GLOSSARY

R – glossary            (  S   :  T  :  U   : V  :  W  :  Y  :  Z  )

RAILROADING
The application of wallcovering strips in a horizontal plane.

REACTIVE DILUENT
A coating viscosity reducer that has low volatility and becomes a permanent part of the coating through chemical reaction, usually under ambient conditions.

RECOAT TIME
Time interval required between applications of successive coats.

REDUCER
A volatile liquid added to a coating, varnish, resin, latex, or emulsion for the purpose of lowering its viscosity and/or nonvolatile content (percent solids).

REFLECTANCE
The ability of a coating film to reflect or return the light that falls upon its surface.

RELIEF
A type of decoration in which a design is made prominent by raising it or by cutting away the surface or background of the material. High relief means greatly raised design; low relief means a slightly raised one. Shadow is often used to create relief effect in wallcovering.

REPEAT
The distance from the center of one motif or pattern of a wallcovering to the center of the next.

REPLICA TAPE
A specially constructed tape used to measure surface profile. The tape is pressed against the surface, after which the impression created by the profile in the tape is measured with a micrometer.

RESIN
General term applied to a wide variety of more or less transparent and fusible products, which are of natural or synthetic origin. They vary widely in colour.

RESPIRATOR
A mask covering the user’s breathing zone that either supplies breathable air or filters impurities from the ambient air.

RESPIRATOR FIT TEST
Tests undertaken to assure that a respirator properly fits an employee. Qualitative fit tests are used for half-mask respirators. Quantitative fit tests are required for negative pressure respirators.

RETARDER
A component added to a coating to slow down a particular chemical or physical change. For example, a slowly evaporating solvent may be added to a paint to delay the setting of the coating film after application.

RETREATING COLOUR
Colour such as blue or green that sometimes give the appearance of retreating from the viewer.

RIDGING
See BEADING.

RIGGING
The process of selecting and setting up supports, cables and ropes, and scaffolding systems to provide safe access to elevated work areas.

ROLLING SCAFFOLD
Type of scaffold.

ROOF COATING
An asphalt material designed for application to asphalt roofs.

ROPE GRAB
A metal device that attaches to one end of a lanyard and fits onto a lifeline. It is designed not to move when pulled downward so that it will prevent a worker who falls from an elevated work site from sliding down the lifeline.

ROPEY
Quality of paint that does not flow out evenly and dries with slight ridges. This effect also can be the result of poor workmanship when a coating is applied too thick in one spot and too thin in an adjacent spot.

ROSIN
Natural resin obtained from living pine trees or from dead tree stumps and knots.

ROTARY PEENER
A rotary impact power tool that uses rotating action to impact different shapes of heavy-duty steel cutters against a steel or concrete surface to remove heavy coatings and contaminants.

ROTTENSTONE
A brown siliceous stone used as an abrasive; similar in nature to pumice stone, though softer in texture.

RUBBING VARNISH
A varnish formulated to provide high gloss and good rubbing and polishing characteristics. It produces a hard, brittle, clear film that has little exterior durability or water resistance.

RUN (sag, sagging)
Irregularity of a coating surface due to the application of paint that is too thick (heavy). When excessive paint flows out unevenly, runs are produced.

RUST
Reddish, brittle material, primarily hydrated iron oxide, that forms on iron and ferrous metals as a result of exposure to humid atmosphere or chemical attack.

RUST GRADE
The initial condition of unpainted steel before surface preparation.  1.) RUST GRADE A—The steel surface is completely covered with adherent mill scale; little or no rust is visible.  2.) RUST GRADE B—The steel surface is covered with both mill scale and rust.  3.) RUST GRADE C—The steel surface is completely covered with rust; little or no pitting is visible. 4.) RUST GRADE D—The steel surface is completely covered with rust and pitting is visible.

S - glossary

SACRIFICIAL PIGMENT
Zinc dust, which is consumed by corrosion while it protects an underlying steel surface, is the only sacrificial pigment used in paints.

SAFETY
An awareness of the risks and dangers and the precautions to minimize or eliminate materials, objects, or actions that may result in accidental injury or harm. Safety cannot be achieved unless workers and employers adopt strongly positive attitudes to support it.

SAFETY BELT
A personal protection device worn around the waist and attached to a lanyard and lifeline or structure to arrest the fall of worker.

