DIY Dictionary - 35 Handy Painting Terms

Baffled by some of the lingo used by painters and decorators? Don't stress here's a handy cheat sheet.

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Adhesion

How well the paint sticks to a surface. Often improved by keying the surface or applying a primer.

All surface paint

Paint with a primer included that you can apply to a variety of surfaces ie wood, metal, uPVC. Handy for using on difficult surfaces for DIY jobs like painting a garage or painting a uPVC door.

Angled brush

A paintbrush where the end of the fibres are cut at an angle. These make cutting in and painting neat straight lines much easier.

Chalk Paint

A matte finish 'chalky' flat paint which is often applied to furniture and can result in a shabby chic/rustic or distressed finish.

Chipping

Where the top layer(s) of paint detach from the base surface after being knocked or bumped.

Coat

A single layer of paint/sealant/ primer

Colour-matching

A service where paint can be mixed to very closely match a shade or hue from a designer brand or in fact any colour you find around the home or in nature etc.

Colour blocking

A paint technique where blocks of colour are applied to a room often in geometric shapes.

Colour drenching

Where the same colour paint is applied to a large area covering all the fixtures and fittings. For example you could paint a whole wall including the skirting boards, coving, door and doorframe.

Cutting in

The process where you use a paintbrush to go around the edges of the area you need to paint to cover any areas not easily reached with a roller. This creates a frame of paint for you to fill in with a roller.

Eggshell

A type of surface sheen that is noticeable once the paint has dried. Eggshell paint is somewhere between matt (no shine, very flat) and satin (more of a shine than matt but less than semi-gloss or high gloss). Eggshell paint is ideal for woodwork as it’s hardwearing and easy to clean. I love this one from Dulux for doors and architrave.

Emulsion

Water-based paint commonly used for walls and ceilings.

Gloss

Very shiny, light reflecting paint finish. Historically favoured for woodwork but less fashionable these days.

Keying the surface /Creating a key /Abrading

This is usually done by lightly sanding/rubbing down a surface to create a texture for the paint to adhere to.

Laying off

The process to smooth the wet paint surface with a brush using gentle, sweeping motions and reducing pressure to softly feather out any lines and ensure no brush strokes remain.

Make good

The repair process to take a surface back to good condition, that is often completed prior to painting. eg filling holes and sanding.

Masking tape

Usually white or off-white tape with a low adhesion that can be used for some paint jobs (usually not on a painted surface as can pull the paint off).

Matt

Very low sheen paint finish. Non-reflective, flat surface.

Oil-based paint

These used to be relied upon for a more professional finish but there are some brilliant water-based paints available now. Oil-based paints are harder to clean up, can be very smelly (high VOC), and can take an incredibly long time to dry. Oil-based paints used to be preferred for wood as they are more durable and resistant to chipping and denting, but they also have the drawback of going yellow which water-based whites do not.

Painters tape

A lower-tack tape than masking tape that is more widely used to protect areas from paint spreading and to create neat lines. Here's an example.

Primer

A base coat that you apply to a surface to prepare it for painting by improving the adhesion of the paint. You can buy surface-specific primers ie MDF primer (this is my go-to MDF primer) or uPVC primer as well as all surface primers. You should always prime new/fresh surfaces eg bare wood as it absorbs paint at different speeds. Primers are usually white.

Roller tray

The container that holds the paint for you to load your roller up with.

Roller frame

The handheld section of the roller that the roller head fits onto.

Roller pile (nap)

The thickness of the texture of the synthetic roller heads (similar to pile in carpet).

Runs

Drips of paint down the surface you are painting from overloading the brush.

Satin

Refers to the sheen of the paint finish. Shinier than matte or eggshell but less than semi-gloss or gloss.

Sugar soap

An abrasive cleaning agent that removes grease and dirt from surfaces as part of your preparation routine for painting. Top Tip: Use a spray bottle to administer the sugar soap and be sure to rinse fully before painting.

Semi-gloss

Lower sheen paint finish that gloss, but more reflective than eggshell, satin, or matte

Scrubbable

Refers to the ability to clean the surface after the paint has fully cured.

Stain blocker

Paint that can be applied to an area previously affected by damp ( as long as the source of the damp has been rectified) or used to cover other stains such as nicotine, graffiti or other marks to walls or ceilings.

Tester Pot

A small sample pot of paint to test a colour in your home. Top Tip: You should assess the colour under different lights - natural light and artificial & at different times of the day before choosing as there can be quite a variance.

Touch-ups

When a small area or areas are repainted due to poor coverage or damage to previous paint.

Undercoat

Applied over a primed or already painted surface an undercoat smooths and evens the surface providing a base for the topcoat. You should always use an undercoat when going from a dark to a light colour. Undercoats often have a pigment.

VOCs

Volatile Organic Compounds found in varying quantities in paint, less so in water-based. Paint tins display the volume of VOCs usually on categories like ‘low, medium, high, very high'. Exposure to high levels of VOCs is harmful to the environment and can be bad for your health. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Water-based paint

Due to its quick drying time it's not as forgiving as oil-based which is easier to correct if you get runs or visible brush strokes. Much easier to clean from brushes and rollers and less smelly and fumey.

Wipeable

Less durable than a scrubbable finish, but possible to wipe the painted surface down to clean it, when the paint has fully dried.

I hope this was helpful.

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