Can You Use Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint Inside? Here’s How!

Repainting the home inside and out is the best way to remodel the house. But as you know exterior paints and interior paints are not the same so you may find it difficult to choose the right paint for you.

This difficulty leads to the question can you use exterior acrylic latex paint inside the house? I am here to answer this question in detail that you have to know.

Can You Use Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint Inside

Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint: Basic Ingredients

The basic ingredients for exterior acrylic latex paint are almost as same as any other type of paints. The four basic ingredients are pigments, additives, resin, and solvent. A solvent is nothing but water when it comes to latex paint. And as the paint dries, the solvent eventually evaporates and disappears.

After the solvent evaporates only the resin, additives, and pigments stays as the ingredients. However, you can have different types of finishes on exterior paints. For example, there is a glossy finish if you like it shiny, and there is also a classy matte finish available too.

Though exterior paints have a solvent similar to interior paints, the percentage of pigments is higher in exterior paints. The pigments which fade faster are used in interior paints and not exterior paints.

A good quality exterior paint is able to withstand all types of weather conditions. It can withstand random temperature changes. It can protect the house from UV rays as well as prevent rainwater from licking inside.

As the weather changes the surface underneath the paint contracts and expands. So the resins used in exterior paints are really flexible. Also, exterior paints have additives that are helpful for stopping mildew, preventing fading, and also resisting tannin.

Advantages of Exterior Acrylic Latex Paints

There are a lot of advantages of exterior paints. I am giving some of the major ones here.

Prevents Damage from Termites

If you have a wooden house or if anything outside your house is made of wood (the doors or the windows), termites are your sworn enemy. Though brick houses have less to worry about termites, wooden houses are at risk of termites if it is not sealed.

Exterior paints are made to protect wooden objects from termite attacks. If you use exterior painting on your wooden house, then there will be a small to no risk of any termite attack.

Our Pick: Rust-Oleum Zinsser PermaWhite Exterior Paint ( Best for wood)

Protects from Critical Weather Conditions

Exterior paints are mainly used on houses to prevent the house from getting damaged due to critical weather conditions. Weather changes are very common all around the world. You don’t know when it will be too hot or too cold. It is very common for the temperature to randomly change.

Exterior paints can withstand such random changes in temperature and keep the inside of the house warm and fuzzy for you. The paint also makes the house look beautiful in different weather. It can also prevent rainwater from leaking inside as well.

Our Pick: Montage Signature Interior/Exterior Eco-Friendly Paint

Saves from Splintering

Woods have the tendency to get splintered when it has been used for a long time. To stop this from happening or to elongate the lifespan of the wood, you can use exterior painting on it.

Exterior paints prevent the outside environment to come in contact with whatever it is applied on. So the wood where you apply this paint will be safe from water or any other material that is harmful to it. Thus the wood will last longer.

Our Pick: Best Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint

Disadvantages of Exterior Acrylic Latex Paints

There are disadvantages to using exterior paints. They are not very critical but I am pointing them out just in case.

Makes Metals Rusty

Although exterior paints are very useful for wood and bricks or cement, they are not very good for metallic items. Rusts are the main foe of any metal. Unfortunately, exterior paints are sometimes responsible for rusts.

I highly recommend you not to use exterior paints on any metal surface. Because eventually it will cause rusts on it and the surface will get damaged. This is not good, both visually and physically.

Has to Be Stored with Care

Exterior paints have the tendency to get dry really fast. This is what makes them suitable for the exterior part of the house. But this is also a bit risky for you too.

If you keep the paint exposed to air for quite a while, it can get dry before you are finished with your work. So, you have to be very careful about that.

You have to keep the lead of the paint bucket closed all the time so that the paint won’t get dry quickly.

Can You Use It Inside?

Now that you know about the ingredients, advantages, and disadvantages of exterior acrylic latex paints, let’s talk about can you use exterior acrylic latex paint inside the house.

First of all, as I have said already how useful exterior paints can be for woods, you can surely use it for painting different interior furniture or unfinished kitchen cabinet doors that are made of wood. That way you can keep the furniture safe from various damages and they will last longer than usual.

Secondly, exterior paints give a smooth finish and there is both glossy and matte finish available. I have already talked about that. So, my point is if you use it inside the house, you can make your walls look really beautiful.

There’s only one drawback and that is to keep the paint away from any metallic components. So, to wrap it up, you can use exterior paints inside the house if you want. All you need to do is to be careful about the metal thing.

Conclusion

I think you have got your answer on can you use exterior acrylic latex paint inside the house. All you need to do is to be careful about not exposing the exterior paint to the air for too long. Also, you should keep it away from metals. By simply abiding by these rules, you can surely use exterior paints inside your house without any doubt.