OK, so this may not be the biggest problem to plague home improvement, but I have encountered it twice in the last few months. Have you ever opened an old can of paint, only to find a near-impenetrable “skin” that dried since the last use? If so, you will love Bloxygen. It is a can of inert gases that prevent oxygen from getting to your paint or stain. Just spray it into the container before sealing. Bloxygen does not help with water based finishes or lacquer, just oil-based stains, paints and inks. Cans are available for under $10 and are reportedly good for about 75 uses (quart sized). You can order Bloxygen at the maker’s site:
Bloxygen
or at any of their vendors.
Keep Paint and Stains Fresh
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Another neat trick after mixing your paint, and straining it is to use a inexpensive silicone spatula to wipe down the sides of the paint can/bucket, I keep one handy, every time that I pour paint from the can or bucket, I wipe the sides down. This helps eliminate the skins, it keeps the color close to original as possible, the dyes can tend to want to dry out on the sides. When I am finished, I take a piece of saran wrap and lay it across the top of the paint and tuck it into the paint around the edges. Perfect air tight seal. I think that the Silicone spatula is a must have tool. You would be surprised how much paint is left in the can, on the sides. Plus with good paint almost $40 a gallon. It is well worth it.