When it comes time to book an interior painting job in Sydney, you should be prepared with your paint colours and the types of paint you want to use. You might be wondering if you can use interior paints on some exterior work you want to be done simultaneously? Before you buy a bulk order of one paint for your whole house, talk to your painting experts. Here is why you need to buy different paints.

Paint Overview

Each paint on the market has been manufactured with precise specifications from a chemist for different functions. Exterior paint has a molecular structure that can withstand mildew, UV bond-deterioration (fading) and dramatic temperature changes. Interior paint has had its properties focused on withstanding cleaning, regular touching and stains.

The Fundamentals

There are similar ingredients in paint as a baseline: resins, additives, solvents and pigments.

The fluidity of paint is created by the solvent, which evaporates as paint dries, leaving behind the additives, pigments and resins. The pigment is colour, and the additives are what create the different functionalities, e.g. mildew resistance. The resins are the stickiness – they bind the paint to surfaces and are usually silicone, acrylic or epoxy.

What Are The Differences?

Exterior and interior paint share pigment and solvents similarities. Water-based or oil-based paints are suitable for the outdoors, but oil-based paints are not recommended for indoors. Oil-based paints have a strong smell and are not easy to clean.

The biggest difference between interior paint and exterior paint is the resin component. Exterior paint has to be hardy and durable; therefore, the resins used are softer. Sounds counterintuitive, but softer resins make them flexible and resistant to cracking during expansion and contraction.

Interior paints have a more rigid resin, and this reduces smearing and scuffing.

Exterior paint releases a greater volume of unstable organic compounds, so it is unsafe for interior use. More importantly, it relies on sunlight for its curing process.

Interior Paints have dampness prevention properties, is more delicate than exterior paint and does not require sunlight for curing. It has a low release of unstable organic compounds.

There are some paints, called Universal, that can be used indoors and outdoors, but they are not a silver bullet solution. They have restraints as well.

The best approach when choosing paints is to get advice from your painting team. They have been in the game for decades, and they hear all the latest industry news, products launches, product failures and top tips.

If you want your interior painting done perfectly by specialists in Sydney, then our efficient team is only a call away!