Fortunately, it is possible to buy the paint you need without breaking your home improvement budget.
Be willing to compromise on color choice
If you’re open to the color choices that are available, you can take advantage of bargains.
Tying yourself down to a particular color – or paint manufacturer – means you’re limiting your options. Which can lead to paying full price rather than buying paint at a lower price point.
Check with your local hardware store(s)
Yes, paint sales are a good way to save on paint.
But often, hardware stores will often have deeply discounted paints. These paints are the result of either paint mixing mistakes or paints returned by customers.
This is where flexibility on color choice can save you a lot of money on paint.
Check the local recycling place
Sometimes people will buy more paint than the job requires. They take their leftover gallons of paint to the recycler rather than dump it.
This is another instance where you can save money if you’re not set on a particular color. Worried you won’t have enough paint to finish the job?
If the paint lid identifies the colors used, a hardware store can very easily mix up another batch for you.
Check online groups
People often sell or give away unused paint on online websites such as Facebook groups, Craigslist or Freecycle.
Take some time in the months before a project to see if people near you are selling – or donating – their leftover paints and you could save a lot of money on your next paint job.
Use a paint calculator
If you’d rather buy a particular color or shade you can easily reduce your costs by only buying the right amount for the job.
To reduce the chances of buying too much paint use a paint calculator to figure out what you need.
You can find these calculators online at your favorite brand paint manufacturer’s website. Or, ask your local hardware store to help you figure out what you need.
Plan to buy before the next three-day weekend
Paint and hardware stores will often put their paints on sale one to two weeks before a three-day weekend.
This is because people often use this time to paint their homes, so these stores expect business to be brisk.
Choose high-quality paint
Buying high-quality paint has several benefits; it will last longer than less expensive paints – which means you won’t be painting again as quickly as you might otherwise.
One coat of high-quality paint goes on smoothly and evenly. It will cover better than less expensive paint, which means you may get away with using fewer coats.
Buy in bulk
If you’re only planning to paint one room, take a look at the rest of your home. Is there another room that may soon need painting?
By purchasing in bulk (e.g. a 5-gallon bucket rather than one to two gallons) you can save more than if you bought paint individually for each room.
Another option for bulk buying paint is to split the cost with a friend, neighbor or family member. By splitting the cost, each of you can save money on your painting project(s) over buying smaller, individual gallons of paint.
You aren’t consigned to spending a fortune on painting your home. All it takes is a little forethought, planning, and flexibility with color choices and you’ll enjoy a beautifully painted home without sacrificing your budget to do it!
