Shelf life of interior latex wall paint ?

does anyone know how long you can keep wall paint around, its an interior latex, used to paint my living room walls, bedroom walls, etc. its been down in my basement for about 3.5 yrs now, i need to touch up some areas, some of the cans are about halfway full and can probably be stirred up and be used, but does the paint lose its quality, luster, etc after a while?





Should I just take the can to the paint store and instead of getting a gallon, just get the small one (quart,pint, whatever its called) and have new paint for touch ups, etc?Shelf life of interior latex wall paint ?
found a few links for you.





http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpa鈥?/a>





Does paint have a shelf life?





Yes, each paint has some type of shelf life, it can get old! There are various reasons paint can get old. Paint in a spray can is quite thin, causing settling much quicker than gallons or quarts. The shelf life on spray cans is about 1-2 years. Paint in fives, gallons and quarts, or most other containers, can expect a shelf life of 2-5 years. The older the paint, the more likely you will encounter problems.





Does interior latex paints have a shelf life?











A. All paints have a shelf life; some shorter and some longer. Waterborne paints such as household (or house) latex paints have a shelf life of six months to one year, depending on ambient temperature conditions. Once you have opened the can of paint, the shelf life may be shorter. Even though the published shelf life of the paint you intend to use may have expired, that does not automatically mean that you should discard it. If the paint appears to mix properly and does not show signs of livering, separation or anything else unusual, you should still be able to use it.





http://www.paintcenter.org/rj/mar04aa.cf鈥?/a>





guess your best bet would be to go to the paint store anyways if its not too far away and just ask the people there if any extra old paint would still be okay to use, if the colors would match up alright.Shelf life of interior latex wall paint ?
all paint is made with an additive in it


which is the outerphase membrane


shelf life for ALL paint is not made to exceed 12 months


it will form a mouldy substance in the can ,tin etc.smell bad and in metal tins eat thru the tin (acetone reaction)


only buy quantitys needed for job and touchups or colour match
Latex will last a long time if stored properly. One important thing is to ensure a proper seal. Someone once told me that it lasts longer if stored upside down, but I wouldn't vouch for that...
You can do that, however, it will not match after 3.5 years, especially if it has a color to it, and even more so if there is any sheen. Chances are you will have to repaint whole walls to blend in properly.