Will Exterior Paint Work Inside?

When it comes to decorating, you will want to figure out a way to keep costs down, as decorating supplies can be expensive. If you are choosing to decorate the interior and exterior of your property at the same time, you might try to cut costs by only purchasing one set of paints, such as exterior paints. The question is, will exterior paint work inside? Can this type of paint be used on the interior of a property as well as the exterior?

Here at Arranmac, we highly recommend that you don’t use exterior paint inside your property. Although it is possible to use exterior paint indoors, we highly advise against it as there is a difference in mildewcides. Exterior paints are not designed for interior use, and they may cause adverse respiratory problems in some individuals. Additionally, exterior paints are known to have higher volumes of acrylic substances, which can lead to a lingering odour.

As such, we highly recommend using interior paint for interiors and exterior paint for exteriors.

Will Exterior Paint Stick to Metal?

A question we get asked quite frequently is will exterior paint stick to metal? There will be many metal surfaces in your garden, from fences and railings to benches and more. If you wish to give these a lick of paint to bring them back to life, you might be wondering whether your exterior paint will work on these metal features.

The short answer is that yes, any latex, oil-based exterior paint will stick to metal and will work quite well on your metal features. However, you do need to be careful because if the exterior paint is water-based, this can lead to the metal rusting, so you will need to use an oil-based primer first.

While you can use exterior paint on the metal features in your garden, we do recommend that you use a metal specific paint, as these have been designed for use on metal. These will be much better for painting metal surfaces, lasting longer and protecting the metal surface too.

Will Exterior Paint Dry in Cold Weather?

There is one question that we get asked quite often, and that is will exterior paint dry in cold weather? While you might want to wait for warmer weather to paint the exterior of your property, we all know that in the UK, these days can be few and far between. If you can’t wait for a rare warm and sunny day, you will want to know if you can still paint the exterior of your property in the colder weather, and whether the exterior paint will dry in this cold weather.

The simple answer to his question is that yes, exterior paint will dry in cold weather, it will just take longer to do so. Cold weather will slow the drying time of oil- and water-based paints, but these paints will still dry in time. If you are doing multiple coats, this means that the recoat times will also be extended.

In warmer weather, you can expect these exterior paints to dry in around 4 hours, ready for a new coat. In colder weather, however, you can expect drying times to increase to around 6 hours. This doesn’t mean that your exterior paint won’t dry, just that your exterior paint will take longer to dry.

The colder weather will also reduce the overall life expectancy of the paint, so we do recommend painting the exterior in slightly warmer weather. However, we know sometimes this can’t be helped in the UK, so yes, you can paint in the colder weather, but expect it to take much longer to dry.

Will Exterior Paint Stick to Plastic?

As we have mentioned above, when you are attempting to decorate, you will want to keep costs down, and one way to do this is to reuse your exterior paint for other features, rather than buy new paint specific to the task. In some cases, such as with metal and interior decorating, this isn’t advisable as exterior paint isn’t recommended for these areas. But what about plastic? Will exterior paint stick to plastic?

We have a simple answer for you because yes, standard exterior gloss paint will be a suitable finish for plastic, but only when used with an appropriate primer and undercoat. You can use acrylic or oil-based exterior paints, which are available in a range of colours, but you much prime the plastic surface and use a suitable undercoat before using the exterior paint.

As with all things, however, we always recommend using products specific to the material and feature you are painting. While you can use exterior paint as long as you have primed and undercoated the surface first, using a paint specifically made for plastic will always be the better choice. These paints will stick to the plastic better and last for longer, so we do recommend using a plastic specific paint if you can.

To learn more about our products or what we offer, call us today on 07904 037537 or send us an email at info@arranmac.co.uk and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Will Exterior Paint Stick to Concrete?

Another question that we get asked quite often is will exterior paint stick to concrete? While exterior paint will stick to concrete surfaces, we highly recommend against using it on concrete. This is because exterior paint hasn’t been made for use on concrete. An exterior house paint can actually crack and peel when used on concrete, which is the last thing you want to happen.

Rather than using exterior paint on the concrete on your property, we highly recommend you use something called masonry paint, also known as elastomeric paint or elastomeric wall coating. This is a great choice for painting concrete as it contains binders that contract and expand with the concrete, leading to zero cracking or peeling of the surface.

So, while you can use exterior paint for concrete, and it will stick, you will find that the exterior paint will eventually crack and peel on the concrete.

Will Exterior Paint Protect Wood?

Many homeowners will have wooden features in their garden, from fences and benches to decking and more. In order to keep these wooden features looking great, you will need to consider how you treat them and which paint you use to do so. If you have a tin of exterior paint lying around, you might be tempted just to use that to coat the wood. But will exterior paint protect wood?

Wooden features in the garden are under a constant onslaught from the weather and, as such, they need to be protected against the elements. While you might believe that putting a coat of exterior paint on the wooden features will suffice, this won’t adequately protect the wood, as exterior paint hasn’t been manufactured for wood.

In order to protect the wood properly, you will need a wood specific paint that is entirely weatherproof and waterproof. There are many different wood paints on the market, all of which are designed to protect the wood and ensure it lasts.

Check Out Our Commercial Decorating

Hopefully after reading the above information, you are now more knowledgeable regarding exterior paint and what it can and can’t be used for. While exterior paint can be used for many applications, we always highly recommend buying specific paint for specific features, such as metal, wood, and concrete, as this enables you to achieve the very best results.

However, painting and decorating yourself can be time-consuming and expensive. It is much easier to hire a team of painters and decorators to carry out the work for you, and this is where we come in at Arranmac. We are domestic and commercial painters and decorators with years of experience and a wealth of knowledge backing us. We can take on any domestic or commercial decorating project you require.

So, to find out more about our commercial decorating services, you need only give us a call on 07904 037537, fill out our contact form, or send an email to info@arranmac.co.uk.