-usable.
Mixing Your Own Custom Colors
You can get creative when mixing leftover paints and come up with GORGEOUS custom colors. Whites and off whites can be mixed with any darker color to create a softer hue. Add your colors together slowly so you don’t end up with something unusable.
Keep Any Extra For Touch-Ups
When painting a piece of furniture with a custom color mixed with leftover paints, it’s a good idea if you have any extra to keep it for any touch-ups you may need in the future. Don’t forget to label the your container so you know what piece it was used on.
Do you have any tips on Mixing Leftover Paints… I’d love to hear them!
Happy Painting & Have a Beautiful Day,
Denise x
Hello again... I'm so happy you dropped by! Let's keep in touch! Follow me on social media or sign up for a dose of furniture painting inspiration and diy tutorials. :) 
I am a REALTOR and a seller of mine mixed interior and exterior paint together. Some chemical in the exterior paint when mixed with interior caused the paint to smell like cat urine – and I mean it smelled bad. He had to repaint the rooms over to cover the smell. Just in case – mix interior paint with interior. When I or my clients have extra paint they are going to get rid of – I add it to a 5 gallon bucket and always have paint for projects.
And what steps did he used to fix the smell because I have the same problem now
Great article. Thank you Denise. I mixed a water based exterior dark green shed paint ( for planed wood) with an interior water based white paint to create a light green paint to match the colour on my living room wall. I appreciate that this would not be Ok if I used the new colour externally, but mixing an exterior shed paint ( water based) with interior white gloss ( water based) seem to work. Any comments please? Kind regards
Hi Terry! Hmmm, if I’m understanding correctly, you’re asking if the mixed paints will hold up outdoors? Mixing the interior with the exterior paint (both waterbased) is just fine. However, if you are to use it outdoors in the elements, it may not hold up as well or last as long.
She said it would not be O.K. to use it externally. She used it to match her living room wall.
I have a bright light green paint I need to darken, about 10 shades. If I use black paint to darken it what percentage should I start with?
Hmm, I’m really not sure Rich. When I mix colors I start with a small pallet using a few teaspoons on a plate. I see where that takes me and if I end up with something I like, I use the same proportions in larger quantities for my project. For instance if it looked good with 75% green and 25% black, I would replicate that in cups ie 3 cups green 1 cup black. Another idea is to call your local Sherwin Williams or BM. The associates are super helpful and they may give you an exact recipe. Good luck. 🙂
When mixing paints to make another one darker, add the complementary color. For green paint to be made darker, add red. Complementary colors are the colors that are opposite on the color wheel.
Rich, you have to understand primary and secondary colors. Black is made up of several colors as well as green. I would think that adding anything with black would make it somewhat muddy looking rather than the color you may want.
Thank you for this article! I want to paint my sons’ wooden platform bed but I was unsure what exact color I wanted to go with. And money is tight right now so I am apprehensive about buying a full gallon of paint without being completely certain. But my neighbor had over a dozen sample containers of paint from a previous project- all various colors of grey- and I thought maybe I could take them, mix them together and get something out of it. I’m going to try your suggestions this weekend- mixing them all together, adding some white to lighten the color up a bit, and see how I get on! If it works I’ll have a custom color for no extra cost, and hopefully a new bed for my son! If it doesn’t work- well, it’ll be a fun experiment nonetheless! Thanks again!
I have leftover light grey, would now like to make it a Sandy beige. What color should I add to make it Tanner since I’m not starting with white.
Hmmm, good question Bonnie. I’m not a mixologist so I would suggest calling your local Sherwin Williams or paint store for tips. I also found the article to turn gray to brown and then you could lighten it into a tan by adding a warm white.
Probably bits of brown and yellow paint. and mix small portions at a time until you find a shade you like
Hey there!! Just wondering if one could mix Latex interior/wall paint with Acrylic interior/wall paint or either of those two with a combo latex/acrylic paint? I keep reading so many things on this and can’t seem to find a solid answer but pretty much I want to paint my room and I have some of leftover paint that is either labeled as latex, acrylic, or latex/acrylic. Unfortunately I don’t have enough of either “type” to do the whole job. Can I mix those types of paint together?! What do you think?? Thank
Acrylic and Latex are both waterbased so it should be just fine. You can always mix them together and test them out on a board prior to using them on your walls. It’s a great way to see if it’s the look/color you like and how it will look once dry. 🙂
Hi I have a bunch of paint , different colars water base I would like something light in color any help would be appeceated
Hi John. Experiment with mixing them and use only the light colors or try adding white/creams to your darks. This will lighten them up considerably.
can you mix your colr samples in with the regular paint. Thank you
you sure can.
Thank you – I’m doing a wall mural on 7’x12′ canvas with a limited pallet of browns/beiges/tans. I’ve had the paint shop mix me 11 qts (that’s right 11) color matched to what I wanted. However, I’m needing something in between colors and was about ready to drive back in to have even more qts matched. But I’m going to give this a shot instead. Thank you!
I bought paint and hated the color. Had homedepot retint it and haterd it even more. Took it back home, took all my left over paint started adding and mixin over and over. No everyone comments how lovely the paint color is lol
The stockings that come in a little egg for .33 cents make an awesome strainer-
I’ve also used the cheap acrylic craft paints to tiny things- works really well for anything water based 🙂
OMGosh…I remember those nylons in little eggs but haven’t seen those for years! Now that you’ve reminded me Erin, I’ll have to keep my eyes out for those! I’ve been purchasing the really cheap nylons from the dollar store and they work perfect. 🙂
I know this post is extremely old 20 years but after reading I couldn’t help but feel obligated to comment on the cost of those stockings in the little eggs for $.33 ….even if you could find them now in 2024 they’d probably be $13-20 way more expensive. I mean the dollar tree isn’t even just items for a buck anymore …$1.25 but still the same ole name on the building. DOLLAR TREE