Where to buy (cheap) paint?

2195 Views 18 Replies 17 Participants Last post by Scatterbrains, Aug 20, 2015

Frankie's Girl

Discussion Starter · Aug 17, 2015

I have some pretty big things in the works this year and realized I need some colors in larger quantities - like a gallon each - of colors like red, blue, and metallic gold. I am building props like a ticket booth and a carousel and circus fencing and I need way more paint than usual. (I do have tiny tubes of colors but those are very expensive and won't work to cover a 6 foot tall ticket booth!)

All I currently have is black, gray, white and bright yellow (the yellow was an OMG that is TOO yellow for the living room accident, but hey, it works for prop painting!) and some small quantities of pastel green and blue (might be toast however due to age).

Just checked pricing at Home Depot and minimum per gallon is like $20 a can. That's expensive! And they won't add any tint at all to any oops paint any more. I asked and was told they were already losing money on them, so they were specifically told they are all sold "as is" now, and can't waste any more tinting on them even if it meant getting it out of their inventory (okay, but that's bad business IMO).

So where should I be looking for cheaper paint? I don't need fancy and I don't need special finishes. I need acrylic/latex and I need primary colors so I can mix whatever colors I want.

And also - where to get a metallic gold or even silver that isn't in a spray can? I swear I used to see them in acrylic/latex cans, but I have no clue now where to start looking (and probably will just have to go with the spray paint).

Thanks in advance for any pointers on the paint!

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Spanishtulip

· #2 · Aug 17, 2015

I know some cities have a place for ppl to drop off and pick up paint and the like to keep it out of the dump.

You might also try freecycle, someone might be happy to get some old paint out of their basement.
HTH

matrixmom

· #3 · Aug 17, 2015

I use the martha stewart metalics in small plastic jars. They are quite shiny, but if you have to paint a lot, prob quite expensive. For other colors, someone else here on the forum had mentioned they had gone to their local recycling and picked up cans of paint.

Neuf350Z

· #4 · Aug 17, 2015

I'm always on the lookout for cheap paint as well. Even Walmart isn't cheap anymore. What about Craigslist?

UnOrthodOx

· #5 · Aug 17, 2015

Check with some paint contractors, a lot of times they might have leftovers on a job.

kakugori

· #6 · Aug 17, 2015

You might have a look at Dick Blick to see what they have. I know they usually have pretty good prices, and they do sell some paints by the gallon.

lawrie

· #7 · Aug 18, 2015

In the UK we have some schemes that collect unwanted paint, half used tins etc and sell it on at a minimal cost. Helps reduce waste. Try a trade paint shop and see if you can get any discount for being an artist etc.

rupertoooo

· #8 · Aug 18, 2015

Frankie's Girl said:
I have some pretty big things in the works this year and realized I need some colors in larger quantities - like a gallon each - of colors like red, blue, and metallic gold. I am building props like a ticket booth and a carousel and circus fencing and I need way more paint than usual. (I do have tiny tubes of colors but those are very expensive and won't work to cover a 6 foot tall ticket booth!)
Thanks in advance for any pointers on the paint!

It is hit or miss in terms of colors but both Lowes and Home Depot have a shelf just behind the paint counter where they store paint which was mixed incorrectly. They are discounted nicely.

I do have a question in regards to your theme this year. I too am doing a clown/circus theme and was curious what direction you are going with your fencing. I have gone back and forth with a fence build. Currently I have collected a significant amount of timber and may go with a dilapidated fence to give the Eerie vibe of the early 1900's. This is not set in stone however and I am open to any ideas.

Wire fencing Fence Barbed wire Grass Field

Craig

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Grey Lady

· #9 · Aug 18, 2015

For gallons of latex, I use the 'oops' shelves of paint too. I tint them myself with even cheaper quarts of paint or others that I have around.
For acrylic paint, try discountschoolsupply.com I've found paint there and the clear school glue for making blood

texaslucky

· #10 · Aug 18, 2015

I am pretty sure that I read that Ace has their sample cans (pint size) for 99 cents a can all month. Limit 4 per day. Might be worth checking. We don't have an Ace.

Abunai

· #11 · Aug 18, 2015

Does your town/city have a Habitat for Humanity "ReStore"?
Ours usually has gallons of paint for $12.

