There is no single homeowner in North America who does not have a spare can of paint, unopened or slightly used, on his or her property. These might be basic shades of white or a stunning custom mixture of reds. But all those paint cans sit in wait of brushing up the interior or exterior of someone’s home.
Can you return Home Depot paint? You can return only unmixed paint to Home Depot. Home Depot’s return policy doesn’t allow you to return mixed paint.
Unfortunately, the answer above does not take into account Home Depot’s return policy (it’s complicated). You will also need to answer for where the paint was bought (online or in-store). And what if you don’t live near another Home Depot? What if it’s Home Depot’s special Oops Paint?
Returning Home Depot Paint
As long as the paint is unopened or minimally used, with or without the receipt (see below for Home Depot’s return policy), you may return paint to Home Depot.
You must return the paint within 30 days of purchase. You will receive either a corrected can of paint or a comparable can of paint in return. Home Depot’s return policy (outlined below) may or may not be applied to returned paint.
Contact your nearest Home Depot retail location for your specific paint refund needs.
You Cannot Return the Following Home Depot Paint:
- Mixed and custom tinted paint is non-refundable. This is a blanket requirement for the paint industry as a whole, not just for Home Depot.
- If the paint was applied on improperly prepared surfaces, if there are liquid stains, if they are color samples, special order, or non-stock products, you will not be given a refund.
- Refunds will not be applied to labor and installation.
Home Depot-only “Oops” Paint
You read that correctly: “oops” as in “I made a mistake.”
Oops Paint is 100% non-refundable.
This is a term only used at Home Depot in regards to paint that has been incorrectly mixed.
This may be incorrectly mixed by amount, where Home Depot has mixed more than the custom tint that a customer has ordered.
This paint may be incorrectly mixed with the wrong colors as well, resulting in it being unsellable and landing in the Oops Paint section for sale.
Advice for Purchasing Paint From Home Depot
A useful adage from the carpentry trade applies here: measure twice, cut once. This is to ensure that you make the correct choice before committing to something that cannot be undone. For example, it is extremely hard to put the toothpaste back into its squeeze bottle if your toddler squeezes it all out!
So before deciding on what color to paint which room, take advantage of Home Depot’s “Measure Twice” options:
- Fan Decks contain multiple colors for you to compare in different spaces in your home. The linked example contains 1800 different colors, covering the full spectrum and all color families.
- Peel and Stick paint swatches are used for when you need a few days to consider your options. Especially useful for areas of the home where the natural lighting will change throughout the day.
- If the colors offered in-store do not suit your taste, style, and home, remember that Home Depot can custom mix paint colors to your satisfaction. Custom mixed paint colors are not refundable under any circumstances.
Home Depot Blanket Return Policy
As of July 2021, products may be returned within 180 days of purchase if bought with a credit card, debit card, cash, or cheque. This includes unopened products such as paint. However, there are some caveats to this policy:
- With Receipt: keep the original packaging for easier and faster returns.
- Purchases made with credit cards will be refunded to the credit card used
- Purchases made with debit cards will be refunded to the debit card used
- Purchases made with a 15-day cleared cheque will be refunded in cash
- Purchases made with a cheque that has not passed the 15-day period may be refunded in-store credit
- Purchases made with store credit, gift certificate or gift card will be refunded to the original form of payment
- Without Receipt: keep the original packaging for easier and faster returns.
- If the purchase was made within the past 180 days by credit, debit, or cheque, Home Depot may be able to look up the receipt for you
- If you paid with a different form other than the above, a refund may be granted in the form of store credit
- If Purchased In-Store: the item must be returned in-store. If you cannot return it to the same Home Depot location that you purchased the product at, contact the nearest Home Depot to check if they will accept the return. In most cases, they will.
- If Purchased Online: you may return your product to any Home Depot location in your country.
- Contact Customer Support within 180 days of purchase
- Purchased items must be returned unused and in like-new condition
- Bring a copy of the Shipping Confirmation Email with you for a faster and easier return. You will receive a refund to the credit or debit account used to make the purchase or you will be granted store credit
- If the purchase was made via PayPal, your PayPal account would be credited
You can return products within 365 Days of Purchase if the purchase was made with The Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, The Home Depot Commercial Revolving Charge, or The Home Depot Commercial Account.
- Store credit or credit to the above accounts will be given if the return is made after 365 days with receipt.
- If the purchase was made with the above accounts but returned without a receipt, Home Depot will be able to look up the receipt for you.
Safety Precautions: Exterior Paints Versus Interior Paints
For those not in the know, exterior paint contains fungicides, mildew-killing chemicals, and UV blockers. These are highly toxic to everyone, pets included. If you use exterior paint on the interior of your house, anyone in that house will be exposed to the above toxic chemicals FOREVER. Not only that, but exterior paint requires sunlight to cure (solvent dissolves, leaving the pigment). The solvent will not dissolve indoors.
Do Not Use Exterior Paint Indoors.
Using interior paint on the exterior of your house or other buildings on your property will not be harmful to anyone but your wallet and time.