SAFETY NET
A protective net suspended under a person working at a height. Safety nets are required in situations where the use of ladders, scaffolds, and fall protection equipment is impractical and the work area is more than 25 feet above the ground or surface.

SAGGING (runs)
A coating irregularity caused by the downward flow of wet paint that produces an uneven film with a thick lower edge.

SAND BLAST CLEANING
Blast cleaning a metal, masonry, or concrete surface with sand, flint, or other non-metallic abrasive to remove dirt, paint, rust, or mill scale, and to roughen or profile it in preparation for coating.

SAND DOWN
Remove gloss of old finish prior to repainting.

SANDPAPER
A strong paper coated with sand or an abrasive.

SANDING
Smoothing a rough surface by hand or machine to achieve a better finish. Also roughening a smooth surface to improve adhesion of a coating.

SATIN FINISH
A dried paint film with a luster resembling satin.

SATURATED AIR
Air containing a maximum concentration of water vapor for the prevailing temperature and pressure. See also DRY AIR, WET AIR.

SCAFFOLD
Equipment in a variety of types, sizes, and rigging configurations used to support workers at elevated or otherwise inaccessible work sites, and hold the materials and equipment needed for the job.  TYPES:  SCAFFOLD, BUILT-UP - A scaffold constructed from the ground up at the job site. There are two main types of build-up scaffolds made from tubular steel: 1.) tube and coupler scaffolding uses external couplers to clamp together various lengths of tubes to form the posts, braces, runners, and bearers of the scaffolding system; and 2.) tubular welded frame scaffolding has prefabricated welded panels of various heights and widths that are joined together with horizontal, diagonal, and cross-bracing supports secured with locking device;   SCAFFOLD, HORSE - This scaffold consists of a platform supported by two sawhorses. It is designed for light- or medium-duty use and is limited by regulations to two tiers or 10 feet in height;  SCAFFOLD, INTERIOR HUNG - A scaffold hung by ropes or cables from the ceiling or roof supports inside a building;  SCAFFOLD, LADDER- A scaffold that supports a plank or platform with two heavy-duty, self-supporting ladders;  SCAFFOLD, LADDER JACK - A light-duty scaffold with a platform supported by a pair of ladder jacks (braces) attached to heavy-duty ladders;  SCAFFOLD, MULTIPLE-LEVEL SUSPENSION - A scaffold with two or more levels of work platforms supported by the same suspension system;  SCAFFOLD, ROLLING - A rolling scaffold usually is a built-up tubular scaffold with casters on the bottom of the frame legs or posts. The height of a rolling scaffold tower must not exceed four times the minimum base dimension;  SCAFFOLD, SUSPENDED - A scaffold used on bridges and other steel structures where it can be suspended with rigging devices attached to the flanges of I-beams with various sizes of clamps or rollers;  SCAFFOLD, SWING - A scaffold with a platform or stage that is suspended from a structure by two ropes or cables so that it can be raised or lowered as needed either manually or with a hoist powered by electricity or compressed air;   SCAFFOLD, SWING STAGE - Similar to a swing scaffold, except that it has multiple platform sections and is suspended by four ropes or cables.

SCALING
Evidence of paint failure that is the last stage of cracking. Moisture entering the cracks in the paint film destroys its adhesive property and results in the flaking or scaling of the paint.

SCARIFYING
A method of preparing concrete or other surfaces for coating by use of a scarifier, which has sharp, rotating knives in a self-contained unit resembling a plant sweeper.

SCENIC
A hand-screened, machine-printed, or lithographed mural decoration with a pattern that continues over several strips of wallcovering; intended to cover one wall of a room or the greater part of a wall without a repeat.

SCISSORS LIFT
An elevating device that raises a work enclosure vertically by means of crisscrossed supports similar to those on a scissors car jack. The work enclosure on a scissors lift may be larger than on a boom lift.

SCRAPER
A hand tool used to scrape peeling, flaking, or blistering paint, rust, and other debris from surfaces before they are painted.

SCRUB RESISTANCE
The ability of a coating or wallcovering to withstand being worn by repeated scrubbing with a brush, sponge, or cloth and a detergent solution.

SCUFFED JOINT
Raising of face paper nap on drywall panels as a result of excessive sanding at the edges of a finished joint.

