Paint Ideas · Glossary

Glossary

Not sure what a certain term means? Find it here in our glossary. Simply browse through or navigate by choosing a letter.

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Compound miter saw - A power saw that can cut angles in two directions simultaneously.

Cool colors - A loose division of the color wheel that includes the range of blues, greens, blue-greens and blue-violets. Cool colors, particularly when pale, tend to be retreating colors.

Colonial style - An early-American architectural and decorative style during the Colonial period that was influenced by design ideas brought by settlers from Europe, particularly England. This basic and functional style initially featured a minimum of ornament but became more elaborate with the prosperity of the Colonies.

Caustic - A strong base or alkaline material with a pH of 7 to 14.

China bristles - Natural bristles used in the manufacture of paintbrushes for solvent-based paints.

Concrete pavers - Commonly used for patios and walks, concrete pavers come in a number of shapes and colors and are designed to be laid in a sand base without mortar; some interlock to form repeating patterns.

Coordinating wallpaper - A wallpaper that blends with another wallpaper, whether by color, design or other factors. Coordinating wallpapers can visually tie together two rooms or adjacent walls in the same room. Sometimes they are used over and under chairs rails as companions

Corrosion - Erosion - Corrosion which is increased because of the abrasive action of a moving stream ; the presence of suspended particles greatly accelerates abrasive action.

Cracking - Splitting of a paint film usually as a result of aging. Fracture of a metal in a brittle manner along a single or branched path. It can also be caused by subsurface expansion under a brittle topcoat.

Crazing - A mild form of alligatoring, characterized by small cracks in the finish.

Creeping - Spontaneous spreading of a liquid on a surface. In the case of applied paint, or other coating, it refers to the spread of the wet film beyond the area to which it was applied.

Crosslinking - The setting up of chemical links between molecular chains to form a three dimensional network of connected molecules.

Crosscut saw - A saw used for cutting across the grain of wood.

Cup - A distortion in wood across the grain caused by warpage.

Cold Rolled Steel - Low carbon, cold-reduced, sheet steel. Differs from hot rolled steel by the absence of mill scale.

Colorant - Concentrated color that can be added to paints to make specific colors.

Concentration Cell - A cell involving an electrolyte and two identical electrodes, with the potential resulting from differences in the chemistry of the environments adjacent to the two electrodes.

Copper - Used as an additive in anti-fouling paints, copper kills marine animals and plants that attach to boat hulls, docks and other below water level objects

Chalk line - The mark left by a chalked line that was stretched taut between two points just above a flat surface before being pulled up in the center and allowed to snap back, leaving a straight chalked mark.

Contemporary style - A style of decoration or architecture that is modern and pertains to what is current.

Chalk-line box - A tool used to establish a plumb or horizontal line on a wall. Wallpaper installers sometimes replace the line in a chalk-line box with a cloth fishing line for a more refined line and a minimum of chalk on the wall. For wall-paper applications, a light-c

Color intensity - Strength of a color.

Cove molding - A molding with a concave face used as trim or finish for interior corners.

Creasing technique - The act of making a crease in wallpaper using a trimming tool or putty knife. Creasing is useful to establish a trim mark in tight places, such as around a door frame or along a ceiling line lacking crown molding.

Casegoods - A piece of furniture used for storage, including cabinets, dressers and desks.

Cleanability - The ability of a dry film coat to maintain its original appearance after repeated washing with soap and water.

Curing - The process by which concrete becomes solid and develops strength. Proper moisture reduces cracking and shrinkage.

Cathodic Protection - The reduction or prevention of corrosion of a metal surface caused by making it cathodic. This is accomplished by using a sacrificial anode (such as in zinc rich coatings or galvanizing) or by using impressed current.

Coverage - Hiding power of a paint usually expressed in square feet per gallon.

Column - A wood or metal vertical support member.

Clad wood window - A composite window made of wood and encased by vinyl; requires little maintenance and is energy-efficient.

