Painting a room is one of the most cost effective ways to give any room in your home a new look. If you are on a shoestring decorating budget, the cost of a gallon of paint may still set you back more than your wallet can afford. This is the case for me.

Average Cost of Paint The average color of a good gallon of paint is between $30-$35.

I would love to repaint my whole house, especially after the colors my tenants left us. Not our taste at all. So far we have only painted the nursery, Hannah’s room, and our half bath. However to repaint every room in our home would cost way more than our stretched budget can handle.

I refuse to live any longer with the red foyer and yellow walls in my house. You may have a room in your home you are dying to paint too.

To accomplish my goal of repainting the majority of my home, I am going to have to get a little creative and think outside the box to save money on paint.

So to help you and myself save money when painting our homes, I came up with this list of conventional and unconventional ways you can save money when painting your home.

Mix Your Own Paint Colors

Often most homes have leftover paint from previous painting projects. As long as the paint is still good you could reuse it. You may not like the colors of the leftover paints you have, I have some terrible colors in my basement. However you can create new colors by mixing two or more colors.

I have used white paint to tone down a darker color into a light hue that I would like to use. There is a bit of trial and error in this process, but just remember back in art class when you first learned which colors to mix to make other colors. Here a quick color mixing key.

Not only does this save you money on paint, but you can also get rid of all the unused paint sitting in your home.

Mixing Rules

  • One rule is to mix like finishes. Don’t mix eggshell paint with semi-gloss paint. This may result in a weird finish on the wall that is inconsistent.
  • Also when mixing paint color be sure to mix them well so the two colors mix completely.
  • Don’t mix oil base paints with latex paints.

You can actually buy recycled paint. Some cities have paint recycling programs where homeowners can bring their leftover paints for the city to dispose of properly or, if it is still good paint, recycle it.

Some communities even have paint exchanges where you can get leftover paint for next to nothing. Your choices maybe limited but it can save you a lot of money.

Here is a video about one sustainable contractor who used reclaimed paint on a building development project.

Also you can search Google for recycled paint companies in your area. I recently discover a company right in my city that mixes old paints into new beautiful colors. The company is Re-coat Recycled Paints. Re-coat mixes old paint into 20 premium paint colors that are designed to coordinate with each other for easy color schemes.

They sell a gallon of paint for under $25 which is at least $10 less than store brand paint. Re-coat is also available in Indiana and Ohio.

Ask Family & Friends

If you have family or friends that recently repainted a room in their home, ask them if they have any paint leftovers they want to get rid of. I hate storing leftover paint, so I would be happy to give my leftovers to a friend or family. This way it gets used and doesn’t end up in the trash.

Better brushes and rollers can help you save money painting because often they apply the paint to the wall more evenly and consistently, without applying too much paint.

A good brush makes cutting in a lot easier and faster. Also good rollers help reduce roller marks.

Here are the tools I use and recommend:

  • Wooster Paint Brush – Best brush for painting a long trim and windows
  • Wooster Paint Rollers – These roller paint evenly and leave not unwanted marks.

Learn Better Paint Skills

Learning better paint skills can help you save money and time. For instance, skip taping before paint. Instead, after buying a quality brush, paint along the trimwork and ceiling. Mostly professional painters never tape the walls.

Another tip to save you money is not to squeeze the roll against the wall to get all the paint out of the roller before going back to the paint tray. Using a lighter touch when painting reduces the paint you use and helps evenly apply coats of paint.

Just like buying groceries in bulk, buying paint in bulk will save you money. If you are painting a few rooms in your home, consider using the same color and buying a 5 gallon size container instead of 1 gallon at a time.

You can usually buy a 5 gallon container of paint for about $125, which is saving of between $35 – $50 if you bought the same amount of paint one gallon at a time.

If you are planning to paint a few rooms in your home I encourage you to consider limiting your color choices so you can buy in bulk to save money on paint.

Also, limiting your paint colors throughout your home creates consistency and unity which is key to good interior design.

Mistinted Paints

The paint store’s mistake can be your key to saving big time on painting your home. Occasionally your local hardware store will mistint or mix the wrong paint color when making paint colors for other customers.

When this happens instead of tossing the mistinted paint they will sell it at extreme clearance.

I recently bought a gallon of Benjamin Moore Aura paint from Ace Hardware for $10! Wow, right? That is a $60 off the regular price. So far with this paint I have painted my 1/2 half bath and I plan on using it in my foyer too.

If you want to go this cost savings route your color choices will be limited. If you are looking for a specific color, you may have to check back often. I got really luck at Ace Hardware. The paint color I scored, Silver Marlin, was the perfect teal gray color I was planning to paint my 1/2 bath.

Some stores will have the mistinted paints on the shelves with the other paints and other stores may have them behind the counter. So if you can’t find any, don’t be afraid to ask a store employee. It could save you big time.

My Guest Bath after painting it with on awesome Mistint gallon of paint.

This tip for saving money on paint may sound opposite of what I should be advising. However, buying more expensive paint can help you save money because in general more expensive paints.

For instance, premium paint has primer and paint in one, cover better in fewer coats. Which means you need less paint than if you buy cheaper paints that require more coats.

Design Tip When at all possible I recommend the paints that include a primer, especially when going over darker paint colors.

Paint Less

Painting less will obviously help you save money. Simply painting one wall in a room can quickly give a room a new look, without buying paint for a whole room. Often all you need to paint one wall is a quart of paint.

Painting one wall in a room is also a good way to create a focal point. If your main color is not driving you crazy, but you want change try painting one wall first.

This is why I typically believe painting the majority of home a neutral color is better. It makes changing out one wall easier because any color looks good against a neutral background.

Coupons & Discounts

Be on the look for special promotions, discounts, and coupons on paint. I often see coupons for Sherwin Williams paints in the ads that come in the mail.

Sherwin Williams Paint Perks program and instantly get a coupon for $10 off your next paint purchase. Plus you receive other painting and color tips and exclusive sales. Here is where you can register for Paint Perks program: Register Today & Save

Check your local paint stores to see if they offer special project discounts. One local paint store in my community offer homeowners discounts for a limited time while they are working on their house. I used this a lot when we first bought our home.

Painting is Fun, not Expensive

Using any or all of these tips will help you save money when painting the walls in your home. The goal is always to make the most of your money and decorating budget. Anywhere you can save a buck can make a big difference over the course of a whole project.

Decorating your home should be a fun process and doesn’t have to be a budget buster. I hope you explore these paint saving hacks on your next paint project.

If you need one-on-one help picking colors for your home, check out my Design Services page. I offer a custom color package to making choosing colors you love a breeze.

What do you want to learn more about home decorating?

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