About 100 people, keen to finish off lockdown projects around their homes, waited in a long line outside Mulford Holdings, in Green Island, on Saturday.
The company gave away hundreds of its spare paint tins, some unused and some worth $100.
Owner Barrie Clydesdale said that the response had been "fantastic" and he had never seen anything like it.
"I never expected that, never."
People started to line up before 7am and Mr Clydesdale’s wife Clare and daughter Casey Dixon ensured everyone maintained social distancing and used hand sanitiser.
Alisha Paterson, of Fairfield, was among those who got their hands on a tin.
She said she had painted her whole house during lockdown and had only one door left — which that paint would be used for.
Mr Clydesdale said another man wanted to paint his daughter’s doll’s house.
The idea for the giveaway had been sparked when a client called, about a week before Level 4 lockdown finished, and said they needed to finish painting a windowsill.
"I thought, I will go through and sort some product, and it just went nuts," he said.
"The people were really grateful."
And community spirit was high, as one man who had picked up some paint returned with muesli bars from a company he worked for, offering them to people while they waited.
And it may not be the last giveaway.
Mr Clydesdale said he and his family were considering doing it again but as a fundraiser for charity and asking for gold coin donations.