Corrosion - The decay, oxidation or deterioration of a substance due to interaction with the environment or chemical reaction.

Chime - The chime is the area of the lip or rim of a paint can to which the lid seals.

Corrosion Rate - The speed (usually an average) with which corrosion progresses; often expressed as though it was linear, in units of mdd (milligrams per square decimeter per day) for weight change, or mpy (mils per year) for thickness changes.

Casing - The trim that is used to line the inside and outside of a doorway or window frame.

Cooktop - A unit containing a group of burners, gas, electric or magnetic-induction and perhaps a grill or ventilator.

Clear finish - Any of a number of wood finishes that allow the wood grain and color to be seen.

Caustic Soda - A common name for sodium hydroxide , a strong base or alkali.

Custom-built storage systems - Shelving and storage systems that are built to order.

Cementitious Coatings - A coating containing cement as a component, held on the surface by a binder.

Chipping - The breaking away of small portion of the paint film due to its inability to flex under impact or with thermal expansion and contraction of the substrate. It is usually caused by the use of too brittle a film or poor adhesion to the base material.

Corrosion - Filiform - A special type of corrosion that occurs under coatings on metal substrates and is characterized by a definite thread-like structure and directional growth.

Cold chisel - A heavy, blunt-edged chisel used in masonry work, typically for chipping or breaking up brick, stone, concrete, ceramic tile and other masonry materials.

Curing Agent - A hardener or activator added to a synthetic resin to develop the proper film forming properties.

Coalescent Aid - The small amount of solvent contained in latex coatings. Not a true solvent since it does not actually dissolve the latex resins, the coalescent aid simply helps the latex resins to flow together (coalesce).

Crawling - The tendency of a liquid to draw up into drops or globules as a result of an abnormally high degree of surface tension.

Cadmium orange - One of the basic pigments, cadmium orange is made from cadmium sulphide and cadmium selenide.

Compressed air sprayer - An electric sprayer that emits a fine mist of paint by forcing air through a paint reservoir.

Chalking - Paint failure marked by a layer of fine dust on the surface of the paint. Occurs with time as weather conditions break down the paint film.

Color wheel - A pie-shaped diagram showing the range and relationships of pigment and dye colors. Three equidistant wedge-shaped slices are the primaries; in between are the secondary and tertiary colors into which the primaries combine. Though represented as discrete

Color washing - The technique of applying layers of heavily thinned glaze to a surface to produce a faded, transparent wash of color.

Casement window - A window that consists of one framed-glass panel and is hinged on the side. It swings outward from the opening at the turn of a crank.

Chair rail - A piece of molding that runs around a room about 3-1/2 feet above the floor (approximately the height of a chair back). It evolved from wainscoting.

Color - A generic term referring inclusively to visible lightwaves in the spectrum, and white and black. Color is described by three properties: hue, lightness, and saturation:

Cheesecloth distressing - The technique of blending and softening wet paint strokes and colors by pouncing bunched-up cheesecloth over a surface.

Chrome yellow - One of the basic pigments, this yellow pigment is made from lead chromate combined with lead sulfate.

Complementary colors - Hues directly opposite each other on the color wheel. As the strongest contrasts, complements tend to intensify each other. A color can be grayed by mixing it with its complement.

Contemporary - Any modern design (after 1920) that does not contain traditional elements of the past.

Copolymerization - Often called catalyzed or two component urethanes, these cure by the addition of a co-reactant (catalyst) to the isocyanate-containing component. Mixing, induction time, and pot life vary according to the type of isocyanate and catalyst used.

Curtains - Long horizontal runs in a coating film that occur on vertical surfaces when a coating is applied too heavily.

Color scheme - A group of colors used together to create visual harmony in a space.

Conical Mandrel - An instrument used to evaluate a coating's resistance to cracking when bent over a specified radius.

Contrast - The art of assembling colors with different values and intensities and in different proportions to create a dynamic scheme.

