# Storing spray paint.



## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Does anyone have any information on storing spray paint horizontally instead of vertically? Like would there be any problem that you have heard of by keeping these cans stored that way?

I have 3 shelves of spray cans (155) with lots of air space above them. I was thinking of building some pigeon hole racks to put them in horizontally so I can see all of them at once and to use that air space. I always see them standing up and wondered if there was a downside to storing them on their sides?


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Thanks in advance!!!

Cheers, Jim


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

I haven't done it…

but, I don't think there would be any problems…

The only time paint moves into the nozzle is when the button is pushed.
... they are always shaken to mix it all up…

Take some and lay them down… see how it works…

I think you'd be OK…


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## Biff (Nov 19, 2012)

I've stored my paint that way for years with no problem. To tell you the truth, I never actually thought about there being a problem with storing them that way!


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I can't see a problem with it


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

For what its worth, I have stored my cans this way for over 5 years, no problems yet.










Why do I do it? simple there are magnets on the bottom of the shelf to hold them there !


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## fynderbynder (May 25, 2012)

I'm with Biff. I've laid them down for 3 years anyway and never had any issue. Probably been a month since I used any.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

All I know is you just gave me a great idea! Thanks!


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Hey, thanks , guys!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is good to hear there as been experimentation that way and it proves what I wanted to know!!!

Rob, those upside down cans are outta sight!! At first I thought you turned your camera over!!! That is cool idea and they would not get dusty on the top!!!

I'd hate to show you a picture of my "rats nest" for paint and finish storage!! I have them 3 and 4 deep on the shelf and some of them must be a decade old and I never knew what they were by that time.Time for house cleaning!! This all started when my wife dropped off a tote with 15 cans from her craft room and wanted me to keep them for her. I looked around and said WHERE?


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Thanks again and now I'll get to designing the pigeon hole shelf unit!!.

Cheers….....................Jim


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## Maggiepic (Aug 26, 2010)

That's a great idea Jim. I have the same problem. I have thought about some pull-out shelves to get to the back easier but this gets me thinking…. :^)


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Jim, I am a member of a metalworking group near DC called CAMS. One guy was just recently asking about building a shelving unit for ALL his canned finishing products that would slowly rotate them to keep the solids from settling. We threw around some ideas and came up with these:








This seems to require too much effort, and has its other problems.

However, it seemed the simplest to just mount a shelving unit on the wall using something like a lazy susan bearing. Then use a geared down motor to rotate the whole sheving unit 1 RPD ( Revolution Per Day ) . Of course the unit would have to have doors ( maybe even clear plexi. or mesh wire ) on the front, and any void space would need filled with some kind of filler. Probably bubble wrap. Here's the final idea:








This seems the simplest idea to build with less wasted space. And with 10×10 x 10 cubbies, it only needs 6" clearance from the floor. The blue circle shows the clearance for the rotation.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Cool ideas, Rance, but I have a small space and cannot have anything moving in there because lots of other stuff is stored around it. I was thinking of a pigeon hole rack similar to the one you have drawn with the blue circle around it- only just a big rectangle, but on second thought, that has a lot of wasted space in the corners so I'm going back to the idea I used for my wife's craft paints. It has a bunch of holes in two sheets of plywood and a frame around it. Add a back so that they can't fall out and put the whole thing on the shelf.I think I can get 15% more cans in there with the round holes- I have yet to calculate it out.

The thought has occurred to me to mount a bunch of magnets on the floor joists and stick them up like Rob did, too.

I'll see if I made a project out of that rack and stick it in here. Not here. I'll' put a project on it. The concept is the same as I'll use for the cans

Cheers, Jim


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

Jim, I have spray cans stored on their sides. Never occurred to me there might be a problem with it. Just proves "Ignorance is Bliss!" My only concern was them falling when I took one from the bottom. A divided insert would handily solve that. Looking forward to your version.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Hi Candy. When I store them on their sides, the intent was not have any one touch each other so one can be pulled independent from the others.
.............Cheers, Jim


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Maybe this can be classified with wine storage. It may actually be better for the paint to store it on its side.


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