Is There a Real Difference between Interior Paint & Exterior Paint?
Options. Options are everywhere! Gluten-free or non-GMO, hybrid or electric, Android or Apple, cotton or polyester blend… we are surrounded by an unbelievable array of choices nearly every moment. And if you step into the paint aisle of a home-improvement store, you will quickly be surrounded by even more options! Let’s tackle one of the most basic divides in all those options: interior paint versus exterior paint. Is there really a difference between them?
Absolutely! As the names imply, exterior paints are designed for use on the home exterior, and interior paints for inside. Let’s take a quick look at why these paints should be used in their intended locations.
What Is Different about Exterior Paints?
Exterior house paints are designed to have long-term flexibility, which allows them to expand and contract seasonally with the heat and cold. They also have additives that resist fading (from UV rays) and mildew (from moisture).
If you tried to use interior paints on the outside of your house, they would quickly begin to crack and peel, and they would also fade and grow mildew well before their time.
What Makes Interior House Paints Special?
The products that your house painter would use for your home interior are formulated to resist scuffs and scrapes, and to hold up to occasional scrubbing. These properties make the paint more rigid, which works inside, but would lead to cracking outside.
Interior house paints also use less unhealthy materials in the solvents, meaning that less gasses evaporate into your home environment after you paint. Using exterior paint inside your home would leave more unpleasant solvents evaporating inside your house.
Need Help with Other Paint Choices? Ask Williams Professional Painting
When you have painting questions, the internet can help, but sometimes, talking with a professional is faster, more informative, and more pleasant. For homeowners in the region of Washington, D.C., Williams Professional Painting is your local house painter, and we would be delighted to serve you. Feel free to contact us with your painting questions, or for a free estimate.
Serving northern Virginia, the Baltimore area, and the greater Washington, D.C. region since 1979, Williams Professional Painting combines high-quality craftsmanship with excellent customer service.