Center panels - The vertical panels that make up the center partition of a laminated-particleboard storage unit, with holes drilled on both sides to hold adjustable shelving brackets.

Conventional Sprayer - A power paint sprayer which uses compressed air (produced by an air compressor) to force paint onto a surface.

Chromatic - That which is perceived as having a hue (not white, gray, or black).

Clear top coat - A transparent finishing layer of protection applied over a decorated surface.

Contrasting color scheme - A combination involving choices from opposite sides of the color wheel. Strong contrasts create dynamic schemes, though muted or tinted versions are more harmonious.

Crown molding - A decorative molding attached to a wall at ceiling height, usually used in conjunction with paneled walls.

Clear grade - A grade of lumber or trim that has no knots or other visible defects.

Cloudy - Clouding,When a finishing material is turbid (cloudy), due to the suspension of finely divided solid particles.

Cold Checking - Checks or cracks which appear in the dried film when it is subjected to repeated, sudden, and appreciable reductions in temperature.

Colloid - Material composed of ultramicroscopic particles of a solid, liquid, or gas dispersed in a different medium which can be a solid, liquid, or gas.

Color Difference - The magnitude and character of the difference between two object colors under specific conditions

Combing - Any paint technique that involves marking narrow lines of color on a surface. Also called "stri?" or dragging. Combing techniques that specifically intend to imitate wood are called wood-graining techniques.

Complementary Harmony - A color scheme produced by using complementary or contrasting colors, sometimes in combination with their tints and shades.

Cure - The period of time that concrete, tile adhesive or grout must be left in order for it to reach full strength.

Carcase - The framework or body of a cabinet or piece of casegood furniture.

Circular shelves - Rotating shelves that make it easy to reach items in the rear section of a corner cabinet; also referred to as a Lazy Susan.

Copper Staining - Usually caused by corrosion of copper screens, gutters or downspouts washing down on painted surfaces. Can be prevented by painting or varnishing the copper.

Cohesion - The attractive force between like molecules. It is the force that holds the molecules of a paint film or other substance together.

Color Rendition Index (CRI) - Measures the way a light source renders color. The higher the index number, the closer color resembles how it appears in sunlight.

Coved ceiling - A ceiling formed in an arched manner at its junction with the side walls.

Coefficient of Friction - The measure of the relative difficulty with which the surface of one material will slide over an adjacent surface or another material.

Cross Coat Spraying - Spraying the first pass in one direction and the second at a right angle to the first, providing more even film distribution.

Closed-grain wood - Wood such as maple and birch that has small, tight pores and a smooth surface when sanded.

Casein paint - An old-fashioned paint made by mixing pigments with milk solids. It is seldom used today except on furniture where a faded look is desired.

Coating System - A number of coats separately applied, in a predetermined order, at suitable intervals to allow for drying and curing, resulting in a completed job.

Check (in lumber) - A defect in lumber caused by a separation lengthwise between the wood's growth rings.

Cleanup center - The area of a kitchen where the sink, waste disposer, trash compactor, dishwasher and related accessories are grouped for easy access and efficient use.

Coalescence - The formation of resinous or polymeric material when water evaporates from an emulsion or a latex system, permitting contact and fusion of adjacent particles. The fusing together of an emulsion film upon evaporation of water.

Color Float - When one or more colors, different from the original color, appear on the surface after the finishing material has been applied, it is said to have a color float. This is different from in can float.

Creosote - A wood preservative that is not available for use around the home because of its toxic nature.

Casegood furniture - Furniture such as bureaus and cabinets (casegoods) designed to contain things in drawers or behind doors as opposed to furniture that stands, such as tables and chairs.

Chrome orange - One of the basic pigments, this orange-red pigment is made from lead chromate and lead oxides.

Carpenter's wood glue - Aliphatic resin glue that is the adhesive of choice for bonding wood to wood.

Carborundum stone - Coarse-grit, silicone-carbide whetstone used to smooth rough-cut edges of ceramic tile. Also called a Crystolon or India stone.

