apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Never used it, although I know some thrifty bloggers have.

The way I see it, my "budget" fixes in my house (since we can't afford the full-blown restoration) really only include paint and wood. I spend hours agonizing over whether the gray I picked out has too much blue or too much brown. And I love that part of the process. I am clucking my tongue about how this white has a blue undertone and not gray, and my hubby just says OK. He can't tell the difference.

My ever-growing collection of paint swatches, and sample cans, makes me happy. And don't you try to take that away, dammit!! ;)

My local paint store occasionally has a sale on mismatches. The call it "Old Blind Bill's" sale ... Bill being, well, you get it.

Last time I looked, around September, our local Home Depots were selling the oops paint at 1 dollar per quart and 5 dollars per gallon, which is a steal. Selection changes daily, and they sometimes have some very nice colors. And you can always try adding a little colorant yourself.

Also, I am told that when a customer returns an unsatisfactory color, the paint department adds pigment to it before putting it on the bargain shelf. This is so someone can't return a can of paint and then surreptitiously buy it back for the lower price.

Ha ha! My living room is this color because it was a Mis_Mix! After 4 years, I'm sick of it, and ready for something else... but it was great for when we first moved in and were BROKE... wait, I'm still broke... but I'd like to pretend I'm not by painting my house sophisticated colors of my choice.

The key to any paint is purchasing a quality (usually higher priced) paint. If you like a mis-mixed color, compare its value with correctly mixed paints of the same brand. Also use a good quality brush and/or rollers. The better the paint the smoother the application. Mis-mixed paint is only as good as its quality, no matter the color.

I quit buying real primer a long time ago - 90% of the time you can find at least 2 gallons of mis-tint primer in the oops section, and one of them is bound to be somewhere in the middle your current and future wall colors.

I just finished painting my bathroom a couple of weeks ago with the perfect pale blue/green/grey and I am so delighted that it only cost 3 dollars because of its "oops" status. I am also incredibly thankful that I had enough of the paint (I used every bloody drop of it--and it was all necessary) because there was no recipe for the colour on the top of the can. So, although I was lucky I didn't need anymore in this case, I'm a tad disappointed I do not know the mystery colour as its something I would like to use again when I move, or in another room perhaps.

My favourite paint store buys mis-tints from another city 2 hours away ... gallons and gallons of it. When I'm wanting to repaint I stop in frequently and have gotten very very lucky - excellent quality paint for only $7 per gallon! It's great for someone like me who likes change ...

Sholt, try yanking a piece of dried paint off the can to use as a sample. They may be able to match it if you liked it that much.

I have had nothing but good luck with mis-mixed paints. Last summer I found a great green for my out door furniture for about $8 a gallon! Such a great deal for good exterior paint. I have also had luck at the Habitat for Humanity store, lots of places donate mis-mixed to them.

I had no idea there was such a thing! It comes a bit late for me now as I sold my home last yr.(yeah!!) but I will keep this in mind for future reference.
My understanding is what notsocooldad says that the quality of the paint and better rollers and brushes are key to a good paint job.
Thanks for the tip.

I stop by Home Depot when I drive by JUST to look at the Oops paint and the carpet remnants. We painted our current apartment exclusively with Oops paint. I even found a gallon of that Freshaire paint in the color I wanted for 5 bucks! It's the best when you've been agonizing over the paint samples and then find an even better color on sale.

I found a high gloss black in the Oops area for a $1! I painted my bathroom cabinets. That was the best dollar I ever spent!

I almost always use "oops paint" when painting anything (i.e. every room in my house). I set out with clear color goals in mind and paint chips in hand, and search until I find what I need. It does help that I have 5 or so large hardware/paint retailers in a very small radius (the Midwest does it DIY), so I usually find what I'm looking for. $2.50 - $5 a gallon for premium paint is nothing to scoff at.

One of the tricks I use if I need more than one gallon for a room is to find 2 or 3 gallons that are close in color, then dump all of them into 1 large 5 gallon paint bucket and mix. Then I have plenty of the same color to triple-coat whatever I want.

I love oops paint... if it doesn't work, I can mix it up into another hue using the oops as a base... too ambitious for many, yes, but times are tough and I groove on stuff like that.

In my last apartment, the bedroom was painted with Ralph Lauren Paint in Red Flannel that I found in the oops section for $5 bucks. I've used oops paint successfully for years.

Miss Jess... thanks for the tip on mixing several similar colors together. Never thought of that!

I just commented on this HERE:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/painting-fixing-repair/mistint-paint-an-affordable-paint-option--074434#comments

Do AT bloggers take the time to read their own blog? A LOT of reposts lately...

Regardless, mismatched or "Oops" paint is a great option for flexible and thrifty designers.

That's exactly the same color of my mismatch can of paint I left in a closet at my old apartment! Good rollers are a must for deep colors--you need less coats.

We've had nothing but good luck with mis-mixed paint. Sure, the available colors are always hit-or-miss, but sometimes you can get some real gems. And a gallon of paint for $5? You can't beat that!

Honestly, just get the regular color you want without this mis-mixed paint. What do you save, $7-10?? And it may not even be the brand, quality, type, color you want?

$10 = 2 trips to Caribou ... not a big deal & a worthy investment.

Um $7-$10 per gallon. That is enough for lunch or dinner. And if you need more than one gallon, it adds up pretty fast. When you're on a budget, every dollar counts.

Zuke, many projects cost a lot more than a gallon of paint and $7-10 adds up really quickly. Plus, if I can get a color I love for $7-10 less, why spend more? That's like a dinner out for me, or several gallons of gas.

You don't get it, Zuke. Finding an Oops paint -- or any thrift/salvage item -- and using it to do the job of a more costly version adds to our fun.

And there's always that element of serendipity, of finding a color or something you weren't looking for and realizing how wonderful it is.

i've used mistinted paint on a few of my furniture projects. i usually don't have any color in mind, so i just find a can that i like. even when i'm not working on something, i check the mistint shelf at Home Depot just to see if there's anything good. of course as a result i have 2 unopened quarts in my closet right now, but hey, they were only $1 each.

but i think if i were painting a whole room, getting the color to be exactly right would definitely be worth the extra money.

No no, I completely understand the benefits of finding and using an Oops paint. It'd be a great find and a rewarding feeling! I just feel that too often you would find a color you really didn't have in mind, so it'd be more of settling for the color instead of implementing the color you've been dreaming of. And I think finding that dreamt color is worth a $7-10 opportunity cost. I'll eat left-overs for that satisfaction.