Maybe everyone knows this but I've never seen this discussed here. I, along with many of you have fallen prey to the latest and greatest paint, which ended up not being so great. (Deka comes to mind) We went through our paint room the other day and found lots of old paint that I know I will never use. Now many of you in the cities have hazardous waste drop off points, but some of you, like me, have nowhere to dispose of paint. The EPA says once paint is dry it can be thrown into any landfill. Well trying to paint an old board takes forever.
I picked up the cheapest kitty litter you can find at the dollar store. Take an empty gallon can and pour a thin layer of litter at the bottom, then pour in about a half a quart of paint. Pour in some more litter and stir. If you have enough litter in there it will quickly become like cottage cheese. Within about 2 hours it will be dry and solid as a rock. Continue until the can is full.
This works with both oil base and latex. It's amazing how fast even oil base paint sets up in the kitty litter. There must be plenty of air within the clay litter to facilitate drying. We were able to get rid of a lot of paint in one day, and didn't feel bad about putting it in the dumpster, for just a couple dollars worth of kitty litter.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
nice wording DAVE!!!!!!!thought you was gona put out a hit on ME!!!!!!!!hahahahahahahahhaa
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
I mix it all together and paint the floor. It turns gray when mixed. Alas, I don't have enuf to repaint again anytime soon.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
I didn't even think of that Joe, sorry for the implication. I know what this thread will turn into.
[ January 24, 2010, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: Dave Sherby ]
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Curtis, latex & oil????????
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
I do the same thing with the waste catchment from my inkjet printer. You might find a better price on the large bags of absorbent material for oil spills that you can buy from an automotive supply store!
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
The thread title man, don't sound right. Joe is... well not bad enough to knock off. Seriously though, Joe is cool.
Now in regards to your disposal method, it sounds really smart, but within a few seconds, I realized that it might be a technique in itself. Imagine using this stuff inside paint masked letters. Kind of a textured letter-smalts look. I must try it...
Posted by Chuck Churchill (Member # 68) on :
How would you cube Old Paint into half quart sizes? Would we have to liquify him first or does the kitty litter do that? Is Old Paint a big enough problem to go to all this trouble?
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Mixing old oil based paints together (same with latex paints) is a good way to get "free" coating for the back one side signs.
Posted by Dennis Raap (Member # 3632) on :
Dave I just figured that out this summer I used oil dry same thing as kitty litter. Not sure which is less expensive I just happen to have oil dry on hand.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
I just find it hard to believe that your town doesn't off a hazardous waste collection day and a day put aside for one to drop off paints etc. That usually happens the beginning of spring. This past year I dropped off over 200 gallons of paint which filled the pickup bed. Dave, If I were in need of this kind of thingie, I would do some serious surfing as I did or start here http://www.cityofnovi.org/Services/Fire/HazardousMaterialsAndDisposal.asp Posted by Sam Staffan (Member # 4552) on :
Glad the thread is being read correctly,...I just can't imagine stuffing poor ole Joe full of Kittie Litter until the speedo bursts. Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
be carefull.........iam half EYE-TAL-YAN....and got a couple cousin VINNIES....HHAAHAHAHAHAHA mixing all oil base paint, in a 5 gal bucket, you it for paintin POSTS,EXTERIOR LUMBER, its great way to use it up! have you seen the price of a gal of CHEAP OIL BASED PAINT latly? i got some SHERWIN-WILLIAMS INDUSTRIAL COATING PAINT....odd colors, but to buy that same gal TODAY......its close to $60!!!!!! latex paint, you can do the same with it, JUST CANT MIX OIL & LATEX. but most latex paints have a 50 years shelf life!!!!!! now AUTOMOTIVE PAINTS.....gets tricky. i still have some ALKYD LACQUORS!!!! cant mix these with anything but same or FINGER NAIL PAINT!!! needs hot reducers,MEK, ACETONE, LACQUOR THINNER ONLY. AUTOMOTIVE ACRYLIC ENAMEL.....can mix em all together with same, will reduce with lacquor thinner or A.E. REDUCERS. not much SYNTHOL ENAMEL around anymore. URETHANES......... are close to A/E but i dont think you can mix the 2.
Posted by Kevin Mann (Member # 7161) on :
Hey Dave. You mentioned ol' Deka paints. If you still have any useable quantities I would be happy to take them off your hands.
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
I dump old cans of latex in one five gallon tub and use it to seal cracks in my big asphalt driveway, before it gets resealed every year. Works great as a good filler, especially if I add some sand and crush up some charcoal briquettes to powder to make more dark to the mix and stir.
For oil, I mix what I have left over and paint various garage cabinets and shelves in the garage. Usually all a dull grey. If it gets too stiff, thin with junk min spirits.
Now for old one shot cans that have several layers of skins on them? Spike out the bottom and drain the stuff into either a newer can or into the oil for garage cabinets. Park the empty can on its side and leave in the sun a few wweeks to realy get hard and then throw out. Ain't it amazing how now matter how many skins a quart can of lettering has, the stuff still dries?
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
I just don't have enough stuff around here to use up all that old paint.
Joey, I know, it's pathetic, but there is only one hazardous waste facility that I know of in the Upper Peninsula and it is in Marquette county, about an hour drive each way, and you have to be a resident of the county to dump there.
Kevin, sorry, all my Deka is now a solid lump of dried paint and kitty litter. You must use that stuff indoors because it sure didn't last outside at all.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)