How to tell when interior paint has gone bad...

[cycosis]

I found a can of acrylic egg shell white paint in my basement, tis a full can but it looks as though it has a small layer of clear liquid (water?) on top fo the paint, maybe an inch thick. Is this alright? How do I tell if the paint has gone bad?

[spikerS]

mix it up, and paint a scrap piece of drywall, and see what happens.

separation is normal for alot of paints.

[bignerd]

Just be sure to shake really well, you are actually best off to go back to home depot and have them do it for you. Usually when it has gone bad the tint starts to discolor as well. (In your case the white would not be white anymore, more yellow or rusty colored.).

[Masked Bandit]

Take it to a store that sells the same brand and ask them to shake it.

If it froze solid at some point it will look like oatmeal. If it's REAL old it can go bad but it will stink like something rotten. After a good shake it will most likely be fine.

[cycosis]

Thx

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
...it will look like oatmeal.

This.

Out of all the years I've been painting, I've only ever had one can go bad and it was a tin of latex ceiling paint that must have been exposed to poor conditions at one point.

All you have to do is take the stir stick and give it a whirl... if it mixes back together again into a smooth, consistent form, it's good to go.

I've had half used cans sit for 5-7 years and they are still good to go after a good shake/mix.

[89s1]

be careful if you shake your paint or stir it very vigorously to let it sit moment to allow the air bubbles that develop inside to escape.

You can end up with small bubbles in the paint that will dry and pop and look like total hell.