Abstract: The present invention provides for the use of an aqueous dispersion of particles composed of polymer and finely divided inorganic solid (aqueous composite-particle dispersion) as a binder in elastic coatings, such as paints, more particularly exterior architectural paints, comprising preparing the aqueous composite-particle dispersion by dispersely distributing ethylenically unsaturated monomers in an aqueous medium and carrying out polymerization by means of at least one free-radical polymerization initiator in the presence of at least one dispersely distributed, finely divided inorganic solid having an average particle diameter ?100 nm and at least one dispersant by the method of free-radically aqueous emulsion polymerization, and using as ethylenically unsaturated monomers a monomer mixture which comprises ethylenically unsaturated monomers A and optionally 0% to ?10% by weight of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer B containing an epoxide group (epoxide monomer).