What Are The Different Types of Exterior Coatings? (2024)

Your building’s exterior endures a lot of abuse from outdoor elements. Blistering sunlight, driving rains, hail, and snow, all impact its longevity. So, protecting your investment becomes a propriety. Thankfully, the coatings industry has been working overtime to produce a range of exterior painting formulations that can withstand nature’s most furious moments. This blog will introduce you to different Types of Exterior Coatings for commercial buildings.

The Resin Revolution

Acrylic resin paints are the royalty of the exterior paint world. These types of exterior coatings beat alternatives in terms of quality and protection. Every paint includes solvents that evaporate upon application.

Some of the highest-quality exterior painting formulations rely on 100% acrylic resin binders. Binders build a powerful film with the right flexibility to expand and shrink in icy weather without cracking. Resins are the umbrellas of the coatings world, resisting water and drying quickly while minimizing often volatile solvents. In their hardened form, they can beat vinyl in the waterproofing game. They are, however, not perfect.

Even acrylic resin dissolves slightly in moisture, interfering with its adhesion. Pre-treatments can help it to adhere better, but swelling can cause blisters that ultimately make your coating chip. So that velvety exterior painting won’t keep its handsome good looks forever. Buildings in states where rain or snow are just part of life will need more than exterior painting to survive the wet season. Enter polyurethane membrane: an acrylic that resists water in icy cold weather, keeping your building dry.

Oil-Based Solutions

Other types of exterior coatings include oil. Because oil and water don’t get along, oil-based exterior painting is one of the oldest forms of waterproofing in the industry. It’s dirt-resistant and harder than latex, but it’s also glossy. Whether or not that’s a plus depends entirely on your taste. Oil-based exterior painting is usually reserved for doors, trim, and porch floors.

Latex is just as durable and UV-resistant and lacks the toxic fumes of oil-based solutions. Its tensile strength is higher, so it can outlast even the toughest oil-based alternatives. Ordinary latex exterior painting is known for its quick-drying properties and easy clean-up, but it still can’t rival the strength of acrylic latex—the guru of the exterior painting world.

Packing Extra Functionality into Exterior Painting

Today’s paint technology and quality ingredients can help it dry faster and control problems like mildew, allowing us to say “goodbye” to ugly blackening before it even has a chance to take hold. Additives can also give paint extra aesthetic emphasis by improving texture, meaning the difference between a smooth, unlined surface and a textured one. Exterior painting additives can even freshen the air with a subtle scent.

Innovative new coatings have many benefits and will stick to your surfaces tenaciously in rain and snow. There is, however, no such thing as the perfect paint, only the perfect paint for your unique needs.

About Us:
Fresh Paint Inc. is a trusted provider of commercial painting services in the twin cities of Minnesota dedicated to helping businesses achieve exceptional results. From evaluating the condition of your building to preparing surfaces and selecting the right paint, our team of professionals will manage the entire preparation and paint process.

Contact us today to learn more about our commercial painting services.