What to consider when choosing paint for exterior walls
Nigerian weather is unforgiving outside. What a coating has to resist, and how to read a product label.
By Tunde Bakare · · 1 min read
An exterior coating is doing a different job from an interior one. It is a weather barrier that happens to be decorative.
What it has to survive
- Direct UV — which fades pigment and breaks down a weak binder
- Heavy rain — driven horizontally for months
- Coastal humidity and salt — anywhere near the lagoon or the sea
- Thermal movement — walls expand and contract every single day
What to look for
A genuine exterior coating will say so, and will state its resistance properties rather than only its colour. Look for weatherproofing, UV resistance and flexibility — that last one is what lets a film move with the wall instead of cracking across it.
Do not economise here
Exterior repainting is scaffolding, labour and disruption. The paint is the cheapest line in that budget, and the one that decides how soon you do it all again.