Can Exterior Paint Be Utilized On Your Home’s Interior Walls?

Editorial Staff
|
June 1, 2023

Painting your interior walls is a terrific way to revive your home’s indoor environment. There’s absolutely nothing quite like the feel of a freshly painted room.

Have you ever thought about painting your interior walls with remaining outside paint? It’s still wall paint, so what’s the harm?

The reality is, exterior and interior wall paint serves two various functions; they are made in a different way and while you can, technically, usage exterior wall paint for your interiors, there are numerous things you require to comprehend about the distinctions in between these 2 sort of paint.

Let’s have a look at these distinctions and see if using exterior paint for interiors is an excellent concept.

Fumes and odor

One essential distinction between these 2 paints is their cosmetics. .

Compared to interior paint, exterior paint is created to be very resistant to severe climate condition such as rain, extreme sunlight, dust, and mold.

To accomplish this resilience, paint for outsides is offered different ingredients.

Many of these additives are extremely unstable compounds called volatile organic compounds ( VOCs). The paint will constantly emit VOCs into your house’s air if you use it to your indoor walls, and prolonged exposure to these substances can lead to medical issues, like scratchy eyes, flu-like symptoms, and asthma attacks.

Outside paints also release a strong, poisonous odor which can make it tough to breathe, causing headaches if used indoors. What’s even worse is that these paints can produce this smell for days, and they can discharge VOCs for many years.

Interior paint is much milder than its exterior equivalent because they don’t have many of these harmful chemicals in them, and they’re developed to be perfectly safe for a home’s occupants. There are likewise lots of low-VOC and eco-friendly interior paints readily available if you’re stressed over your indoor air quality.

Paint for outside walls aren’t very damage resistant

Paint for outside usage is created to be extra resistant to environmental aspects however isn’t great at enduring scratches and scrapes. .

Many exterior wall paints are made to be extremely soft; this allows them to flex and stand up to outside extremes like temperature changes. Inside, the paint will be exposed to a great deal of indoor traffic, meaning it will require to withstand furniture running into walls and scratching them or the residents regularly touching them.

Exterior wall paint will begin to flake and break really rapidly when utilized indoors since of all the physical conditions it’ll be exposed to.

Interior paint, meanwhile, is more resistant to physical damages and may have plastic contributed to them, making them dust and waterproof. Thanks to this feature, you can even rub out any dirt and stains from the wall without harming the paint.

Flammability

The majority of paints utilized for painting outsides are oil-based and this makes them combustible to a level. .

While a fire spreading inside your home due to paint is extremely rare, many places inside a home might have potential fire hazards, like the kitchen stove or defective electric outlets; due to the fact that of this, using outside paints for indoor walls is a bit risky.

Quality of the finish

When you’re painting your interiors, one thing you need to be mindful of is the surface. A bad finish will be really visible indoors and imperfections will quickly stand out, making exterior paint a poor choice for interior painting .

Paint for outsides has numerous additives to help it hold up against the severe conditions outdoors and due to the fact that of this, the paint is generally thicker and rougher than indoor paint.

The texture of this paint will not give you the smooth and stylish surface you ‘d expect from interior paint.

Exterior paint– not a terrific choice for interior painting

If you’re going to paint your home’s interiors, it’s much better to stick with interior paint since it’s developed specifically for interior painting and is much more secure to utilize. .

About Editorial Staff

dunwoody paintersEditorial Staff at Dunwoody Painters is a team of painting experts has the knowledge and skills to handle any job. We specialize in interior painting, exterior painting, cabinet painting, deck staining, deck repairs, fence staining, commercial painting, residential painting, and light carpentry repairs.

 

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