SECONDARY COLOURS
The colours produced by mixing equal amounts of two primary colours. The secondary colours are orange (formed by red and yellow), green (yellow and blue), and purple (red and blue).

SEALER
(1) A coat of paint intended to prevent excessive absorption of finish coats into porous surfaces (i.e., wood, plaster, concrete, etc.). (2) A coat of paint used to prevent materials from bleeding through to a new finish coat. (3) In wallcovering, a coating applied to a porous surface to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the wallcovering adhesive.

SEAM ROLLER
A narrow roller of wood or felt used for pressing down wallcovering seams.

SELF-CURING
A coating that cures (cross-links) without any special after-application treatment.

SELF-PRIMING
Use of the same coating for a primer and for subsequent coats.

SELVAGE
Unprinted edge of a roll of wallcovering intended to protect the design and carry pertinent information. If not trimmed by the manufacturer, the selvage must be trimmed by hand before the wallcovering is installed.

SEMI-GLOSS
Sheen on dry finish that is between dead flat and full gloss.

SET-TO-TOUCH TIME
The time to reach an intermediate stage in the drying of a paint or varnish film when gentle pressure of a finger shows a tacky condition but none of the coating adheres to the finger.

SETTLING
The dropping out of pigments and fillers to the bottom of the coating container.

SHADE
The product of adding black to a colour. Example: gold is a shade of yellow. The opposite of tint.

SHADOWING
When preceding coats show through the last coat, the finish is said to be "shadowing."

SHELLAC
A lacquer made from the alcohol-soluble, orange-coloured natural resin that is refined from the secretions of the Lac insect. Shellacs generally are used as sealers to prevent subsequent coatings from being absorbed into the substrate and to prevent stains from bleeding through the topcoats.

SHELF LIFE
The period of time in which a material normally may be stored and still be in usable condition.

SHORT OIL ALKYD RESIN
Alkyd resin made with a relatively low oil-to-resin ratio. These resins contain less than 40 percent oil as a modifying agent.

SHORT OIL VARNISH
An oleoresinous varnish, other than alkyd, made with a relatively low oil-to-resin ratio.

SHRINKAGE OF JOINT COMPOUND
Excessive shrinkage can occur when the drying time for drywall joint compound is prolonged by cold, damp, or humid conditions.

SILICONE ALKYD RESIN
Alkyd resin system that has been modified with silicone.

SILICONE
A resin used in the binders of coatings. Also used as an additive to provide specific properties, e.g., defoamer. Paints containing silicone are very slick and resist dirt, graffiti and bacterial growth, and are stable in high heat.

SINGLE-PACKAGE COATING
A cross-linking coating that can be stored in a single container, as opposed to a multipackage coating.

SINGLE ROLL
The standard unit of measure for wallcovering.

SKIM COATING
Technique of applying a thin coat of finishing compound over the entire surface of gypsum wallboard panel. This provides for even sheen and absorption, sometimes called for under high sheen enamel paint systems.

SKIN
(1) A dry or semidry layer that forms on the surface of paint or varnish in a partially filled container or when a full container is exposed to air for some time. (2) An ungrounded, non-washable type of wallpaper.

SKIPPY
A term describing paint that is so heavy-bodied that it causes the brush to skip on the surface, leaving some spots with too thin and others with too heavy a coating.

SKIP
A place where paint has failed to cover. It may result if the brush is too dry to apply the proper thickness of film.

SLOW DRYING
A paint that requires 24 hours or longer before recoating.

SLOW SOLVENT
Solvent that evaporates slowly at application conditions (ambient temperature).

SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE SOLUTION
Bleach solution.

SOIL
Disfiguring foreign materials such as dirt, soot, or stain, other than microorganisms, deposited on or embedded in a surface or a dried film of applied coating material; also called dirt.

SOLIDS
Nonvolatile matter in a coating composition (i.e., the ingredients of a coating composition that, after drying, are left behind and form the dry film).

SOLIDS BY VOLUME
The volume of the nonvolatile portion of a coating composition divided by the total volume, expressed as a percent.

SOLIDS BY WEIGHT
The weight of the nonvolatile portion of a coating composition divided by the total weight of the liquid coating, expressed as a percent.

