If you’re like me, then you want to make sure your paints are safely stored and in a convenient place. My personal favorite is to store my paints in mason jars, not only because properly stored paint will last long, but also because it’s super easy, elegant and it just gives it that artist’s touch for me.
You need to store your acrylic paints properly so that they don’t go bad. So, can you store acrylic paint in glass jars? Absolutely! Storing acrylic paints in glass jars is a great way to take care of your paints and ensuring that they last.
Also, under the appropriate conditions storing in glass jars will keep your colors true, maintain a smooth paint consistency and make your acrylic paints last longer.
When I did some spring cleaning last year, I found myself with so many bottles and tubes of paint that it was crazy. I’ve organized all my acrylic paints now in mason glass jars and even combined the paints which have made some pretty cool colors. I find it much simpler to just have bigger glass jars than hundreds of tubes and bottles half filled.
As always, it’s important to properly store your acrylic paints, so below I explain all the essentials of storing your paints as well as other fun methods to keep your paints safe in.
How to store acrylic paint? Acrylic paint should be stored in an airtight container, away from wet or damp locations, and in a place where the temperature will remain around 65° – 75° F.
Common Household Items for Paint Storage
If the original containers are not usable or compromised for any reason here are a few common household items that you could use to store your acrylic paints in. In every case, the container must be washed thoroughly, and the lid must either screw on or seal completely or the paint will not last as long as you might expect.
- Mason Jars with new lid
- Condiment squeeze bottles
- Tupperware
- Any bowl/container with saran wrap or press n’ seal (very short lasting)
As you can see, other than the original container your paints came in, I recommend storing them in glass jars to keep them fresh, vibrant and long lasting.
Storage Location Considerations
When making the decision on where to store your paints, there are a few things for you to consider. You’ll want to select a place that has a relatively constant average temperature and somewhere where there isn’t a lot of moisture accumulation.
Why Temperature Matters
Acrylic paints are water-based paints that dry much more quickly than oil-based paint. Being water based, these paints are especially sensitive to extreme temperatures. Too much cold and the water and other components of the paints will freeze. With excessive heat the paint will dry out and become unusable.
It is recommended that you keep your paints in a location that remains between 65° and 75° all year round. When the temperatures vary 10° or more outside of this range there is a chance that the natural separation of the emulsion (mixing of two materials that in normal circumstances don’t mix) of which the acrylic based paints are made.
Moisture and Paint Storage Don’t Mix
When painting with acrylic paints, you would generally want some moisture in the air to help keep the paints from drying out quickly. In the case of paint storage, however, moisture can be your worst enemy.
As I mentioned previously, paints need to be kept at a constant average temperate. Unfortunately, that recommended temperature range is also an optimal temperature range for many things to grow, including mold and mildew.
To prevent mold and mildew from growing on paints in storage, you need to reduce that amount of moisture in the air around the paints. Here is a quick checklist of places where you should NOT store paint.
- Near running water like in a bathroom or kitchen.
- In an area where clothes are washed or dried.
- Next to exposed wood or concrete as these both can retain moisture.
- In a utility closet with furnace or air conditioner where there is excess airflow and water in the air.
- Near a door to the outside where contaminates are abundant.
Not only will storing your paints in glass mason jars be better for your paints, but it also gives you a cool DIY project to do. I bought a few dozen mason jars, and as a label I actually painted the lids with that paint so its true color would be visible. Since the color is not actually its true color while paints are in tubes or jars, this is a great way to see what your dry paint will look like.
I labeled them with a sharpie pen and ta-da! Now my garage looks super chic and organized, but most importantly my acrylic pains are store properly, and I can be assured that they will have a long shelf life. (Literally, I have them on my shelf! )
Containers to Store Acrylic Paint
As I mentioned above, I store my acrylic paints in glass jars, but there are many alternative containers to store your paints in. If you don’t want to use mason jars, or others referenced above, another cool way of storing your paints is in bead box containers, like this one, or some type of box that you put nails, screws and other hardware items.
This is a neat option because if you have a decent amount of paint, it will fit and you have access to all of your paints in one snap.
Instead of gathering all of your paint tubes and squeezing paint onto a palette as needed, you can squeezes full tubes of paints into a plastic bead storage container. That way you have all the colors right in front of you as soon as you’re ready to paint, and you doesn’t have to spend time putting a dab of each color on the palette.
Plus, you don’t need to worry about having colors left over and wasting them. If some paint is left over, you can easily put it back in its compartment. This method also prevents you from having to stop in the middle of a painting to squeeze a new color onto the palette or get more of a certain color. You may be wondering how your paints won’t dry out in the container.
There is quite a bit of paint in each compartment (about a tube of paint each), so a large amount of moisture stays in each compartment as it is. As you’re getting ready to store it, place the lid on top, then put the entire container in a large Ziploc bag with a wet paper towel. As long as there is enough paint in each compartment, they should stay wet for months on end.
I hope this article gave you some ideas on how to store your paints as well as a fun project to do. Check out my other articles for all your acrylic painting needs. happy painting!
