How to Open a Paint Can

Grab yourself a paint-can-opening tool and get to work. Smaller cans are a breeze, but five-gallon buckets take a little more effort. There are, typically, three different types of lids for five-gallon buckets, all of which have flanges.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Quarts and One-Gallon Paint Cans

1. Insert a screwdriver or a paint-can-opening tool between the lid and edge of the paint bucket.
2. Pry downward around circumference of the can.
3. Remove the lid.

Five-Gallon Buckets

4. Open plastic lids by removing the thin plastic strip that holds the flanges together, pulling the starting tab. Insert your screwdriver or paint-can-opening tool under the flanges and pry upward around circumference of lid.
5. Open plastic lids that don't have a plastic strip by carefully cutting the flanges apart with sharp scissors or a carpenter's knife. Insert your paint-can-opening tool under the flanges and pry upward around the circumference of the lid.
6. Open metal lids by inserting your paint-can-opening tool under the flanges and prying upward around the circumference of the lid.

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