12 Genius Uses for Leftover Sample Paint

Stop throwing away extra paint . Put it to work with one of these clever DIY projects that use sample blusher pots to dress up wall nontextual matter and accessories .

People typically use sample paints to quiz out a coloring material before give it to an entire wall , piece of furniture , or another surface . These small pots offer ahandy path to see your semblance choice in personand in the circumstance of your way before you commit to the full blusher job . Once you ’ve settle on a make headway color , however , do n’t throw away those leftover pots . In addition to give up you to test - drive a color , the sample paint are also great for quick furniture updates , DIY wall art , and other humble decorating projection that do n’t require much paint . By repurposing the key in originative ways , you may cut down on waste , while also taking advantage of budget - well-disposed materials .

distinctive sample - hatful sizes range from about eight to 32 ounces , and most be about $ 10 or less . Before you commence a pigment project , evaluate the airfoil area you plan to cover and calculate whether you have enough paint to fill out the job , factoring in the possibility you ’ll take multiple coats . When you ’re ready to start picture , consider one of these clever United States to turn remnant materials into show - stop decor .

colorful stairs

Credit: Jay Wilde

1. Paint Stair Risers

Gather sample in a variety of hues to give your staircase a rainbow makeover . videotape off the pace and nosing of each step , as well as the surrounding wall , so the gloss underwrite only the step riser pipe . To ensure well adherence , sand and wipe down the surface before picture . Use a modest roller or a two - in brush for precision , and remove the tape while the paint is still soaked .

2. Make a DIY Chalkboard

3. Create Geometric Artwork

seize some painter ’s tape and a plaincanvas to make modern artwith sampling rouge . A extra weather sheet of plyboard or a wood canvas also works . bulge by apply melodic phrase of tape at angle across the sheet to form geometrical shapes . To ensure clean lines , wrap the tape recording around the sides . act one section at a clip , fulfil in the shapes with completing paint vividness . If require , apply a 2d coat , and take away the tape as the pigment dries .

4. Highlight a Section of Wall

Sample blusher pots likely wo n’t cover up an entire bulwark , but you’re able to utilise them to spotlight a certain area of the roomwith a two - tone look . This colour - blocking proficiency work especially well in an empty recession or directly above a piece of piece of furniture . Use a contrasting shade that will stand out vividly against the base wall semblance . To ensure straight parentage , expend mountain lion ’s tapeand a level to mark off the arena you plan to paint — and before you start painting , count how much pigment you ’ll need to deal the full section .

5. Decorate Plant Pots

This quick DIY labor is a great way to expend leftover sample paints . Dip your encounter in andpaint over inexpensive terra - cotta plant potty . get over the integral planter in a solid color , or get creative with patterns of stripes , swirls , dots , and other designs . Use a mixture of coordinating chromaticity for a colorful update to your houseplant aggregation .

6. Create a Message Board

Make this grayscale ombré message control panel with corkboard panels . Lay 12 instrument panel out , English touching , on a protect control surface in the arrangement you ’ll ultimately fall . utilise adry - copse techniqueto paint across the jury . To do this , put a small amount of paint on the brush , and use long cerebrovascular accident from left to right to create a gradually diminishing effect . go on puff paint until you ’ve achieve the look you want .

7. Paint Dresser Drawers

Add pop music of color to a dressing table or desk with sample distribution paint in a bright shadowiness . Start by empty and removing all the drawers . sandpaper the drawer side , and tape off any surface area you do n’t want to paint ( like the round top of the drawer sides or the drawer fronts ) . Prime , allow dry , then apply two coat of paint . For protection , apply a coat of absolved wax or mat varnish . leave the pigment to bring around for a few days before reinstall the underdrawers .

8. Spruce Up Plain Baskets

Use paint to add stripes and polka acid to small caning baskets or other supplement . This trick works especially well when you have only a shadow amount of paint left , so that not a single drop goes to waste . utilize the idiom to match other colors in the room , for instance , on the walls or furniture . Apply the key with a little creative person ’s brushwood , and have the baskets dry before filling them with bangle .

9. Update a Bookshelf

Dress up plain white bookshelveswith a warm color makeover . Use a brush or disposable foam roller to undercoat the face frame of a bookcase and front edges of the ledge . Once the primer dries . use two coats of blusher , allowing each coat to dry before put on another . For extra protection , finish with a coat of clear wax or flatness varnish .

10. Stamp and Stencil a Rug

tot a paint approach pattern to an ordinary cotton rug . Print our Aztec motif , enlarged to fit your rug , then trace it onto cardboard , and use a utility tongue to abridge the pattern into a stencil . We placed our stencil in the center and at each turning point of the carpet . utilize a two - in stencil encounter to lightly fill in the shape . douse the brush into the paint , wipe off any excess , and dab it on the carpeting . To make the lines between the stenciled bod , employ puma ’s tape to make two - inch - wide strips with angled ends . After house painting , absent the tape and allow several days of dry out before using .

11. Update Curtain Panels

Tie a way together with remnant samplepaint use to plain curtain panels . lead off by iron the curtains and laying them out on a work surface incubate in kraft paper paper . Use a one - in foam thicket to paint a row of maverick Xs , using the top edge of the brush as your stamp . We direct the first course of Xs at the top of the drape panel , just below the rod pocket , and used a ruler to evenly blank the rows one inch apart . To keep the fabric and newspaper from sticking together while the blusher dry out , once you ’ve completed a few row , bring up the curtain panel . This paint treatment will contain up to a aristocratic wash with a modest detergent . Hang the board to air - dry .

12. Embellish Glass Vases

Add subtle style to plain glasswork , like these simple vases . Using the eraser on a new pencil , legal tender polka superman on the bottom and up the sides of the vase . Allow the key to dry out and heal a few days before using . Because sample paint is not lasting on glass , you may scratch or it wash off .

How to Buy Sample Paint Pots

Most paint manufacturer sell color samples . While these minuscule potful can be miscellaneous to match M of gorgeous hues , they typically lack the additive that make full - cost paint scrubbable , slice - resistant , and lustrous . For the skilful issue , deploy sample distribution paint only on by rights prepped or absorbent surface . nullify using these paints on high - traffic , moist , or out-of-door projects . go over your favorite paint source for their sample distribution political platform .

chalkboard paint backsplash desk