According to the area of use, generally, there are two types of paint on the market, they are interior and exterior paint. Interior paint is intended for use inside the house. Meanwhile, exterior paint is used on the outside of the house. Even though they have similar colors, can interior paint be used on the exterior of the house? Please note that paint generally has two basic ingredients, water-based paint and oil-based paint. Latex and acrylic paints are water-based, while alkyd paints are oil-based.

Both interior paint and exterior paint are available in various basic materials as mentioned above. For exterior paint, oil-based paint is recommended because it resists dirt better. Paint formulated for use on home exteriors contains additional additive compounds that provide extra durability, from crack and dirt protection to protect it from damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays. Meanwhile, water-based paint is preferred for painting home interiors because it dries more quickly.

However, interior paint does not have additives to repel dirt as exterior paint does. Usually, the additive compound in interior paint functions to make the walls more resistant to scratches and easier to clean. However, these special additive compounds for environmental defense will have a bad impact if you use interior paint on the exterior of the house. Apart from additive compounds, the difference between the two paints is a matter of the color pigment in the paint composition.

Interior paint contains organic pigments for color. However, certain types of pigments are known to fade significantly when used on exterior surfaces. Therefore, it is best to avoid using interior paint on the exterior of the house to get maximum wall painting results.

–sh