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Paint matching problems - does paint expire?

Hi all,

In November 2013 we had the whole of the inside of the house painted professionally, the walls being done with Taubmans Tradex golden slumber colour.

I purchased some spare Taubmans paint (but not in Tradex as it was only available in 4 ltrs) a few years later to do some touch up and the colour matched perfectly five years later, including some gloss to do a kitchen splash back after som reno in there. I needed to do more touch ups this week and checked what I still had in the garage. I can't recall exactly if the paint in the garage was from the originally purchased paint or was purchased some time later.

I had three tins, one was a sample pot. I'm pretty sure I used the sample pot at one stage to do touch ups at the five year mark and it was a perfect match.

Move forward to this week to my current round of touchups and none of the three poots is a good match. I stirred them all thoroughly but the colour is way off. One thing I noticed after I had stirred the pot was that the colour in the lid was quite different to the rest, probably the tint as it looked about the right colour for a tint. I am assuming that the paint components separated and condensed on the inside of the lid. I did not scrape the lid to put in in the main body of paint.

My question is, does paint go off over time? I recall one of the pots was purchased in 2016, the other in 2018, although I will check on those dates if necessary.

Would it be best to cut a piece out of the wall and take it for colour matching? Or just buy another pot of golden slumber? We are in an area of concern in NSW, so it may not be possible to get a colour match done as I am not sure if either of my two closest Bunnings will reopen next week, although I suspect the one in Castle Hill, NSW will.

If I cut a piece out of the wall, what is the best way to repair it? I have spackle and Unipro top coat and some fibreglass mesh jointing tape.

Regards,

Steve

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Comments

MitchellMc

Hi @SteveC,

I don't doubt that the five-year-old paint could have gone off, or your walls could have discoloured over that time. It sounds a bit unusual that the three-year-old paint would change colour, though. I'd suggest your best bet might be just to get a new sample pot of the Taubman's golden slumber colour mixed up. That would certainly be less work than having to repair your wall. The colour golden slumber shouldn't have changed in eight years. At least if you got a new sample pot and the colour wasn't right, you'd know something is going wrong, like your walls discolouring.

You could also try cleaning your wall thoroughly and then testing the pots. Remember to let the paint dry as the wet paint colour in the can is not how it looks when dry.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

SteveC

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/15252#Comment_15252

Thanks Mitchell,

I did realise this morning I had not cleaned the areas I patched, although they had been rubbed back after I patched the cracks. Good idea to use a sample pot, I'll do that when Bunnings opens up next week.

For some reason, the sample pot, I had, even though old, developed a leak in the bottom, so I had to throw it out.

Regards,

Steve

SteveC

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/15252#Comment_15252

Hi,

My local store advised there were actually two versions of Taubmans Golden Slumber, so I ended up cutting a patch out of the wall and getting a sample pot. However, on the quote for the original paint it was specified as low sheen. The sample pot, although marked low sheen, is actually a slightly shinier low sheen.

Does paint lose its sheen over time or is it more likely the formula has changed and the current sheen is different? Or being a slightly differnt paint (not Tradex), it has a different level of sheen?

Either way it looks like I will have to repaint trhe whole wall to get it looking even.

Regards,

Steve

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/70244#Comment_70244

Hello @SteveC

The answer to your question is yes, paint does lose its sheen over time. Because it is exposed to the sun either directly or indirectly it will fade and lose its lustre over time. Even if the paint specialist matched it spot on, you will still see a slight difference between the old and the new coat of paint.

Please keep us updated, we look forward to seeing your newly painted wall.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

SteveC

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98222#Comment_98222

Hi Folks,

I have another question re technique. I am fairly new to doing this myself, but in the past I have found that acrylic paint dries fairly quickly.

For this particular job, I have to cut in around door frames, floor architraves and the ceilng. When I cut in, how quickly do I need to use the roller around the frames? I am using Taubmans Endure low sheen wall paint.

Any advice on technique would be appreciated.

Regards,

Steve

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/115860#Comment_115860

Hi @SteveC,

It's always best to cut in and then roll that area out as soon as possible. If you're looking for an exact timeframe, I'd say aim for within 30 minutes. Generally, you should be fine cutting in the whole room before rolling the wall. In some circumstances, you might see some lapping, especially if you waited till the next day.

Personally, if I'm not feeling lazy, I tape all the trims off and then roll out one-meter sections on the wall. I use the roller to get as hard up against the tape as possible with minimal gaps. Once I finish that wall section, I stop and take a brush and paint any gaps left between the wall and tape. Once the wall is complete, I remove the tape. I use a similar process for the ceiling but without tape. I cut in a meter length and then roll out the wall underneath. However, in the last few rooms I've done with acrylic, I just taped off the room and cut in all the edges. Hours later, I came back and painted the walls. I didn't see any evidence of lapping.

You should find this step-by-step guide useful: How to paint like a professional.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell

SteveC

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/125878#Comment_125878

Thanks

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