Interior and Exterior Paints – Are They Different from One Another?

When it comes to paints, they are all made of the same ingredients, like resin, pigments, additives, and solvents. While paints may share their ingredients, interior and exterior paint differ from one another. If you compare Indoor vs. outdoor paint, you will observe that they differ because of the surfaces they are applied to. Different surfaces require different properties, meaning you can’t do with just any paint you come across. The primary difference between interior and exterior paint lies in the ingredients used, where exterior paint will contain more pigments than interior paint. However, if you want more information about interior vs. exterior paint, you are at the right place.

In this blog, you will find out how interior and exterior paint differ in greater detail. Read on to learn more about it.

Difference between Interior and Exterior Paint – The Basics

Exterior paint includes chemicals to make it waterproof and is used to paint various structures’ exteriors. It can survive bad weather, including rain, snow, and sleet. And it won’t fade or crack even after years of exposure to the sun. To prevent chipping and flaking when the wind blows twigs and other debris against your property, it is also incredibly resilient.

Extra resins and other additives are utilized to create a more durable paint. While the paint dries, it results in outgassing. Most of the outgassing will occur over a few days, although it may continue slowly for many years. Mold and mildew are also avoided by using mildewcide.

Your home’s inside may be covered with interior paint. It’s not as resilient as exterior paint, but it can tolerate washing and scrubbing—just not often. However, it is not weatherproof and cannot survive harmful elements.

Interior paint is low in VOCs and other hazardous compounds since it is designed for indoor use. There is little to no outgassing. Interior paints employ organic pigments rather than harsh chemicals to provide color. Those organic hues will swiftly fade in direct sunshine. Moreover, they are more prone to flaking and breaking.

Features of Interior and Exterior Paints

Exterior Paint

• The weather this sort of paint is subjected to varies. Thus, it must defend against moisture brought on by rain and snow and deal with UV radiation from the sun. It must also protect against microbial development.
• Exterior paint is designed to fend against mildew and fading. They should be able to withstand very high temperatures and UV rays.
• The resins used in exterior paints are soft, as previously highlighted. They are also incredibly adaptable as a result. As they compress or expand, they don’t readily break. This means exterior paint can withstand the negative impacts of moisture and temperature variations.
• This type of paint may be applied to several substrates by altering the sheen. A house’s exterior during rain absorbs small quantities of water. Flat paint won’t bubble; instead, it’ll let the water escape.
• Exterior paint shouldn’t be used inside since it produces more volatile organic chemicals. Most importantly, it needs sunshine to heal.

Interior Paint

• Interior paint is used for aesthetic purposes. Interior paint also has the added benefits of being washable, simple to maintain, and moisture avoidance.
• Abrasion resistance is a feature of interior paint formulation. It is designed to be more sensitive than exterior paint since humans are around it.
• This paint can be cleaned and is stain-resistant. It has no fading resistance since it is not exposed to sunshine. Additionally, it does not need to heal from the sun.
• It may also be cleaned. It is simple to remove brush and roller markings and stains that children and dogs leave behind.
• No or low volatile organic chemicals are present in interior paints. This lowers health hazards and is essential to maintaining indoor air quality.

Application of Exterior and Interior Paints

Outgassing from the additional resins in exterior paint may last up to 48 hours, although it often persists during the first few years. This is one reason why using exterior paint inside is not recommended. For brick and stucco, choose exterior paint with a flat sheen, enabling the surfaces to breathe and letting moisture escape through the paint. Particularly brick walls should be allowed to air as moisture transmission between bricks is to be anticipated.

Although interior paints are more fragile than exterior paints, they don’t outgas as much, making them safer to use inside. In the case of interior painting, you still need to ensure enough ventilation. Choose an interior paint with a glossy finish if you may need to clean and scrub an inside surface since these surfaces withstand scrubbing better than flat surfaces, which may smear.

Are they Interchangeable?

The answer is no. You may assume that because exterior paints are meant to endure more, they would also work well in an indoor environment. However, this is untrue. In fact, exterior paint is prone to scuffing and scratching rather quickly, which is difficult to detect while it’s on the exterior of your home but extremely obvious inside. Furthermore, outdoor paint contributes more VOCs to air pollution. This may be highly hazardous when used inside and can cause allergies. On the other hand, the external application of interior paint will result in peeling and cracking due to temperature variations.

Final thoughts

Although it can seem unimportant at first, where you apply interior and exterior paint can have substantial repercussions. You risk having strong chemical odors flooding your home if outside paint is applied to inside surfaces. If you paint the outside of your home using interior paint, it will probably crack, chip, and fade away quickly.

Whether painting an indoor or outdoor surface, it is essential to use paint designed for that surface. Of course, you could always choose indoor/outdoor paint to eliminate any uncertainty.

Now that you know the difference between interior and exterior paints make the most of this information to spruce up your property. If you are unsure about what needs to be done, do not hesitate to contact a professional like Fish Painting to get the best possible results.