Most Mongolian yurts are painted with oil-based paints and decorated with traditional motif decorations. These decorations are beautiful and gives a yurt its authenticity. We painted our yurt with oil-based paints and decorated with traditional motif decoration until 2022.

However, we learned that oil-based paints do not last as long as water-based paints when exposed to sunlight. The paint peels off in a few years, and restoring the paint and the motif decoration is a challenge. Only trained professionals can restore the hand-painted by motif decorations.

Because of these reasons, we shifted to water-based painting for the exterior in 2023. The water-based acrylic paints penetrate and waterproof the wood. When the pain fades, as all paints do, it can be easily restored from the same paint available from your local stores.

The interior can be painted with either matching water-based paint or oil-based paint and decorated with traditional motif patterns. The interior oil-based pain can last decades because they are not exposed to sunlight.