What is Difference Between Interior Paint and Exterior Paint?

Interior paint is paint made for inside surfaces like walls, ceilings, and rooms. It gives a smooth finish, low smell, and safe air quality. Exterior paint is paint made for outside walls. It protects surfaces from the sun, rain, wind, and temperature changes. Below is the clear difference between interior paint and exterior paint. 

What is the Difference Between Exterior Paint and Interior Paint?

Interior paint focuses on beauty, safety, and comfort inside the home. Exterior paint focuses on strength, protection, and long life in harsh outdoor conditions. So, both paints have different roles. Interior paint improves indoor appearance and safety, while exterior paint protects buildings from weather damage. Using the right paint in the right place ensures better results, longer life, and a healthy environment.

Hire a professional painter to understand which paint is best for both interior and exterior surfaces. A professional will guide you in choosing the right type of paint and the most suitable colours for your space. 

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Key Difference Between Exterior and Interior Paint

• Composition:

  There are often fewer weather-resistant ingredients in interior wall paint. However, additives and resins found in exterior paint protect against weathering, UV ray damage, dampness, and extreme temperature fluctuations.

• Durability:

  Interior paints can resist normal wear and tear, such as scuffs, stains, and smudges. But exterior paints are more durable, as they are made to withstand fading, chalking, peeling, and moisture-induced damage.

• VOCs:

  Exterior paints contain more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than interior paints. It is therefore inappropriate for indoor use.

• Colour and Finish:

  In contrast to interior wall paints, exterior paints have fewer color and finish options.

• Application:

  Paint for interior spaces is made for controlled environments. On the other hand, exterior paint is designed to withstand exposure to extreme weather conditions.

Low VOCs for indoor air quality, ease of cleaning, and aesthetics are the main goals of interior paints. However, exterior paint prioritizes durability, weather resistance, and defense against UV radiation. I hope you understand the interior vs exterior paint difference.

Last year when I painted the exterior of my house, I discovered 2 fresh, and non used exterior paint cans. Hence, I decided to paint the interior of my house using this. But my house painter said that there is a difference between interior paint and exterior paint, and I cannot use the exterior paint on the interior surface.

What is the Difference Between Exterior and Interior Paint?

The main difference between exterior paint and interior paint is that the paints used inside homes are made especially for interior use and are made to endure the normal indoor environment. Exterior house paints, however, might not work as well indoors because they are designed for outside use.

After mentioning the difference in exterior and interior paint, he also highlighted the downside of applying exterior paint on the interior,

There are various drawbacks when applying exterior paint indoors. Higher concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are linked to poor indoor air quality, may be present in outside paint.

• VOC: Exterior paints include chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can evaporate and lead to air pollution and other health hazards.

• Odour: Because exterior paints have different formulas and may include greater quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), using them indoors might cause unpleasant scents.

It is because of these reasons I finally did not apply the exterior paint on my interior walls. 

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Hi there, there are quite a lot of difference between interior paint and exterior paint. I’ll try to share most of them with you here to help answer your question.

We got our house interiors and exteriors painted before Diwali, so I have quite some understanding of the differences these two hold. 

What is the Difference Between Exterior and Interior Paint?

Here are the differences between the exterior and the interior paint. I have also mentioned the criterion based on which the differences are drawn for your ease of understanding.

The properties of these two paint types are based on their usage and the environment. This is why it becomes important for you to use exterior paints for exterior work and interior paints for interior work. 

This is all about exterior paint vs interior paint. I hope this will help you understand the two better.