SOLVENT
Liquid, usually volatile, used in the manufacture of paint to dissolve or disperse the film-forming constituents. Since they evaporate during drying, solvents do not become part of the dried film. Solvents are used to control the consistency and character of the liquid paint material and to regulate its application properties.

SOLVENT CLEANING
The use of organic solvents, detergents, alkaline cleaners, and steam cleaning to remove oil, grease, dirt, soil, and other similar organic compounds from a surface.

SOLVENT CUT-BACK
An asphalt or coal tar bitumen that is dissolved in a suitable aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon solvent to lower its viscosity for application at ambient temperatures.

SOLVENT ENTRAPMENT
The encapsulation of solvent within a dried paint film due to improper drying conditions or recoating too soon. Entrapped solvent can cause blistering or pinholes, sometimes called solvent pop.

SOLVENT RELEASE
A coating that allows solvents to evaporate easily during the curing process is said to have good solvent release properties.

SOLVENT-BORNE COATING
Coating formulated with only organic solvents. If water is present, it is only in trace quantities.

SOLVENTLESS COATING
A paint formulation with no materials that evaporate during application and curing; 100 percent solids coatings.

SPACKLING COMPOUND
Material used to fill cracks, nail holes, dents, and depressions in order to provide a smooth surface for subsequent painting, wallcovering, or other finishing operation. The most desirable quality of spackling compound is that it be non-shrinking.

SPALLING
The chipping or fragmenting of a concrete surface or surface coating often caused by differential thermal expansion and contraction.

SPAR VARNISH
A varnish for exterior wood surfaces. The name originates from its use on spars of ships in order to resist weather and moisture. Spar varnishes usually are not used indoors because they become tacky in warm weather.

SPECULAR-GLOSS
Mirror-like finish (usually 60 degrees on a 60-degree meter).

SPOT PRIMING
A method for protecting localized spots that require additional protection due to rusting or peeling of the former coat or that are newly patched plaster.

SPRAY GUN
A tool designed for the spray application of paint.

SPRAY HEAD
The needle, tip, and air cap of an air spray gun.

SPRAY NOZZLE
The fluid orifice of an airless spray gun.

SPRAY PATTERN
The shape of the area covered by the paint spray from a spray gun.

SPRAY POT0
(1) A pressurized tank used for supplying paint to a spray gun. A spray pot often is equipped with an air-driven agitator to prevent settling of the pigment components of the paint. (2) The small paint reservoir that is attached to light-duty, suction-fed spray guns.

SPREADING RATE
The area of surface covered per coat of paint at a specified dry film thickness per unit volume of coating material. Spreading rate generally is indicated by square feet covered per gallon of paint required to produce the dry film thickness.

STAIN
(1) A transparent or semitransparent coating that colours a substrate, usually wood, without obscuring the grain or other texture. Opaque stains do not penetrate into a substrate like true stains, but instead leave a thin coloured coating on the surface. (2) An undesirable discolouration.

STAIN RESISTANCE
The ability of a coating or wallcovering to show no real change in appearance after a material capable of staining has been applied and removed.

STAND-OFF DISTANCE
The distance from a blasting nozzle to the surface being cleaned. Stand-off distance determines both the cleaning power and the size of the blast pattern. For example, the closer the nozzle, the smaller the blast pattern and the stronger the abrading action.

STANDARD
An established practice or reference used as a basis for comparing or measuring quality, quantity, performance, etc., determined by general or consensus agreement.

STEAM CLEANING
A cleaning process using low pressure live steam.

STEEL WOOL
Steel in fine strands used for cleaning and abrading surfaces.

STENCILING
A method of applying a design onto a wall or other surface by brushing ink or paint through a cut-out pattern or template.

STIPPLING
A decorative finish made by using a stippling brush or roller stippler to apply paint in a random pattern to a surface with a base coat of a different colour.

STRAIGHT EDGE
A ruler or strip used to trim selvage off wallcovering.

STRAINING
The process of removing any large particles from mixed paint by pouring it through a wire screen, cheese cloth, or other straining device.

STRETCH
A term used to describe the width of a section of wall that is painted before moving a ladder or scaffolding.

STRIP
A length of wallcovering cut to fit the height of a wall; in scenics, a single section of the design.

STRIPING
Edge painting prior to priming.

