6 months old paint - is it useable?

[Courtney Duong]

Hi BP,

We need to do some touch up on a rental we bought in 8/2020.  Tenants on month to month lease just moved out last week so I want to take this time to do some touch up on some stains on the walls.  Yesterday I found in the garage a 5 gallons bucket with about 1/3 left over paint (from Sherwin Williams) and the sticker on the lid said 07/14/2020 so I think this must be the paint they used to paint some rooms before they listed the house.  Haven't tried it out yet but the color looks very much like the color in the house right now.  Before using this paint I just want to check with you guys to see if it is ok to use this paint (if we try and the color match with existing color on the walls) or just throw it away?  Being able to use it will be good because we won't have to worry about finding something to match with current color. 

Thanks.

[Nathan Gesner]

YEs, it should be good as long as it wasn't exposed to extreme hot/cold. Quality paint can last for years if it's stored properly.

If you're not sure, take it back to Sherwin-Williams and have them match it.

My preference is to always use the same paint brand, sheen, and color in rentals so you always have a supply of paint on hand for touch-up.