Storing Extra Auto Paint ???
 

I've done a search & didn't turn up anything obvious. Question concerns this: I have about 8 oz. of extra paint left over from having my car painted. It was given to me by the painter, and now it's about 5 years old. It's PPG base coat (Irish Green), and was stored in a plastic, sealed, air tight container. I decided to transfer it to a small can (new). The paint, though liquid, was about the consistency of honey. My questons are: 1. Is the paint still good? 2. Is it worth keeping? 3. Can I thin it down with thinner? 4. If so, what kind & how much? I'm not knowledgeable about auto paints, so any info will help. I wanted to keep it in case it would be good for touch up, but if that's not practical, I'll just toss it. I can check back later & thanks.

at this point if the paint is no longer in a thin liquid state then that tells me most of the solvents in things like the binder have evaporated making the paint NO good . solvent based paints should be stored in a mettal can not plastic . it should be stored were the temp is the same all year round about 68 degrees and low humidity . take the info off the label or the label its self and keep it were you know were it is . take the top off the can and lat the rest of the paint in the can dry and then trach it .

Thanks a bunch. That's what I was afraid of. The painter gave it to me in the plastic container almost 5 years ago, and I just put it in a new metal paint can. I'll discard it & keep a swatch for color reference. They got rid of the can, so I can't get the label.

Next time, seal the top shut with a non-porous tape, and store the can upside-down.