# Type of paint to use for garage walls?



## kennykenny (Sep 23, 2007)

I wanted advice on what kind of paint to use on the walls of an unheated garage? Exterior? I know that flat paint will supposedly hide more blemishes but the flat won't wipe away the scuffs as much will it? Suggestions? Thanks!


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

That's like asking what's better Chevy or Ford.
The higher the sheen the easier to clean.
Bare drywall?
Prime first, no primmer and paint in one!


----------



## kennykenny (Sep 23, 2007)

joecaption said:


> That's like asking what's better Chevy or Ford.
> The higher the sheen the easier to clean.
> Bare drywall?
> Prime first, no primmer and paint in one!


Textured wall. Been primed already.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Textured walls in a garage, big mistake already, someone was trying to save the time and money to finish the drywall.
Use at least a semi gloss paint.


----------



## kennykenny (Sep 23, 2007)

joecaption said:


> Textured walls in a garage, big mistake already, someone was trying to save the time and money to finish the drywall.
> Use at least a semi gloss paint.


Whenever they build a new house, doesnt it always seem that that they are trying to save time snd money?


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Not getting that finish or why you can see brown on the wall, New drywall is white.
If it was mine I'd be priming the whole thing then two coats of paint.


----------



## kennykenny (Sep 23, 2007)

joecaption said:


> Not getting that finish or why you can see brown on the wall, New drywall is white.
> If it was mine I'd be priming the whole thing then two coats of paint.


Rolled the whole thing with primer once already.


----------



## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

You need a larger nap roller then to get in the low areas


----------



## MT Stringer (Oct 19, 2008)

Kiltz should block the stains.


----------



## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

You can use an interior latex paint on a garage wall.

Exterior latex paints have UV blockers in them and mildewcides to prevent mildew growth on the paint. In a garage you generally don't have enough humidity for mildew to grow, but if you're concerned about that, then use a paint meant specifically for bathrooms, like Zinsser PermaWhite Bathroom Paint. You don't need UV blockers in your paint because your garage presumably has a roof. So, an interior paint will be all you need in a garage; with or without mildew resistance, as you see fit.


----------



## blackjack (Oct 21, 2015)

I like sw exterior satin emerald in unheated garage spaces. It's resilient to dang near everything (including mildew)and will hold up very well in the long run. You can use interior products, but they're just not able to take as much abuse...


----------



## blackjack (Oct 21, 2015)

Just make sure there's no condensation issues in there this time of year. You may run into surfectant leeching if whatever product you're using doesn't dry and cure properly in lower temps.


----------



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

After you prime, a good coat of exterior semi or high gloss.

That is how I did mine....


----------



## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

Use SW Promar 200. It's cheaper and it covers ok.


----------



## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

I really don't know why people are recommending exterior latex paint for the interior of a garage.

People paint the interior of their cottages with interior latex paint all the time, and yet those cottages spend the winter uninhabited and unheated. Yet, no one ever complains that the cold temperatures inside the cottage over the winter months did any harm to the paint.

Conditions in an unheated and uninhabited cottage are not significantly different than those in an unheated garage.

If someone came in here asking what paint to use to paint the interior of their cottage, would we be recommending and exterior latex paint because the cottage will be unheated and uninhabited during the winter?


----------



## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

I don't think interior or exterior makes any difference in a garage since off-gassing won't be a problem but I would use at least a semi-gloss. If you don't have mold and mildew in there now you won't have it after you paint.

I would prime again using 1-2-3. The brown might be from when they textured they had a little too much water in their mix so it made a water stain in the area that's not covered by the texture.


----------



## blackjack (Oct 21, 2015)

Nestor, lower temps and moisture (wet cars parked in garages) are prime conditions for mildew growth. Not sure if the walls are insulated or not. Also, exterior products tend to be less porous and more resiliant to abuse for some reason (more resins or???perhaps?) They also don't get painted nearly as often as interior spaces. It is for these reasons that I would suggest this product.

Case in point: we did a 1.5 million dollar remodel on a home 10 years ago. (I wasn't with this company then, have just done some maintenence and color changes since then) garage (wooden roll up doors) was painted with interior satin (Bm regal btw) paint. They've been fighting mildew every year with a primary concern about damaging the doors. Repriming and painting every year.
The doors usually begin to mildew in sept. With a full bloom covering the panels by mid nov.

