Mother-in-law had a tub/shower taken out and replaced with shower for the lower step over height. Contractor was supposed to be finished last Friday but due to one of his workers showing covid symptoms he was unable to finish, it was the guy who muds/sands the drywall. The drywall is up and my MIL can use the shower if she is careful about where the water sprays and runs the bath fan for a considerable time after her shower…
So… We bought the paint and primer last week at the home improvement store with plans on painting this weekend and it didn’t happen. They shook the paint at the store but how long will the paint and primer stay mixed without us having to stir/mix. We never grabbed wooden stir sticks as we thought it would be used in a few days, now it may be up to 2 weeks before we can paint.
Quick Google:
After a day or so you will sometimes see a little clear or maybe some color difference. Just stir it until that goes away and you’ll be good to go. If it sits a week or more it needs to be stirred with a drill mixer or taken back and re-shaken, although some paints won’t settle out that badly in a week.
I’ve always stirred paint any time it’s opened. I don’t use a drill attachment unless it’s been a few months since it was mixed. I’ve pulled 2 year old paint from the garage. Remove any skim, stir well and it’s fine.
It is best to buy paint and use it within a couple weeks. A light stir with a paint stick is all it needs.
Like aceplace57, I stir paint every time I open or reopen the can. I disagree however, that paint should be consumed in a few weeks. I routinely use year-old paint for new and touch up work.
The folks at Dunn-Edwards paints, where I get my material, have told me more than once that if I open a can of acrylic (latex or water based) paint and it smells funny I should throw it away. That has happened once or twice in my painting life.
You can get filter cloth at the paint store. I’ve only filtered very old paint for touch-ups on a wall. It removes any lumps or particles that would show in a finish.
I stir mine whenever I open it. Could be a day could be many weeks. I just use an old wood off-cut to stir it, it’s not like it has to be a special “stirring stick”.