Reactions: 1

Frankie's Girl

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 18, 2015 (Edited)

About the suggestions regarding "oops" paint at paint stores, as I mentioned in my original post, HomeDepot won't tint the oops paint any other color at all any more.

But the Ace Hardware deal looks awesome! I have one right down the street from me, so I'll be heading there tomorrow (and probably a few more times a week to take advantage!!) I knew someone would know about a good deal out there so thank you all for brainstorming with me!

They say that each pint has to be a different color, but that's easy; I'll just get a slightly different shade, and also send in the hubby for some as well.

Frankie's Girl

Discussion Starter · #13 · Aug 18, 2015 (Edited)

rupertoooo said:
It is hit or miss in terms of colors but both Lowes and Home Depot have a shelf just behind the paint counter where they store paint which was mixed incorrectly. They are discounted nicely.

I do have a question in regards to your theme this year. I too am doing a clown/circus theme and was curious what direction you are going with your fencing. I have gone back and forth with a fence build. Currently I have collected a significant amount of timber and may go with a dilapidated fence to give the Eerie vibe of the early 1900's. This is not set in stone however and I am open to any ideas.

View attachment 249744

Craig

I am using my regular white wire fencing purchased a while back from Home Depot (as seen here):

But I am switching out the pumpkin topped columns with the following: I have collected a ton of large heavy-duty shipping tubes that stand approximately 3 foot tall, which I plan on painting candy colors (purple, orange, yellow) and then using 2" black duct tape to make them candy striped (like candy canes, but halloween colors). And then topping them with mini beachballs in fun patterns (I may see if I can fill them with great stuff to make them more solid, but most likely will just blow them up and use hot glue to attach)

I'm looking at these for the toppers:
http://www.orientaltrading.com/snowball-mini-beach-balls-a2-13613096-18-0.fltr
Could use a red and black sharpie to make clown noses and outline the mouths/eyes to turn them into clowns.

Or these:
http://www.orientaltrading.com/infl...h-balls-a2-13626431.fltr?Ntt=mini beach balls

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Ugly Joe

· #14 · Aug 18, 2015

Something I've done in the past that can stretch coverage (and get better color results) is to use a base layer and color layers on top of that.
The base layer seals the surface, which keeps the next layers of paint from being sucked up, so they cover more area and blend better.

...and, you seem to have a lot of what would work for base layers already.

Black makes a fantastic base layer - when reds, blues, greens, purples are painted over them, the colors have a richer, deeper look to them.
The gold paint will also benefit from having a black base - the metallic glitter will show up better.

Admittedly, using layers means having to double up on the painting, but it can cut the amount of top layer paint needed (saving money), and give better results.

One thing I will add about using layers: try not to let the base layer "cure" before adding the upper layers of paint (dry to the touch is fine, but don't wait days) - this will allow the layers of paint to stick to each other better.

DaveintheGrave

· #15 · Aug 18, 2015

Yea, the "Ooops" paint rack in Lowe's usually has a wide variety. It's hit or miss, though.

I have bought paint at Big Lots in the past, but it was like watered-down paint. That was a long time ago---maybe it's better now.

Trex

· #16 · Aug 18, 2015

Here in Canada many of the fire stations accept paint, and spray bombs for collection and for later disposal at the local Eco-station. Yours may offer a similar program? I have haunter friends that get 90% of their paint free.

Palladino

· #17 · Aug 20, 2015

Every paint store and big box store sells miss tinted paint at a fraction of the price. The best thing is they are often weird and interesting colours which can be great for Halloween!

BlueFrog

· #18 · Aug 20, 2015

My very first thought upon seeing the thread title was Habitat for Humanity's ReStores, but I see Abunai beat me to the punch

The one good source for paint I haven't seen mentioned here are estate sales. Look for listings for artists or crafters and although it might take a while to locate a suitable sale, once you do you can often score big for pennies on the dollar. Taking a large lot or, better yet, all usually yield even lower prices.

Either Lowes or Home Depot - I think the former but don't quote me on that - sells pretty decent sized samplers for $3 each, marked down to $1 as they rotate available colors.

Scatterbrains

· #19 · Aug 20, 2015

I was at my lowes the other night and they had 15 gallons of oops paint at $5 a piece...unfortunately it was intereior

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