Interior and Exterior Paints – Are These Two Different?

If you have decided to undertake the task of House Painting, then you must understand the basic difference between interior and exterior paints. There are several kinds of paints available in the market, and each one has a unique property and purpose. All paints have three common ingredients additive, pigments, and resin. What brings the difference is the kind of solvent that is used which differentiates water-based or oil-based paints. In water-based paints, the solvent is water, while oil-based turpentine or mineral spirit acts as a solvent. Both these types are used for commercial and residential purposes.

Both interior and exterior paints are made from similar ingredients mentioned above however, the exterior paints may contain excess pigments and these are made to sustain harsh climatic and environmental conditions. You should contact an expert to understand in detail and get a quote on the cost of painting a house per square foot India.

Before you contact someone, let us help you with some basic characteristics of these paints so that you know exactly what an expert is talking about.

Exterior Paints

• Exterior Paints contain a resin that is softer than the interiors paints because they are made specifically to bear extreme climatic conditions like snow, heat, moisture from the sea, etc.
• These are flexible, and the ingredients used do not allow the paint to expand or contract.
• Exterior paints are usually oil-based paints so that they don’t fade or dissolve due to excessive rains or sunlight.
• Additives like fungicides and pesticides are added to avoid fungal growth. This adds a pungent odor to the paint and the paint releases harder fumes.
• Exterior paints have a high percentage of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). Harmful carbon-based chemicals vaporize when exposed to room temperatures and get released into the atmosphere upon curing. These vapors are dangerous and in long run can cause diseases like cancer.

Interior Paints

• Interior paints are something that you literally live with! Hence it is important to keep them fungicide and pesticide-free.
• Interior paints these days are free from their characteristic odor.
• Interior paints are usually water-based paints and the resin added can make them easily washable. So, all those crayon marks or dust stains can come off easily when wiped with a wet cloth.
• These paints are made with the purpose to decorate your house, and to add a beauty element to your house.
• These paints are not meant to face any freeze, heavy rains, or scorching heat of the sun, hence the resin used in these paints is rigid in nature.
• The rigid resin helps the interior paints to withstand damages like scratch, abrasions, chipping.
• Interior paints are made stain resistant to cover up for the roller and brush marks.
• Interior paints release nil or very low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) making it safer to be used inside the house. These release softer fumes when compared to the exterior paints.

There is not much of a price tag difference between interior and exterior paint. Since exterior paints contain higher chemicals and additives, they may be a tad bit higher in cost compared to interior paints. 

Now that you have gained some basic knowledge about these two paints and their characteristics, if you ever undertake the House Painting job in your hands, you know exactly what kind of paint to be used for your interior walls and exterior wall. We suggest you leave this to a pro and contact a professional to get the best results.