How to Buy Oops Paint at Home Depot

You can save a great deal of money on small painting projects by purchasing Oops paint at Home Depot. Oops paint is paint that was purchased and returned because it was the wrong color.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. If your Home Depot sells returned paint, which it probably does, it's in the paint section. Generally, it's located right before an end-cap where the paint section meets the center aisle of the store. If your Home Depot has a different layout, ask an associate where to find it, or start scanning for it near the end of the interior paint aisles. Home Depot calls returned paint "Oops" paint.

2. These are paint cans that were purchased and returned because they were the wrong color. Not every can is completely full, so keep this in mind. Generally, the Oops paint is Behr interior latex paint in colors like brown, purple, pink, and light green. Fortunately if you find a color you like, the paint is very cheap, and costs as little as $1.00 a gallon.

3. Use the Oops paint like you would use any paint of the same type. However, don't expect to be able to perfectly match it with any other paint, even a recreation of the Oops color at the paint counter.

4. If you there isn't any return paint in the paint section, or you aren't interested in the selection, return in a few days to a week. You might find the paint you need then, because paint turns over quickly from the Oops shelves.

Tips & Warnings

• There's only about 10-20 cans in most Oops sections at any one time.