Local hardware store went out of business a few years ago, and was selling inventory less than half price. I bought a lot of exterior paint (white), but now my needs have changed and I need to paint a whole house INSIDE. Most of it is latex, I think, not oil-based.

Will exterior paint be okay to use for inside walls? Or will it peel off or something and embarrass me in a couple of months? I guess it would be the difference in using it on wood as opposed to drywall or plaster. Has anyone ever done this?

Thanks for any help or reassurance!

-- Bonnie (51940@aeroinc.net), March 03, 2002

Answers

No problem here. And if it is a white, light, or pastel, you can bring it to your current favorite paint store and have the color changes to another, albeit darker, shade. Worry not, have fun, and good luck!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), March 03, 2002.

You can use it BUT, if it is gloss, semi gloss or high gloss, I doubt you are going to like the look. Interior, unless it is the bathroom or kitchen, is usually painted with flat.

-- Laura (lauramleek@yahoo.com), March 03, 2002.

I always paint the inside of my house with semi-gloss paint. I like the way it looks. I hate the flat paint because it just doesn't wash very well. I like the semi-gloss because finger prints, crayon, markers etc... wipe right off.

-- anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), March 03, 2002.

I vote for semi-gloss latex as well - it cleans much easier. Plus, flat looks exactly like it's named: "flat"!!

One thing I would suggest before you paint is PRIME - this will make your life a lot easier in the long wrong (no peeling, no bleeding, etc.) & you can get away with less coats of paint on top (depending on what colors you're using). We've had great results with BIN 1-2-3 Primer Sealer.

HAVE FUN! ;)

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), March 03, 2002.

I use semi gloss in my rentals only. I wouldn't have it in my home.

-- Laura (lauramleek@yahoo.com), March 03, 2002.

Don't care for flat or semigloss. How about satin or eggshell finish. Seems to be good compromise.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), March 03, 2002.

I'm with Anita--I never paint interior walls with flat paint--it's really hard to keep clean if you have a couple of kids. I like semi gloss paint --do you ever notice how the interiors of restaurants and public bathrooms are painted? Never with flat.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), March 03, 2002.

I wouldn't use it inside. Exterior latex paint is supposed to dry with more flexibility to it so it can expand and contract with the heat and cold. It's a different paint than what you want inside.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), March 03, 2002.

Hi Bonnie, you mentioned in your post that you had purchased the paint from a hardware store that had gone out of business several yrs ago. I would be more concerned with the shelf life of the paint than if it were interior or exterior. Especially if it has been stored outside. Alkyd, or oil-based paints usually have a longer shelf life than latex, which can be as short as one season if they're left outside exposed to temperature changes. If any paint has frozen and thawed, don't even waste your time with it, dispose of it and start with new.

-- Judy C (corwinsusa@netscape.net), March 04, 2002.

Thanks, everyone - the paint was stored inside, didn't freeze, and it's latex. I think I will be glad that it expands and contracts, because I'm doing something really el-cheapo - I took off the paneling, insulated (inside) all the walls that faced outside, and then put the paneling back up.

I'm going over the paneling with sheetrock "mudd", it's called "skim- coating", and then will paint over that (so I think I'll be glad for some "give" in the paint)!

This is all an experiment, but it's sure cheaper than putting drywall up on all the walls - I can't do it, and the labor is horrendous - this method is very labor intensive, but I work for free for myself!

If it doesn't work out, I have only myself to blame, and I'll sure have learned a lot.

-- Bonnie (51940@aeroinc.net), March 06, 2002.