Crawl space - A low space above or below the house, just tall enough to permit such work as jacking up a sagging ground floor from below or installing ceiling fixtures above.

Clamshell digger - A hand tool composed of two hinged, shovel-like parts that loosen soil and then grasp it for removal from postholes.

Coat - The paint applied to a surface in a single application to form a film when dry.

Clay-based adhesive - A starch adhesive that includes heavy solids to enhance holding power. This type of adhesive can stain or cause the ink to flake off many types of wallpapers. Because clay-based adhesive does not dry as quickly as other types of adhesives, take special care to smooth the wallpaper evenly during installation.

Clamp - A tool that holds pieces of wood or other items together.

Cross seaming - The lattice-type arrangement that results when you install a wallpaper liner horizontally and a decorative wallcovering vertically.

Compound miter - A cut that angles in two directions simultaneously.

Copolymer - A chemical formed by interaction of two or more different types of molecules. Large molecules obtained by simultaneous polymerization of different monomers, as in vinyl copolymers.

Combustible Liquid - Any liquid having a flash point between 100? and 180?F.

Catalyst - A chemical used to change the rate of a chemical reaction. Differs from a curing agent/hardener in that the catalyst is not itself chemically consumed in the reaction while a curing agent is.

Conditioner - A coating additive that increases flow, adhesion and coverage without altering the color or durability of the coating. Used especially when spraying.

Caking - When pigment settles hard on the bottom of the paint can.

Corrosion Potential - The potential that a corroding metal exhibits under specific conditions of concentration, time, temperature, aeration, velocity, etc.

Couple - A cell developed in an electrolyte resulting from electrical contact between two dissimilar metals.

Cabriole - A double-curve or reverse S-shaped furniture leg that leads down to an elaborate foot (usually a ball-and-claw type).

Centipoise - One hundredth of a poise which is a unit of measurement for viscosity. Water at room temperature has a viscosity of 1.0 Centipoise.

Chain link fence - Prefabricated fence consisting of metal poles and chain link mesh. These fences are durable and provide good security, but no privacy.

Color value - The lightness or darkness of a color.

Conversion Coating - A metal surface layer intentionally developed by chemical reaction for the purpose of protection or looks.

Cove base tile - Trim tile that makes a smooth joint between a wall and a floor or other surface.

Cathode - The negative terminal of an electrolytic cell which, in the corrosion process, is protected and not attacked.

Color Fast - Non-fading in prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Caulk - A soft compound for sealing joints and cracks against leaks (of water, air and noise). It may be silicone, neoprene or one of a variety of other synthetic compounds.

Chroma - Color intensity or purity of tone, being the degree of freedom from gray.

Calcium Carbonate - A natural mineral used in lime, cement, and paints as a colorant and a pigment extender. Its common name is chalk.

Chaise lounge - A chair with back support and a seat long enough for outstretched legs.

Corrosion Fatigue - The combined action of corrosion and fatigue (cyclic stressing) in causing metal fracture.

Concrete block - A masonry unit which consists of an outside shell with a hollow center that is divided by two or three vertical webs. The ends of the unit may have flanges that accept mortar and join with adjacent blocks, or they may have smooth ends for corners and the ends of walls.

Corrosion Resistant - A paint or primer that aides in the prevention of corrosion. Commonly applied to metals. An insulator against water vapor and airborne contaminants such as chloride compounds.

Centerline - The dissecting line through the center of an object, such as a sink.

Coal Tar - A dark brown to black bituminous material produced by the destructive distillation of coal.

Curing-out period - The time it takes for a primer-sealer or wallpaper adhesive to completely dry.

Countertop trim tile - Tile that is set on the outside edge of a countertop. It has a raised lip to prevent liquids from spilling over the edge.

Cove tile - A trim tile that creates a smooth joint between adjacent walls. A trim tile that creates a smooth joint between adjacent walls, a wall and a floor, or other surfaces.

