Whether it’s half a can or several samples of different colours, for some reason, many of us have a hard time getting rid of paint. The good news is that so long as the paint has been stored right, you can use it for years to come. If you’ve been holding on to cans of paint thinking you’ll eventually do something with them, here are five simple projects to finally use up that leftover paint.
1. Create an Accent Wall
The great thing about an accent wall is that you don’t need to cover the whole wall with paint. In fact, you can use up the last bit of different coloured paints to create a truly unique design. Take for example this terrazzo-inspired wall design by House on a Sugar Hill. As you can see, this mural uses several different colours that tie in the rest of the home and work together on the wall. This is a simple DIY project that doesn’t necessarily require the help of a pro (unlike bigger painting projects). Get creative and create a truly unique piece of wall art and use up those samples of paint.
2. Refresh Old Accessories
A big trend happening amongst DIY-ers is taking old vases, pots and planters and giving them new life with a fresh coat of paint. This is a particularly good project if you have leftover cans of spray paint you want to use up. You can give them a base coat in one colour and then add details with another. Take a look at the accessories around your house and see which ones can be painted for fun. Or if you’re a fan of thrifting, look for vases with a unique shape that can be easily painted to suit your style. The best part about this project is that it’s easy and fun to do in an afternoon.
3. Small Furniture Updates
While you might not have enough paint left over to paint your entire dresser, you can still update smaller pieces. Think about painting the sides of your drawers for an unexpected pop of colour when you pull them open. Perhaps you have an old chair with a great shape that’s seen better days. Sand it down and spruce it up with some paint to make it work for your home again. Look out for smaller pieces in your home like stools, nightstands or shelves that can be painted.
4. Interior Doors
When it comes to doors, front doors get all the attention. They can come in almost any colour, style and material to suit our home’s design, but what about interior doors? Most often they’re a boring white or wood colour, so why not add some personality with paint? This is a particularly fun project to get kids involved with. Let them get creative and paint the side of the door they will see when the door is closed. This way your hallway will still look uniform, but each child can have a special door on the inside of their room. Even if you don’t have kids, updating a door adds an unexpected pop of colour that will add visual interest to your home.
5. All the Trimmings
This is a great way to use up that half a can of white paint you’ve been holding on to for five years. You can use it to update your baseboards or your window trim. Using a bright white will help both surfaces seem brighter and cleaner. If you’ve had enough of boring white, try updating your window trim in an unexpected colour. Black will always appear chic and modern, but maybe your home is calling for mint or yellow! Whatever colour you choose, updating the various trims in your home will make them look new again.
While we don’t recommend taking on bigger painting projects by yourself, these simple projects are safe to be done without a pro’s help. Round up those old cans of paint and inspect them before you start painting. You can read this article to help you figure out if your old paint is still usable. If it’s good to go, all you need to do is pick a project and get started. Happy painting!
