Many homeowners know there is exterior and interior paint, but they don’t understand the different characteristics of each. Some homeowners mistakenly believe the paint is paint and will use exterior paint inside and interior paint outside. While painting companies in Portland understand this, it’s important that homeowners do too.
Exterior Paint Characteristics
As exterior paint is used outside your home, it must be durable enough to stand up to varying weather conditions, including freezing temperatures. The best exterior paints provide fungal protection in addition to UV protection. The paint is designed to prevent fading from the sun’s rays and discourage the growth of mildew.
Other important characteristics that painting companies in Portland want you to know about are:
- Different sheens for different substrates
- Must resist crumbling and peeling
- Unsafe for indoor use as it releases volatile compounds while drying
- Resins used in the paint should be softer to prevent paint from becoming damaged due to expanding and contracting with temperature changes
- It must be waterproof as it’s exposed to rain, snow, ice, and more
Interior Paint Characteristics
Interior paints don’t have to stand up to the elements as exterior ones do, but they do need to be easy to maintain. As interior paints are often used more for decoration than protection, they must be made to withstand any wear and tear.
More characteristics that ESP Painting wants you to know:
- Dampness prevention
- Easy to wash
- Resistant to damage caused by use and scrubbing
- Firm resins can be used as they don’t expand and contract due to temperature fluctuations
- Stain resistance gives it the ability to hide roller and brush marks
- No additives such as pesticides or fungicides
- Must be zero or low VOC to maintain healthy air quality inside your home