Crosscut - A straight cut that runs across the grain of the wood. Because the grain of trim runs along the length of the piece, a crosscut would be made across the width of the trim.

Condensation - Moisture that forms when warm, moist air comes into contact with a cool surface. Usually found on windows and skylights, condensation is only a problem in heavy amounts, when it can lead to leaks.

Cellulose paste - Odorless, non-staining paste derived from wood pulp, cotton or other fibrous plant material, used primarily to hang wallpapers made from natural materials such as grasscloths, linens and stringcloths.

Catalytic Coating - A coating that cures as the result of a chemical reaction. For example, a two-part epoxy where a hardener must be added to obtain the required results.

Coping - Stones, bricks or other individual masonry units used as a finished edging around the pond perimeter. Coping can be set loose or mortared in place.

Cornice - The decorative wood box or molding affixed over a window. It may be painted, wallpapered or covered with fabric.

Corner guard - Trim that protects the outside corners of drywall or plaster in high-traffic areas.

Caustic Embrittlement - Cracking as a result of the combined action of tensile stresses and corrosion in alkaline solutions (as at riveted joints in boilers).

Cove - 1. A built-in recess in a wall or ceiling that conceals an indirect light source. 2. A concave recessed molding that is usually found where the wall meets the ceiling or floor.

Cat?s Eye - Any discontinuity, bare, or thin spot in a painted area. Also called cat face?.

Countertop - The work surface of a counter, island or peninsula, usually 36-inches high. It may be wood, plastic laminate, ceramic tile, marble, slate or solid surface (acrylic).

Color way - The different color schemes that are manufactured using the same wallpaper pattern. Manufacturers usually print a wallpaper pattern in two or more different color ways.

Corrosive - An acidic material with a pH of 0 to 7.

Circular saw - A hand-held power saw consisting of a circular disk, usually with a toothed edge.

Consistency - Relative stiffness, body, or resistance to agitation or deformation of a coating composition in bulk; the property may be a composite of plasticity, viscosity, yield value, and thixotropy.

Concentration Polarization - Polarization of an electrode caused by concentration changes in the environment adjacent to the metal surface.

Cell - A circuit consisting of an anode and a cathode in electrical contact in a solid or liquid electrolyte. Corrosion generally occurs only at anodic areas.

Calcimine - A water- thinned paint composed essentially of calcium carbonate (chalk) and glue.

Color Retention - The ability of paint to keep its original color. Major threats to color retention are exposure to ultraviolet radiation and abrasion by weather or repeated cleaning.

Control - A material having a known history, the performance of which has been established previously, and which is used as a standard of comparison.

Cutters - Short, stiff-bristled brushes used to cut in lines, such as in corners and around trim.

Cutting-in - Painting by brush those areas of a surface that cannot be reached with a paint roller.

Cheesecloth - A loosely woven, coarse cotton gauze used to create different textures as well as to blend and smooth wet paint over a surface.

Ceramic tile - Fired clay tile that is hard and may be glazed or unglazed, 1 square inch or smaller to 1 square foot or larger in size, available in a profusion of colors, shapes, patterns and textures.

Crystallization - Solid matter that forms in an adhesive when the temperature falls below 50 degrees F. Crystallization can also result from installing wallpaper over a porous wall.

Chemical stripper - A paint removing agent. Usually applied with a brush, but may be embedded in a plastic-covered poultice that is laid on a surface then pulled off.

Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) - Compares the warmth or coolness of light as it is produced, or the source as it appears to the viewer.

Contrast Ratio - A measure of opacity. The ratio of the luminous reflectance of a specimen backed with black material of specified reflectance to reflectance of the same specimen backed with white material of specified reflectance.

Chrome green - A variety of green pigments made from chrome yellow and iron (Prussian) blue.

Clarity - The characteristic of a transparent material whereby distinct images may be observed through it.

Contact cement - A rubber-based liquid glue that bonds on contact; often used for applying veneers.

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