How do you make old latex paint usable?

We have some old latex paint - about 4 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket. When we opened it the liquid at the top was nearly clear and all the solids had settled to the bottom to form a nearly solid gooey mass. When I was stirring it, pool ball size chucks of solids would come up. We would like to use this on a woodshed so I'm not worried about it being perfect just resonably usable. My plan was to stir it a couple of times a day for a number of days, breaking the masses then strain it prior to use. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

find out what solvents are in it (is it water, alcohol, oil based) and add more of the most volatile solvents back into it. stirring it is ok, but you really need to whip it up, or the best thing would be to put it on a shaker (paint stores usually have them) for an hour.

you already know...strain it...you could take it to the hardware store and ask them to shake it for you for a buck or two, then strain it..you can use your wifes old panty hose to do this!

You can try to stir with a power mixer (attachment you can get for your drill), but the best thing would be to go ahead and spend the $25 on a fresh can of paint.

I think your best bet is to take it to your local home improvement center and ask them to shake it for you. Since it is latex, it's water based. If it smells sour or is "curdled" like cottage cheese, it's probably gone bad. However since you're just using it on an outdoor shed and you just want to cover it with something you could probably get away with it. Save your arm unless you want the workout. Make sure the lid and cap is on tight and let the home center shake it. They will probably do it at no charge. Good luck.

They make drill attachments for stiring larger buckets of paint.