Using A Latex Top Coat For Interior And Exterior House Painting

Using a latex based top coat for interior and exterior house painting is a professional secret that can provide better color retention and penetration.

* This is the first in our new series of house painting tips on the Peter Smith Painting blog.

Why use a latex top coat?

When painting a house, I use latex paint as my top coat (last coat of paint). Using a latex based top coat for interior or exterior house painting can provide better color retention and penetration. Remember, you can use latex over oil paint, but not vice versa.

Using latex paint as a top coat on the exterior painting of your house

On exterior jobs I prime any bare wood with oil primer. It dries slower and that means better penetration into the wood. This will block out any “bleeding” that may occur if the wood is cedar.

If the surface is in poor condition, in addition to cleaning and sanding, I may use a tinted oil primer as my first coat. I know that it will adhere to the surface that is already there and I know my top coat will adhere to this first coat.

One important note: When knot bleeding is present you must use an alcohol based primer like shellac. Apply two or three coats to the knot holes (it drys very fast) prior to applying
primer or finish paints.

The advantage of a latex top or finish coat is better adhesion, color retention, and mildew resistance on the exterior of your house.

Using latex paint as a top coat on the interior painting of your house

For interior surfaces like walls and ceilings, in most cases they are already latex and
two coats of latex is all that is necessary. Most top of the line paints are self priming. When repainting walls and trim a primer may not be necessary unless a major color change is being
done. In that case, a latex primer is what I would use.

Interior trim is a different story. More often than not the previous paint used on the trim is oil based. A primer and sanding prior to painting the top coat of latex is required. The importance of this can’t be stressed enough – over time the latex paint applied to a unprimed oil surface will peel.

Latex paint is best for interiors because people like to touch up trim. If oil is used for the finish coat it will “yellow” and the touch up will not match even if you use paint from the same gallon of paint that was originally used.

The latex paints of today are a far superior product than in the past. This is especially true of the Benjamin Moore products that we use.

For quality and consistency in your painting the importance of using a latex top coat can’t be understated. If you want the color that is there when the job is finished to be the same 4 years from now it’s a requirement.

Ready for a new look and don’t want to do it yourself?