STRIPPABLE
(1) A strippable wallcovering can be dry-stripped and leave a minimal amount of residue on the wall and not damage the surface.  (2) A strippable paint is one that has minimal adhesion and can be removed easily from the surface. Strippable paints often are applied to metal surfaces for temporary corrosion protection or short-term protection from deterioration.

STRIPPING
Complete removal of an old finish with heat or chemicals. See CHEMICAL STRIPPING, HEAT STRIPPING, PAINT REMOVER.

STUD
Wood or metal vertical framing member.

SUBSTRATE
Any surface to be painted, including wood, concrete, masonry, steel, other metals, and various other materials.

SUCTION
A force that draws a coating into the pores of a surface.

SURFACE DRYING
The drying of the surface of a coating film before the body of the coating film is dry

SURFACE PREPARATION
Any method of treating a surface in preparation for coating, including washing with water, detergent solution, or solvent; cleaning with hand or power tools; water washing or jetting with or without abrasive; or abrasive blast cleaning.

SURFACE PROFILE
(1) The roughened surface that results from abrasive blast cleaning of metal. Surface profile is a measurement of the average peak-to-valley height of the roughness, which typically ranges from less than one mil up to five mils. (2) For wood and concrete, surface profile is simply the texture of the cleaned surface.

SURFACER
A paint used for filling minor irregularities in order to provide a uniform surface thick enough to permit some sanding to smooth the surface before finish coats are applied.

SURFACTANT
A term contracted from "surface-active agents." Surfactants are additives that reduce surface tension and improve wetting (wetting agents), help disperse pigments (dispersion agents), inhibit foam formation (anti-foaming agents), or improve emulsions (emulsifying agents).

SUSPENDED SCAFFOLD
Type of scaffold.

SWEEP BLAST CLEANING
A fast pass of the abrasive blasting pattern over a surface to remove a thin layer of material and to roughen the surface sufficiently to successfully accept a coat of paint.

SWING SCAFFOLD
Type of scaffold.

SYNTHETIC RESIN
Originally, a synthetic substance that resembled and shared some of the properties of natural resins, but now used for material that bears little resemblance to natural resins.

T - glossary

TACK
The stickiness of a paint or varnish film during the drying period. Oil paints and spar varnishes may retain an after-tack for several weeks after they are considered dry.

TACK-FREE
Absence of tack or stickiness in an applied coating.

TACK CLOTH
A clean, soft, lint-free cloth that has been soaked in varnish diluted with turpentine and then wrung out. The varnish makes the cloth tacky or sticky. It is used to wipe a surface to remove small particles of dust.

TAPE
See JOINT TAPE.

TAPE BLISTER
A blister that is an indication of insufficient joint compound under joint tape.

TAPERED JOINT
A joint where tapered edges of gypsum drywall panels join.

TEAR RESISTANCE
The ability of a wallcovering to resist additional tearing once an initial tear or rupture occurs.

TENSILE STRENGTH
Resistance to elongation; the greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without rupturing or remaining permanently elongated.

TEXTURE
Roughness or pattern worked into texture coating material before it dries with one or more special texturing tools to create regular or irregular designs.

TEXTURE COATING
Thick, highly pigmented, viscous material formulated mainly from acrylic latex emulsion resins, although oil-based texture coatings are also available.

THERMAL SPRAYING
A process for applying metallic wire, metallic powder, and thermoplastic powder. The material is melted and sprayed onto a surface to produce a uniform coating. Gas wire guns and electric arc guns are used for spraying metallic wire; plasma guns are used for spraying metallic and thermoplastic powders.

THERMOPLASTIC
A material capable of being softened repeatedly by heat and then formed and hardened by cooling without chemical change.

THERMOPLASTIC COATING
A coating that forms a film by solvent evaporation is called a thermoplastic coating because it can be softened and reformed by heating.

THERMOSET
A material that undergoes an irreversible chemical reaction (oxidation, polymerization, etc.) by the action of heat, catalyst, ultraviolet light, etc., leading to a relatively infusible state. Once applied, formed, or molded, it cannot be reheated and reshaped.

THERMOSET COATING
A coating that forms a film as a result of chemically cross-linking reaction (oxidation, polymerization) is called a thermoset coating because it is not softened or deformed by heating.

THICKENER
An additive used to increase the viscosity (thicken), or modify the rheology of a coating.

