Could they make the can any cheaper...my whining!!!

I'm helping my daughter make a small built-in for the bathroom in the rental she lives in. We have permission to do this, so long it is stained to match the remainder of the room. The landlord said it was Varathane Premium Stain blab-blah-blah. So we purchased the stain and I applied it this morning. So far the verdict is still out on the product, but the cheap can is ridiculous! While closing it with the pressure of my hand, the side of the can started to collapse! :mad: Mind you, I'm a 140# older female that has gone thru 3 different chemotherapy regimens and a stem cell transplant to try to get lymphoma into remission, I'm not very strong! Do you think they could put their "premium" stain in a premium can? Enough of a rant. . . sorry if it bored you.

Over the years manufacturers have tried to improve profit margins through various product and packaging manipulations. It sounds as if you have fallen victim to cheaper packaging. I wish I had some encouraging words to offer, but I suspect we have all been there, if not with the product you used, some other product(s).

Sounds like maybe the side of the can was already dented before you pushed the cover on? Even an empty beer can made of .005" aluminum will stand up to quite a bit of compression (like over 100#) before it buckles. But it's kind of like an eggshell: Once there's a crack, dent or other discontinuity, all bets are off...

Oh, and trust me: They'll always find ways to make stuff cheaper!

I had the same thing happen with the first container of the Varithane I bought a couple months ago. I don't generally use oil based finishes but needed a quart for a specific project. The edge buckled with the first blow when I was putting the lid back on. The "bare/empty" quart paint cans from Home Depot more recently purchased are equally fragile compared to how they used to be.

This has been a problem for some years. I just came in from my shop where I glanced at a future project that has been staring at me for 8 or more years. I had bought a can of dewaxed shellac and sat it on a some boards I had sitting on a pair of saw horses in the "new" shop I was trying to finish when I got interrupted by some turners and turning. A couple days later I walked out to find the contents of the gallon can were now spread across an area of the concrete floor. There was a small screw sitting on the boards and I had set the can on the screw. Laying on it's side, the head of the screw had punctured the can. I keep failing to remember in the summer months when I can address the resultant problem with rags and alcohol.

If they could make it any cheaper, they probably would be now, or will be next year.

It's frustrating to clamp a can into a shaker and have the can collapse.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tom M King

If they could make it any cheaper, they probably would be now, or will be next year.

---

I keep waiting for them to sell paint in plastic bags to save a nickel.

I bought a little can of the Valspar Premium varnish, a couple of days ago, to hit a handrail with, and laughed when it did the same thing when I closed it with my hand:)