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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Earth tones - The natural colors of earth; browns and beiges.

Edging - Act of striping in or painting near the edge of a surface, such as the wall intersection at ceiling, doorway, or window.

Effervescence - An effect in the film caused by rapid solvent release. This "boiling" of solvent causes a pinholed or cratered appearance reducing gloss.

Efflorescence - Water soluble salts, deposited as moisture evaporates, on the exterior of brick or concrete. These are usually sodium salts that diffuse through the paint film from the substrate.

Eggshell - A thin, brittle semi-matte paint finish.

Elcometer - - A trademark and brand name for a magnetic instrument for measuring dry film thickness of coatings applied to steel surfaces.

Electrostatic Spray - The spray application of paint where the particles are charged causing them to be electrically attracted to the grounded surface.

Embossed paper - Wallpaper with a raised, textured pattern. Embossed wallpapers are useful when installing over imperfect wall conditions, as they will camouflage contours on an uneven wall. Do not use a seam roller on embossed papers because it can flatten or burnish

Embrittlement - Severe loss of ductility of a metal or alloy.

Emulsifier - A material which when added to a mixture of dissimilar materials, such as oil and water, will produce a stable, homogenous emulsion.

Emulsion - A two phase liquid system in which small droplets of one liquid are immiscible in and are dispersed uniformly throughout a second liquid.

Enamel - Paint with finely ground pigments and a high binder content so that it dries to a hard gloss or semi-gloss finish.

Ending point - The point where the wallpaper stops at an obstacle. Examples include fireplaces, accent walls and kitchen cabinets.

Epoxy - A two-part compound used to fill holes in damaged wood. Once dry, epoxy patches are very strong and can be sanded, primed and painted.

Epoxy adhesive - Adhesive based on an epoxy (or epoxide) resin or several such resins. They are of limited use in furniture-making but come in handy for quick repairs.

Epoxy Resin - - A synthetic resin produced by the reaction of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol. Epoxy resins may be used alone (unmodified) or modified with drying oils (epoxy esters) for coating vehicles.

Erosion - Deterioration of a surface by the abrasive action of moving materials - fluids or particles. This is accelerated by the presence of solid particles or gas bubbles in suspension.

Ester - Compounds formed by the reaction of alcohols and organic acids.

Etching - Scratching or roughening an existing wallpaper surface to prepare it for the application of a wallpaper-removing solution. The etching of the vinyl-coated surface allows the solution to penetrate through the wallpaper and dissolve the old adhesive to aid in the removal of the existing wallpaper.

Evaporation Loss Solvents - A solvent whose volatility is high. Used to reduce the flash-off time of a paint to combat sagging on cool days.

Evaporation Rate - The speed with which a solvent volatizes or evaporates. It is frequently expressed as the time required for 1 cc. of solvent to evaporate after being poured onto filter paper.

Exposure - The intensity, duration and variation in sun, wind and temperature that characterize any particular site.

Extender Pigments - Pigments used to provide texture, bulk or hardness to a coating. Also known as inert pigments. Magnesium silicate and diatomaceous silica are examples of extender pigments.

Extenders - Inert pigments used to extend or increase the bulk of a paint. Extenders are also used to adjust the consistency of a paint and to let down colored pigments of great tinting strength.. Extenders sometimes improve certain characteristics of a film.

External Mix/Atomization - Using air to break up a coating material after it has exited the spray gun nozzle.

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