THIMBLE
An oval metal ring used along with J-clamps to clamp a loop of wire rope when connecting it to rigging devices

THINNER
A volatile liquid used to lower or otherwise regulate the consistency of paint and varnish at the time of application and that evaporates before or during the drying process.

THIXOTROPE
An additive that makes paint thixotropic.

THIXOTROPIC
A term to describe a material that undergoes a viscosity reduction when shaken, stirred, or otherwise mechanically disturbed, and that readily recovers its original condition when allowed to stand.

THIXOTROPIC PAINT
Paint that is free-flowing and easy to manipulate while being applied, but that sets to a gel within a short time when it is allowed to remain at rest. Because of these qualities, a thixotropic paint is less likely to drip from a brush than other types and can be applied in thicker films without running or sagging.

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUE (TLV)
The air concentration of chemical substances to which it is believed workers may be exposed daily without adverse effect.

TIE COAT
A paint that is formulated specifically for specific situations and conditions to provide a transition from a primer or undercoat to a finish coat. Tie coats are used to seal the surface of a zinc-rich primer, to bond generically different types of coatings, or to improve the adhesion of a succeeding coating.

TINT
The product of adding white to a colour. For example, pink is a tint of red. The opposite of shade.

TINTING
Adjusting the colour of paint to a wide range of tints, shades, or tones.

TINTING STRENGTH
The effectiveness of a colour pigment, when mixed with other pigments, to impart colour to a paint. More precisely, it is the relative ability of a unit quantity of a colourant to alter the colour of another colourant to which it is added.

TITANIUM DIOXIDE
White pigment in virtually all white paints. Prime hiding pigment in most paints.

TLV
See THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUE.

TONE
The result of adding both black and white to a colour.

TONAL VALUE
Relative strength of a colour in reference to black and white. Colour of light tonal value contains much white; colour of dark tonal value contains much black; midtone has equal amounts of black and white.

TOOTH
Anchoring profile of a substrate that enhances adhesion of a coating; roughness inherent in the surface or coating or created mechanically or by etching.

TOP COLOUR
Colour forming a design against ground colour.

TOPCOAT
The last coat applied in a coating system, specifically formulated for environmental resistance and usually applied over a primer, undercoaters, or surfacers.

TOUCH-UP PAINTING
Application of paint on small areas of painted surfaces to repair mars, scratches, and spots where the coating has deteriorated or been damaged.

TRIMMER
Machine or device that removes selvage from wallcovering.

TSP - TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE
An alkaline cleaner used for cleaning and degreasing surfaces prior to painting.

TURPENTINE
A colourless, volatile liquid obtained by distilling oleoresinous secretions from pine trees. It is no longer in widespread use for paint formulation, but still is sold and used as a thinner for oil paints and varnishes.

U – glossary

UNDERCOAT
Any coat applied after the primer and prior to the finish coat. An undercoat normally is used on wood trim and some metals where exceptional smoothness is desired.

UNDERCUTTING
The penetration of a coating and the spread of delamination or corrosion from a break or pinhole in the film or from unprotected edges.

UNDERFILM CORROSION
Corrosion that occurs between a coating and the metal substrate without a break in the coating layer.

UEL - UPPER EXPLOSIVE LIMIT
The concentration at ordinary ambient temperatures of a compound in air above which an explosion will not occur if the mixture is ignited. UEL is expressed in percent of the gas vapor in air by volume.

URETHANE ALKYD (URALKYD) RESIN
Alkyd resin systems modified with isocyanate. These modifications can decrease the drying time and enhance resistance to chemicals, moisture, weathering, and abrasion of the alkyd resins.

URETHANE COATING
A coating whose vehicle contains a polyisocyanate monomer reacted with various other materials. Urethane coatings can be obtained as air-drying, moisture-cured, or catalyzed types.

V – glossary

VACUUM BLASTING
See CLOSED ABRASIVE BLAST CLEANING.

VACUUM-SHROUDED POWER TOOL
Power tool equipped with a vacuum shroud to capture dust, debris, and other materials while they are being generated and prevent them from escaping into the environment.

VALUE
The lightness or darkness of a colour.

VARNISH
A liquid composition that is converted to a translucent or transparent solid film after application in a thin layer.

VARNISH STAIN
A varnish in which stain has been mixed. By using this material, it is possible to perform two jobs with one operation.