In june, we went out. Cleaned the doors. Primed them and painted with satin emerald. This year, no mildew on the doors. Only on the other areas that didn't get painted. I've done many garages in both interior and exterior products over the years. This one convinces me, yet again, that an exterior product is better designed for this type of application. It can take a beating. And it can take whatever weather you want to throw at it. It can also take whatever the kids throw at it! 

I was just there last week and the doors look like I just painted them yesterday. We'll be doing the entire garage in the spring.

Interior spaces tend to be sealed up and insulated better. And sure. You could use an exterior product in a cottage! It certainly wouldn't hurt anything, just needs a little more time to gas off. You just can't use an interior paint on an exterior. It won't hold up.


----------



## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> I really don't know why people are recommending exterior latex paint for the interior of a garage.


Is there some harm in it? Could it possibly cause any problem?



Nestor_Kelebay said:


> People paint the interior of their cottages with interior latex paint all the time, and yet those cottages spend the winter uninhabited and unheated. Yet, no one ever complains that the cold temperatures inside the cottage over the winter months did any harm to the paint.


Lots of people do lots of things all the time what work perfectly fine. The world would be easy to figure out if things worked one way or the other all the time. If tile always failed over bare plywood, if paint without primer always failed, if smoking killed everyone who ever tried it. So just because it didn't fail doesn't really prove much.



Nestor_Kelebay said:


> Conditions in an unheated and uninhabited cottage are not significantly different than those in an unheated garage.


They are certainly more humid in a garage in general. Furthermore, the rate of change of humidity and temperature is much higher in a garage than in a relatively shut off and insulated cottage. So the two areas do behave differently.



Nestor_Kelebay said:


> If someone came in here asking what paint to use to paint the interior of their cottage, would we be recommending and exterior latex paint because the cottage will be unheated and uninhabited during the winter?


Sure, why not?

It's really not that big a deal. There are paints such as this

https://www.dunnedwards.com/products/interior-paints-and-primers/finishes/versawall

Oh and by the way for all the haters, this is _not_ labeled paint and primer in one. However, it _is_ self priming over drywall. There's a difference.


----------



## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Interior paint usually works fine in a garage, but optimally I would put an exterior eggshell in a garage, personally. Semi-gloss would probably be even better, if you can stand the look.


----------



## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

jeffnc said:


> Is there some harm in it? Could it possibly cause any problem?


No, I can't really see any harm in painting the inside of a garage with exterior paint.

Generally, though, exterior paints use softer binders because they don't have to stand up to hard scrubbing to remove stubborn marks. That's because it's rare to ever clean the outside of a house, except perhaps prior to repainting.

Still, my point is that you don't NEED to use an exterior paint on the inside of a garage. If mold or mildew growth on the paint isn't a concern, then any interior latex paint will stand up inside a garage just as well as any exterior latex paint.

Exterior latex paints have much more mildewcides in them, so if mold growth on the paint proves to be a problem, the OP can always paint over an interior latex paint with an exterior latex paint to correct the problem. Or, paint with an exterior latex to begin with.


----------



## blackjack (Oct 21, 2015)

Why wait for proof if you can dang near eliminate the possibility with exactly the same amount of effort and maybe 30 bucks difference? It's a garage. Logistically your thoughts are correct. Now come on out to the field and you'll see the wisdom in practicallity first hand.  even a mid grade exterior paint will hold up better and longer in a garage over time. A garage wall will never be pressurewashed. And no one is ever going to wash the walls (or sand them) in a garage prior to repainting. So you choose a product that will give the end user the best bang for the buck and give them the highest amount of solids and protection. Yes, an interior product will work. But imo, an exterior product will work better.


----------



## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

I like the semi in the garage not so much for the look but the ease of clean-up, OK so I'm not the neatest guy in the garage. But the reflected light is also a plus. Garages have a lot of stuff around so the walls aren't like a room would be painted in semi.


----------



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

ToolSeeker said:


> I like the semi in the garage not so much for the look but the ease of clean-up, OK so I'm not the neatest guy in the garage. But the reflected light is also a plus. Garages have a lot of stuff around so the walls aren't like a room would be painted in semi.


If you do a lot of woodworking like me, that semi or high gloss makes a bid difference....sawdust does not stick to it as much. I usually clean my garage with the leaf blower.


----------

