Paint storage -how cold is too cold?

[MTGreen]

I just lost several hundred dollars worth of new paint in gallon cans during the recent cold snap. They were all water base paint both indoor and outdoor varieties along with some primer.
It got unseasonably down in the mid negative 20s here during the worst of it; and coming from the desert southwest it [stupidly] didn't occur to me that paint needed protecting in the winter time.

Obviously this cold snap is an extreme example, but I'm hoping to get some input on what temp paint starts going bad at?
And is oil based any different?

 

[4570Man]

I’m not a chemist but does getting colder once it’s already frozen change anything? I’d say once it’s at it’s freezing temperatures it’s ruined.

 

[MTGreen]

I’m not a chemist but does getting colder once it’s already frozen change anything? I’d say once it’s at it’s freezing temperatures it’s ruined.

I would agree but I think my question really is what temp does paint freeze at because I'm fairly certain it's a lower temp than water

 

[4570Man]

Google says water based paint freezes at or at least close to the freezing temp of water which makes sense. Oil based can go colder.

 

[MossRoad]

I just lost several hundred dollars worth of new paint in gallon cans during the recent cold snap. They were all water base paint both indoor and outdoor varieties along with some primer.
It got unseasonably down in the mid negative 20s here during the worst of it; and coming from the desert southwest it [stupidly] didn't occur to me that paint needed protecting in the winter time.

Obviously this cold snap is an extreme example, but I'm hoping to get some input on what temp paint starts going bad at?
And is oil based any different?

It's water based paint. It's not flammable. Store it inside. I keep mine in my basement.

 

[oosik]

I found several gallon cans of lead based paint when we moved here in '82. Barn red. Was something the old homesteader intended to use.

I used it to paint one of my out buildings. The sunny side shows some fading - the shaded side is still bright and crisp. That out building was built and painted in '83.

Lord knows how many times that paint had wintered temps below freezing.

I've stored water based paint out in one of my out buildings and still used it. It still worked OK.

However - now I DO store all paint here in the spare bedroom in the main house.

One of my gallon cans has a price tag on it - $7.95. Boy - is that ever ancient history.

 

[MTGreen]

The sunny side shows some fading - the shaded side is still bright and crisp. That out building was built and painted in '83.

There sure was a reason lead was added to paint. Lasted forever. I had a 77 Ford pickup that I sold around 2005 (& later regretted) that had the original orange lead based enamel still in great shape from the dry desert climate. The sun would murder the lead free 2 stage paint on my newer vehicles within 2-6 years depending on color (white lasted longest)

 

[dougtrr2]

I worked at a manufacturer that stored 55 gallon drums of paint outside in an unheated shed (Nebraska). The paint lines were notorious for waiting until the last minute to call for new barrels. Purchasing couldn't figure out why the thinner costs skyrocketed in winter.

Doug in SW IA

 

[ray66v]

Consider building an insulated closet, out in your shop or garage.

I have the space under the second floor steps enclosed, insulated, and I installed an exterior door on it. The water line enters this space, and my air compressor is also in there. So, they should be heated anyway.

That leaves a decent amount of room for any products that I don't want to freeze, which I do not want to house in the bathroom out there.

The entire space is heated to + or - 50F with a 100 watt light bulb, dimmed down to about 60 watts. (If you dim a bulb that much, it will not normally ever burn out).

Some people will not want to hear this, but, this space will not freeze with no heat at all, because it's completely inside the building. I have had a remote thermometer on it for years, and done lots of testing. It will flirt with getting in to the low 30's F, during the coldest parts of winter, But, water will not freeze in it. So, if you're really cheap, you can build it, and probably not even heat it.

 

[not2old]

Consider building an insulated closet, out in your shop or garage.

I have the space under the second floor steps enclosed, insulated, and I installed an exterior door on it. The water line enters this space, and my air compressor is also in there. So, they should be heated anyway.

That leaves a decent amount of room for any products that I don't want to freeze, which I do not want to house in the bathroom out there.

The entire space is heated to + or - 50F with a 100 watt light bulb, dimmed down to about 60 watts. (If you dim a bulb that much, it will not normally ever burn out).

I use trouble light bulbs to heat some dog houses where first responder supplies are kept. They are 130V and will last several years turned on constantly for about six months at a time. Years ago, I set up four 25W lamps in parallel to accomplish the same thing in some utility rooms attached to condos. If one burnt out, you would still have some heat left.

 

[ray66v]

I use trouble light bulbs to heat some dog houses where first responder supplies are kept. They are 130V and will last several years turned on constantly for about six months at a time. Years ago, I set up four 25W lamps in parallel to accomplish the same thing in some utility rooms attached to condos. If one burnt out, you would still have some heat left.

Incandescent traffic signal, and rough service trouble light bulbs have heavier filaments. Makes them inefficient at making light, but good for longevity. Neither are easy to get anymore.

I have a back up heater in my outdoor closet. Another bulb, on a photo eye. It will come on if the first bulb fails.

That hasn't happened yet.

There is also a built in, 300 watt baseboard heater in there, which I don't ever use.

 

[ponytug]

I just lost several hundred dollars worth of new paint in gallon cans during the recent cold snap. They were all water base paint both indoor and outdoor varieties along with some primer.
It got unseasonably down in the mid negative 20s here during the worst of it; and coming from the desert southwest it [stupidly] didn't occur to me that paint needed protecting in the winter time.

Obviously this cold snap is an extreme example, but I'm hoping to get some input on what temp paint starts going bad at?
And is oil based any different?

Ouch! Sorry for the loss, but yes, you need to store water based paints above 32F. Oil based paint can survive colder, but you don't want to really to that either, @oosik's (and mine), notwithstanding.Oil paints that get cold may take more shaking/stirring to get the pigments and oils back in to a uniform suspension. Try to keep them above 40F or so.

Side note, unless you get special cold weather latex / acrylic paint, most of them have a 24 hour low temperature minimum of 50F plus or minus. Sherwin-Williams makes a low temperature latex good down to just above freezing (at the paint surface!).

All the best,

Peter

 

[MTGreen]

I like the multiple incandescents and photo eye ideas for backup heating

 

[Too many Kubotas]

A couple of years ago I put a couple of cans of Cat paint outside after noticing that they seemed to have become solid. Considered them done.

Well, after having been down to -22, then warmed up to about 40 degrees, I realized they now felt like there's liquid inside. Haven't opened one yet, but it'll be interesting to see if the paint survived.

 

[5030]

One thing I always do is when I store partially opened cans of paint of any formulation, I always store them with the lid down. I keep mine in my heated shop all the time, winter and summer and summer it's air conditioned anyway.

 

[ponytug]

I like the multiple incandescents and photo eye ideas for backup heating

If you end up going the incandescent bulb route, you try might try wiring two lamp sockets in series, or use a 240V bulb on a 120V socket. The lower voltage converts more of the energy to heat directly, and the low voltage on the filament makes for a longer life. (It is similar to @ray66v's trick with a dimmer, but fewer components to fail.)

All the best,

Peter

 

[ray66v]

One thing I always do is when I store partially opened cans of paint of any formulation, I always store them with the lid down.

Some chemicals can develop pressure under the right conditions, and can break the seal. if it's upside down, it's a mess. Especially, if its something really sticky.

I run 1" wide aluminum foil tape around the top, and press it down firmly, sealing the lid.

Aluminum foil tape comes in 1" wide rolls, or you can cut a strip of the 2" wide stuff down.

This tape also works well around the necks of paint hardener cans, and other things that are hard to reseal, like calking tubes.

 

[5030]

Never had an issue with the lids coming loose actually.