If you love to paint like we love to paint (and you know we know a little something about paint), you’ve probably built up quite a collection of paint supplies. Sometimes that can turn from several containers and a handful of paint brushes into well…a much bigger problem.  Whether you keep your supplies in a room that’s in your home, your studio or even in your garage, we want to share some quick and easy storage tips for how to organize your paint supplies so they are easy to find and keep clean.

1. Shelving is your friend.

Invest in a good bookshelf, one big enough to accommodate many supplies. If you don’t have space for a bookshelf, hanging shelves are a must. If you assign a space to your paint supplies and a spot on each shelf for each supply, you will find you will get into the habit of putting the supplies back in their exact spot every time, after you use them.

2. Use clear containers and a paint swatch sample of each color.

Fusion Paint comes in pint-sized, clear containers. This is helpful because:

• It makes it much easier to organize your paints by color.
• You can see how much paint is left in each container and you will know if you need to restock that colour.

That being said, there are various shades of each colour and they can easily become confusing, especially in different lighting. You may reach for a container of Casement and find out you wind up using Raw Silk. A great way to ensure your colour is the right one is to place a sample of the colour behind the bottle. You can pre-paint wood blocks with each colour and even label them!

This is especially helpful if you wind up having opened multiple containers whose labels have gotten covered up with paint that dripped over the edge of the container as you were pouring it into the tray or wiping your brush on the edge. Believe me, we’ve been there. Those sample blocks will be your best friend.

TIP: Make your jar of paint easier to open the next time you use it by placing a small piece of plastic cling wrap over the top and then closing it again with the jar lid.

3. Group items together to ensure everything has its own spot.

Smaller items, such as our paint samples or our furniture waxes, can easily be placed together in clear containers. You can do this by colour or product, depending on how many of each you have.

The same thing goes for rollers, brushes, cloths, painter’s tape, wood filler and any items you need easy access to. Find either clear containers or filing trays and put them together in a designated area on the shelf.

Prep items such as our Ultra Grip and TSP should be in one area. Finishing items such as Stain and Finishing Oil and Tough Coat in another area. This is again, to avoid accidentally taking the wrong container and makes items easier to keep track of.

4. Separate new and used brushes in different containers

Paint sticks and brushes can easily be put together in jars or a container of your choice. However, we find it helpful to keep the old and new brushes in different sections. The reasons for this are to ensure you pay attention to their wear and tear. You then know when they’ve outlived their use. As well, as to avoid accidentally using a brush that you may not have properly cleaned with leftover paint on it. This prevents using it to paint in a different colour and winding up mixing two colours and ruining your project.

We like to store our new brushes in jars painted in various colours and used ones in a crate. We also strongly recommend investing in good paint brushes such as the Staalmeester brushes. They are the Rolls Royce of paint brushes and with proper care, will last you years.

TIP: Hang up your brushes to dry before you transfer them into another container to store after drying. This prevents water from going into the handles, especially those made of wood, and rotting them.

5. Do monthly inventory and purges.

The last thing you want to do is plan a project for a long weekend only to discover you’re out of paint and stores are closed. Doing a monthly inventory of your supplies helps you to pre-plan projects. It also lets you keep track of all of the supplies you’re running out of. When they’re easier to find after they’re organized, you’ll never worry to wonder if you have a roller brush or painter’s tape available.

This also gives you the opportunity to go over products that may be old and worn out. These might be cracking paint trays, dirty dried-up clothes or that jar of paint that you forgot to close properly.

FUN FACT: Fusion Mineral Paint is good for up to 7 years after opening. AND it can freeze and thaw up to three times and will not do any damage to the paint. 

We hope this helps you to get your Fusion Mineral Paint paint supplies in order!