Hot Rod Forum banner

paint left in shop all winter

869 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  chas350 
#1 ·
I left a gallon of PPG Omni acrylic urethane in my unheated shop last winter, along with the hardener (not mixed)
ls it still good? I live in Connecticut. I purchased this for my sons truck but never got to it,yet.
What about the epoxy primer and urethane surfacer? with their hardeners?
I was in the paint store today and asked what the shelf life was, and was informed that it likely is N/G after being frozen. :pain:
I always thought a solvent based product was impervious to cold. :confused:

Please...tell me it isnt so.
 
#3 ·
I plan on bringing my paints, primers in out of the cold this winter. It cannot hurt.
I have used Dupont Centari that was 10 or fifteen years old. One can was fine, another had turned to gell.
If you are really worried about using old paints, do a test panel first.
 
#4 · (Edited)
This is more of a concern for anything with color in it then say clears or even activators.
If anything is getting cold and warming up, you do have the potential of creating condensation inside the can, no different then an engine.

The problems with colors is the dispersion agent used to stabilize the pigment, some or most of these additives can go south at about 44 degrees, does not meant it will but it can.

You can tell by spraying a sample panel, if additive is bad the pigment will look dirty or there will be very heavy settling on bottom of can.

EDIT:
After re-reading your post, I see where it was all winter instead of a few days. Either problems can arise from this like cloudy clear, weak activators and a high risk of any pigmented products separating, spraying dirty or cracking down the road, depending and depending as there is no clear cut answer, everything may work great for you may have a disaster when painting or down the road.
 
#5 ·
The safe answer is to keep the paint at the recommended temperature, and use it all shortly after purchase.
In my case, with the decade old Centari, I decided I had two "green" reasons for using it. If I used the old paint to paint something, I would not be putting additional (toxic) liquids into the garbage, and I could use the "green" in my wallet for something else. Better for the environment, and my outgoing cash flow.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top