VEHICLE
The liquid portion of paint in which the pigment is dispersed. It is composed of binder and solvent.

VINYL ALKYD RESIN
Alkyd resin system modified with vinyl. This modification can enhance the recoatability, moisture resistance, and chemical resistance of the alkyd resin.

VINYL COATING (PLYVINYL CHLORIDE)
Coating based upon vinyl resin. Vinyl acetate is commonly used in latex paints. Polyvinyl chloride is used in some solvent-thinned coatings where high chemical resistance is needed. There are many other vinyl derivatives that appear in various specialized coatings.

VINYL FABRIC
A prefabricated wallcovering made from a vinyl resin, available in a variety of textures and patterns.

VINYL RESIN
A synthetic resin made from vinyl compounds. These resins include polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, and copolymers of these compounds with other compounds.

VISCOSITY
A measure of a coating’s resistance to flow. A high viscosity coating is thick; a low viscosity coating is thin.

VM&P NAPHTHA - VARNISH MAKER’S AND PAINTER’S NAPHTHA
Varnish Maker’s and Painter’s naphtha is a hydrocarbon solvent mixture composed of aliphatic compounds.

VOLATILE
The easily evaporated components of any coating composition.

VOLATILE CONTENT
Percentage of materials in a coating that evaporate.

VOC - VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND
Any organic compound involved in atmospheric photochemical reactions. In particular, any organic compound other than those that the EPA designates as having negligible photochemical reactivity.

VOLUME SOLIDS
The portion of a coating that remains as part of the dry film; expressed as percent by volume. This number can be used to calculate the amount of wet thickness of a given coating to be applied in order to produce the desired dry film thickness.

W – glossary

WALL FABRIC
Durable surface on cotton backing, with top colours applied by surface printing or rotogravure.

WALLBOARD
Boards such as pressed cellulose fiberboard, plasterboard, or plywood used in place of plaster in interior surfaces.

WALLCOVERING
Wallcovering falls into two broad categories: those made with basic materials (e.g., paper, vinyl) and those made with specialty materials (e.g., textiles, metal foil, natural fibers, cork, wood veneer, textured fiberglass, etc.).

WALLCOVERING ADHESIVE (PASTE)
Wallcovering adhesive or paste is available as powder material, which must be mixed with water at the job site, or premixed material, which is formulated at the factory and ready to use.

WALLCOVERING, FLOCK FINISH
Soft, fluffy fibers of wool, cotton, silk, nylon, or rayon blown onto an adhesive-coated backing to produce a velvet-like finish on wallcovering.

WALLCOVERING, PATTERN MATCH
Strips of wallcovering will match each other in one of three ways: 1.) RANDOM MATCH—The wallcovering matches anywhere along the length of the strips. 2.) STRAIGHT-ACROSS MATCH—The design elements of the wallcovering pattern match horizontally from strip to strip. 3.) DROP MATCH—The design elements of the wallcovering appear at different locations along the strip and match diagonally rather than horizontally. A drop match may be either a half drop or a multiple drop. With a half drop match, every other strip is the same. With a multiple drop match, it may take three, four, or more strips before the design repeats.

WALLCOVERING SEAM
The following four types of seams commonly are used to join strips of wallcovering: 1.) BUTT SEAM—A butt seam is made by aligning the edge of one wallcovering strip tightly against the next strip without any overlap. 2.) DOUBLE CUT SEAM—A double cut seam is made by overlapping two strips of wallcovering, then cutting through both strips at the same time, and removing the overlapping and underlapping pieces. 3.) WIRE SEAM—A wire seam is made by allowing the edge of one strip of wallcovering to overlap the next very slightly (about 1/16 inch). 4.) OVERLAP SEAM—An overlap seam is made allowing one strip of wallcovering to overlap the other strip by ½ inch or more. The overlap seam usually is reserved for use on corners, archways, soffit, and similar areas that may be difficult to cover.

WALLCOVERING, TEXTILE
Linen, cotton, velour, chintz, silk, and felt are among fabrics used unbacked or paper-backed for wallcovering.

WALLCOVERING TEXTURE
Wallcovering textures range from plain and smooth to flocked, embossed, and various tactile patterns.

