William Lipovsky
Short Answer
The Home Depot has a 30-day Paint Satisfaction Guarantee, which allows customers to bring mixed paint back to the store for a color correction or to get a comparable can of paint. The Home Depot does not offer refunds for paint, even if it was improperly mixed. Lowe’s offers a similar 30-day guarantee; however, Lowe’s offers the option of getting a refund if you haven’t used the paint.
Can You Return Mixed Paint to The Home Depot?
The Home Depot offers a 30-day Paint Satisfaction Guarantee. If you purchase mixed paint from The Home Depot and it wasn’t mixed properly or the paint has other quality issues, you can bring it back to the store within 30 days, along with your receipt.[1]
Then, The Home Depot’s paint specialists can either try to correct the paint you currently have or mix you a new, comparable can of paint.
However, note that if the paint you purchased was the correct shade but you’ve simply changed your mind about the color, the store will not likely accept the return (though this is at the discretion of the store associate/manager.)[1][2]
Additionally, The Home Depot will not refund your money regardless of the reason you’re returning the paint.[1]
If you purchased “oops” paint — paint that someone else returned and exchanged for a different color — the Paint Satisfaction Guarantee does not apply. These sales are final.[1][2]
Can You Return Mixed Paint to Lowe’s?
Lowe’s also has a Paint Guarantee; however, it differs from The Home Depot in that if you don’t like your paint for any reason, you have 30 days from the date of purchase to return it for a full refund or exchange it for a comparable can of paint.[3][4][5]
To receive a refund to your original method of payment, you’ll need your original receipt, and the paint must be in “new” condition. This means you can open the can and test a small amount, but if there is a fair amount of paint missing from the can, you won’t be able to return it for a refund.
If you have used more than a small amount, you can take the unused portion back to Lowe’s and receive a comparable can of paint, or Lowe’s can also try and fix the color for you.[3][4]
To compare these policies with those at Walmart, check out our article regarding Walmart’s paint return policy.
Lindsey Desmet