Who doesn’t have a shelf groaning with cans of half-used, unwanted paint? It’s a space crisis at home and an environmental crisis at the landfill. The trouble is, paint stores won’t mix anything smaller than a quart, so if you don’t need it all, or the color doesn’t work once you get it home, you’re stuck with the unused portion.

Here’s an easy way to use liquid pigments to mix your own paint colors, in whatever quantity you need, to keep paint waste to a minimum. It’s also a great way to choose a color for your room by mixing up a range of options and painting swatches on the wall. In addition, consider “tweaking” colors you already have on your shelf by mixing in a few drops of pigment to color them more to your liking.

Tools and Materials: Here’s what you need for color-it-yourself paints.

Paint: 1 gallon of white, low-VOC interior latex

Paper cups or recycled yogurt containers: These will be used for mixing your small paint samples. Choose
containers that are large enough to comfortably hold 2 ounces of paint and accommodate a
small paintbrush.

Measuring devices: To make paint samples, 2 ounces of paint is perfect; use a 1/4 -cup measuring cup to scoop up paint. Use one- or two-cup measures for pints and quarts. Dipping paint from the can is tidier than pouring.

3-by-5-inch index cards: These will be your custom paint swatches. Brush on a sample of paint and then write the color formula for future reference (e.g., 1 part red, 3 parts yellow).

Recycled jars or plastic containers: Once you’ve arrived at the perfect color, you’ll want to make enough of it for your project. For mixing and storing paint, find old storage containers in pint or quart sizes (a quart will cover an area about 50 square feet).