WASH PRIMER
Priming paint usually supplied as a one- or two-component system. The paint contains carefully balanced proportions of an inhibiting chromate pigment, phosphoric acid, and synthetic resin binder mixed in an alcohol solvent.

WASHABILITY
The ability of a wallcovering or coating to withstand occasional sponging with a detergent solution.

WATER-BASED
Coatings in which the majority of the liquid content is water.

WATER BLAST CLEANING
An alternative to air abrasive blast cleaning for wood, concrete, or metal surfaces. Water blast cleaning can be used with or without abrasive injection.

WATER-BASED COATING - WATER-BORNE COATING
Latex paint and paint containing a water-soluble binder.

WATER-DISPERSIBLE COATING
An organic coating that normally is solvent-borne, but by adjusting the chemistry can be dispersed in water.

WATER JETTING
Directing jets of pressurized water against a surface to remove paint and debris. Water jetting is typically classified as either high-pressure (10,000 to 25,000 p.s.i.) or ultra high-pressure (25,000 p.s.i. or greater).

WATER-REDUCIBLE COATING
Coating that can be diluted (reduced) with water, water-cosolvent mixtures, and sometimes with alkali (alkali-soluble resins).

WATER STAIN
Solution of dye, water, and alcohol.

WATER-THINNED COATING
A coating that is water-borne and uses water for thinning. The binder may be a material that requires water for setting, that is soluble in water, or that is emulsifiable in water.

WAX
Wax is used for polishing floors and woodwork after painting, bleaching, or staining. Waxes used by the decorator and wood finisher include: 1.) carnauba wax, a hard wax obtained from the leaves of a Brazilian palm tree; 2.) beeswax, a soft wax obtained from the honeycomb of the honey bee; 3.) candelilla wax, a wax obtained from a Mexican shrub; and 4.) mineral wax, a wax based on paraffin derived from crude oil.

WELD SPATTER
Beads of metal produced during the welding process that adhere to the surface near the weld.

WET ABRASIVE BLAST CLEANING
Adding water to an abrasive blast cleaning operation. Water may be injected into the abrasive stream or applied externally to the abrasive stream as it exits the blast nozzle. Wet abrasive blast cleaning creates less dust than open abrasive blast cleaning.

WET AIR
Saturated air that contains small droplets of moisture (condensed water vapor).

WET EDGE TIME
Length of time that a wall paint can stand and be brushed or rolled back into the next stretch without showing lap marks.

WFT - WET FILM THICKNESS
Thickness of a liquid film immediately after application.

WET FILM THICKNESS GAUGE
Device for measuring wet film thickness.

WETTING
The ability of a vehicle to spread uniformly and rapidly over the surface of pigment particles.

WHIP CHECK
Safety cable that connects air hoses across the coupling to keep the hoses from flying around if the connection separates.

WHITE LEAD
Lead carbonate.

WHITE-METAL BLAST CLEANING
Highest grade of blast cleaning.

WIRE BRUSH CLEANING
Cleaning a surface with a wire brush that is either a hand tool or a power tool.

WIRE ROPE
Cable made of steel strands wrapped around a core, and often used in rigging and scaffolding. The direction of the strands is called the lay of the rope. The proper way to wind rope onto a drum is opposite to its lay.

WIRE SEAM
See WALLCOVERING SEAM.

WOOD FILLER
A material in liquid or paste form used to fill cracks or holes in wood.

WOOD VENEER LAMINATE
Real wood laminated to a fabric backing for use as a wallcovering.

WORK CAGE
A single-point adjustable suspension scaffold unit enclosed with guards, midrails, and toeboards, and large enough for the operator to work standing up.

WORK MIX
The mixture of various sizes of abrasive material that results from the periodic addition of new abrasive to recycled abrasive during the blasting operation. Sometimes called "operating mix."

WRINKLING
A defect in which the coating film resembles the skin of a prune.

Y – glossary

YELLOWING
Development of a yellow colour or cast as a result of aging.

Z – glossary

ZINC DUST
Finely divided zinc metal used as a pigment in zinc-rich and zinc dust/zinc oxide protective coatings for iron and steel.

ZINC-RICH COATING
Anti-corrosive primer for iron and steel incorporating zinc dust in a concentration sufficient to provide electrical conductivity in the dried film. This enables the zinc metal to corrode preferentially to the ferrous substrate, giving galvanic protection.