What Is The Difference Between Interior And Exterior Paint?

Have little knowledge about the paints and what finish they give but they cannot differentiate between exterior and interior paint. I planned to renovate my house and differentiating between these two types of paints was the hardest for me.

After searching the market and trying out some samples, I wrote an article on the difference between interior and exterior paint. You can read the details carefully to know the qualities of each of them. Please do your research before investing in paints because they have changed over the years.

Difference Between Interior And Exterior Paint

Difference Between Interior And Exterior Paint

Interior Paint

As you all might know, interior paints are used to cover the surfaces and walls inside your home. The quality of these paints is very good and they come with some very good properties. These paints are used inside the home and need a lot of time to dry because the air ventilation is very limited. You can also read about best paint sprayer for interior walls.

The interior paints are damp-resistant so you do not face any difficulty in the longer run. One of the advantages of using them is that they are safer and have environmentally friendly ingredients.

You can get your hands on paints with different finishes and they can be easily cleaned. Some of the interior paints can even be washed and retain their color. The actual color stays on the walls and other surfaces even after years.

You can get paints with different consistencies as they do not need any sunlight for getting dry or cured. The interior paint takes its time and looks aesthetically appealing and flawless when done in your house. You may also be interested to read about airless paint sprayer for roof coatings.

Exterior Paint

The exterior paints on the other hand will be needing sunlight to get dry. These are used outside the house and undergo all weather conditions. Whether it is raining or the Sun is shining bright, this paint won’t fade or budge from its place.

These come with ultraviolet protection and can resist heat or rainwater. The exterior paints might have harmful ingredients or chemicals so they can withstand all weather conditions. This makes them unhealthy and unsafe if you use them inside the house or in your room.

Moreover, these paints provide protection against mold and fungus. The experts say that the exterior paints are capable enough of absorbing moisture and a small amount of water after it rains. This makes them more durable and helps in preventing cracks too.

These paints are made with such technology that helps them stay in good condition throughout. The number of resins and additives used in the making is very high.

Interior vs Exterior Paint: What’s the Difference?

Interior vs Exterior Paint What’s the Difference

The basic ingredients such as the pigments, resins, and solvents are almost the same in the paints. Interior and exterior paints are used for painting your house and beautifying them. Different paints can be used for interior and exterior use as they come in different finishes.

I have discussed each of the paints below so you can understand and differentiate between them. The difference between interior and exterior paint starts with how strongly the paints will stick and dry on the walls.

Exterior paints win in such situations because they use binding resins that are strong, durable, and adhere strongly when compared with interior paints. This is because the exterior paints have to withstand harsh weather conditions and stay intact without getting cracked.

Overall, the resistance of the exterior paints is much more than the interior paints. They have absorbing properties and can stay in good condition even in low temperatures.

Moreover, interior paints win when it comes to environmentally friendly ingredients used in manufacturing. As mentioned above, exterior paints have many additives so they become resistant to mold, mildew, fungus, and water.

The paints are changed over the years so they have to resist high and low temperatures along with fading. These have a high amount of paint additives which makes them unhealthy and inappropriate for indoor use. Also exterior paint can’t be used indoor.

When it comes to spray paint drying time and even distribution, the interior paints lack behind. The drying and curing time is less in interior paints and they are equally distributed onto the surface. These are alkali resistant which makes sure the color and the texture remain the same when applied directly onto the concrete surface.

Furthermore, exterior paints face tough conditions because they are exposed to sunlight every day. The chances of getting faded are higher so additives are used to prevent this process.

FAQs about Exterior and Interior Paints

Can I use interior paint on the exterior?

I think you should not use interior paint on the exterior side of your house because it cannot withstand high and low weather conditions. Moreover, exterior paints are waterproof and resistant to fungus and mildew. Using the interior paint will make it crack and fade away in a couple of days.

Is the interior and exterior paint the same color?

The interior and the exterior paint do not have the same color. Initially, both of them might appear to be the same in the gallon but exterior paints are lighter when applied on the surface. They are fade resistant so rainwater or high temperature does not have an effect on them.

What happens if I accidentally use exterior paint inside?

If you end up using exterior paint inside your house, you will have to make sure that the area has high ventilation and airflow. Exterior paints have a high amount of volatile organic compounds that are not safe and unhealthy when used inside a closed space.

Concluding Interior vs Exterior Paint Comparison

A brief article on the difference between interior and exterior paint is written so you can have an idea before using them in your house. Both of these paints appear to be the same most of the time but have different properties.

Exterior paints are lighter and distribute evenly whereas interior paints have brighter colors. It is best if both of these are used at appropriate places because they have ingredients that help them to stay in good condition. I hope this article will help you know the basic difference between these paints.


We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund MachinerySurgeon. Some of the links in MachinerySurgeon are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commission off of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and are willing to purchase it, we would be very appreciative if you use MachinerySurgeon links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!