Oops Paint! Containers

When in the Home Depot paint section of the store, I sometimes notice the tiny sample containers on a shelf in the paint mixing area that have been tinted and marked down to 50 cents.  These containers exist at this marked down price, because the customer who ordered the sample did not return to pick-up and pay for the container. 

A handful of times, I have picked-up a container or two, as the colors are to my liking and it gives me the opportunity to experiment with how a specific color or shade will work in a room at my house.

• Note:  I use a heavy stock print paper similar to the glossy paper that they use for finger painting to brush the sample on.  Let it dry and then move the sample to different areas of the room to ascertain if the shade works or not.

Also, some of the sample and quart cans of Oops Paint! I have purchased to use as neutral primers for walls and woodwork (a friend that painted commercially gave me the tip on using this type of paint as an inexpensive primer); potential touch-up paint and future fun paint for a small project, i.e. a chair or a birdhouse, etc. 

(Note:  Two sample, pint sized containers of white were sufficient quantity to prime the drywall on the half bath ceiling for $1 total.  No leftover primer and I was able to throw away the containers once I was finished.)

50 cents - sample pint size jar

$1. - quart size can

$5. - gallon size bucket

When I was purchasing the full priced, gallons paints this afternoon, I learned from one of the paint associates that the Oops paint! in many of the cans does not match the color that is indicated on top of the container (sticker and a small dried sample).

One of those little tid bits that you have to know or else potentially be duped and frustrated when you finally open the container to paint.

The rational as to why the colors do not always match is that they had a trend of customers ordering paint to be tinted.  Then they wouldn't pick it up and pay full price.  But, would return at a later date and purchase the $25 gallon can of paint for $5 from the Oops Paint! section for a fraction of the MSRP.  Thus the slight trickery on Home Depots part to thwart the customer trying not to pay full price for a color that they ordered.

Ask an associate to open the container for you and check the content color prior to purchasing. 

They will also safely seal up the container once it is opened and shake the can/bucket for you, if requested, for immediate project use.

HAVE FUN:
For $5. a one gallon of semi-gloss paint is enough product to change the color of the walls in a bathroom and/or experiment with one of the latest designer trends of painting a ceiling using a colored paint.

Back in the day, as a Girl Scout, we all had to bring a can of soup for dinner the first night of camping.  No directions as to what type of flavor, etc.  Just a can of soup. 

To our surprise, the counselors mixed it all together in a big stock pot and we had what they called "Witches Brew".  Surprisingly, it was tasty.  I mention this, as I have thought that someday, when I have an odd assortment of paints that I might end up experimenting with my own "Witches Brew" of paint colors and tackle an unfinished area such as a garage or shed interior.

Just this past week, my neighbor and I were in a trendy housewares boutique in Historic Fredericksberg, VA and upon careful inspection, I  noticed that they had painted a long wall of the shop on a gradient of pastel shades of pink with verticle sections down the wall and where the different colors met they blended the two colors together.  It looked fabulous with the contrast of the bright, pastel shade of green apple on the other walls in the shop space.

:)