Glossary of Terms

Acrylic A synthetic resin used in high performance water-based coatings.

Adhesion The ability of a dry coating to attach to and remain fixed on the surface without
blistering, flaking, cracking or being removed by tape.

Example: Wet/dry crosshatch; pull off

Alkali Resistance The ability of a coating to resist the effects of alkalinity and so prevent degradation
and discoloration of the coating.

Alkyd A synthetic resin modified with oil.

Amide A functional group which can act as an epoxy resin curing agent

Anti-fouling Paints formulated especially for boat decks and hulls, docks and other below water
Paint line surfaces and structures to prevent the growth of barnacles and other
organisms on ships bottoms.

APEO-Free Alkylphenol ethoxylates(APEO) are nonylphenol compounds(NPEO). Alkylphenol

ethoxylates are themselves believed to be endocrine disruptors. APEO-Free are
alternative surfactants (required in Europe for REACH).

Binder Solid ingredients in a coating that hold the pigment particles in suspension and
attach them to the substrate. Consists of resins (e.g. alkyds, solution polymers,
latex). The nature and amount of binder determine many of the coatings
performance properties--washability, toughness, adhesion, color retention, etc.

Blistering Formation of dome-shaped projections in paints and coating films resulting from
local loss of adhesion and lifting of the film from the underlying substrate surface.

Blush The appearance of a film becoming white when affected by moisture. Can be
caused by moisture penetrating the film, or when moisture is trapped between the
substrate and the film and/or between two coats of a film.

Catalyst Substance whose presence increases the rate of a chemical reaction, e.g., acid
catalyst added to an epoxy resin system to accelerate drying time.

Chalking Formation of a powder on the surface of a coating caused by disintegration of the

binder during weathering. Can be affected by the choice of pigment or binder. Can
adversely affect the adhesion of a topcoat.

Clear Coating A transparent protective and/or decorative film.

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 helps the latex
resins flow together aiding in film formation.

Coating A paint, varnish, lacquer or other finish used to create a protective and/or
decorative layer. Generally used to refer to paints and coatings applied as part of
system.

Cohesion A bonding together of a single substrate to itself, internal adhesion.

 Glossary of Terms

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

Colorant Concentrated color (dyes or pigments) that can be added to paints or coatings to
make specific colors.

Colorfast Non-fading in prolonged exposure to light.

Corrosion The type of metal paint or primer that prevents rust by preventing moisture from
Inhibitive reaching the metal.

Cure, Curing The process whereby a liquid coating becomes a film

Diluent A liquid used in coatings to reduce the consistency and make a coating flow more
easily. The water in latex coatings is a diluent. A diluent may also be called a
"reducer", "thinner", "reducing agent" or "reducing solvent".

Driers Compounds added to coatings (alkyd/oil based) to speed up the drying process.

Dry Colors Powder-type colors to be mixed with water, alcohol or mineral spirits and resin to
form a coating.

Earth Pigments Those pigments that are obtained from the earth, including barytes, calcium
carbonate, clay and graphite.

Efflorescence An encrustation usually on (but sometimes under) the surface of a coating. Usually
caused by salts or free alkali leaching from mortar or adjacent concrete as moisture
move through it.

EIFS Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems

Emulsion A mixture of solids suspended in a liquid.

Enamel Broad classification of paints that dry to a hard, usually glossy finish. Curing from
both air dry and baking.

Epoxy Extremely tough and durable synthetic resin used in some coatings. Epoxy
coatings are extremely tough, durable and highly resistant to chemicals, abrasion,
moisture and alcohol.

Extender Ingredients added to paint to increase coverage, reduce cost, achieve durability,
alter appearance, control rheology and influence other desirable properties.

Film Build Amount of thickness produced in an application. Mils (0.001 inch) of dry film per
mils of applied wet film

Film Thickness Depth of thickness of the dry coating.

Fire Resistance The ability of a coating to withstand fire or to protect the substrate to which it is
applied from fire damage.
 Glossary of Terms

Fire Retardant A coating which will (1)reduce flame spread and (2) resist ignition when exposed to
high temperature or (3) insulate the substrate and delay damage to the substrate.

Forced Dry Baking the coating between room temperature and 150 F to speed the drying
process.

Freeze Thaw The ability of a coating to withstand periods of freezing and thawing during storage
Stability or transportation.

Galvanizing Process in which a thin coating of zinc is applied to iron or steel to prevent rust.

Gloss The luster or shininess of paints and coatings. Different types of gloss are
frequently arbitrarily differentiated, such as sheen, distinctness-of-image gloss, etc.
Trade practices recognized the following gloss levels, in increasing order of gloss -
flat (matte) -- practically free from sheen, even when viewed from oblique angles
(usually less than 15 on 60-degree meter); eggshell -- usually 20-30 on 60-degree
meter; semi-gloss -- usually 35-70 on 60-degree meter; full-gloss --smooth and
almost mirror like surface when viewed from all angles, usually above 70 on 60-
degree meter.

Gloss Meter A device for measuring the light reflectance of coatings. Different brands with the
same description (such as semi-gloss or flat) may have quite different ratings on
the gloss meter.

HAP Hazardous Air Pollutant (usually related to plant production).

Inert A material that will not react chemically with other ingredients.

Intumescent A mechanism whereby fire-retardant paints or coatings protect the substrate to

which they are applied. An intumescent coating puffs up when exposed to high
temperatures, forming an insulating, protective layer over the substrate.

Lacquer A fast-drying usually clear coating that is highly flammable and dries by solvent
evaporation only. Can be reconstituted after drying by adding solvent.

Lithopone A white pigment of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide.

Low
Temperature
Cure Determination if a latex coating film can achieve coalescence at 40F temperature.

Mandrel Bend The determination of the flexibility of a film by bending over rods of different
circumferences at various temperatures.

Marine Paint Coating specially designed for immersion in water and exposure to marine
atmosphere.

MFFT Determination of the minimum film forming temperature in a water based coating or
emulsion film.

Mineral Spirits Paint thinner. Solvent distilled from petroleum.

 Glossary of Terms

Monomer Substance composed of low molecular weight molecules capable of reacting with
like or unlike molecules to form a polymer.

Naphtha A petroleum distillate used mostly by professionals for clean up and to thin solvent
based coatings.

Natural Resins Resins from trees, plants, fish and insects.

Nonvolatile The portion of a coating left after the solvent and/or water evaporates; sometimes
called the solids content.

Oil Paint A paint that contains drying oil, oil varnish or oil modified resin as the film-forming
ingredient. The term is commonly and incorrectly used to refer to any paint soluble
by organic solvents.

Oven Stability An accelerated procedure used for detecting changes that may take place in
packaged latex products stored for an extended period of time. Also known as
heat age stability.

Oxidation Chemical reaction upon exposure to oxygen. Some coatings cure by oxidation,
when oxygen enters the liquid coating and cross-links the resin molecules. This
film-forming method is also called "Air Cured" or "Air Dry". (Oxidation and causes
rust on bare metals)

Pencil Hardness Test method to determine the rigidity and firmness as well as resistance to
scratches and marring of a coating on a rigid substrate.

Penetrating A finish that sinks into the substrate, as opposed to settling on the surface.
Finish

Permeability The determination of the rate at which water vapor passes through films of paint,
varnish, lacquer, and other organic coatings.

pH The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution in moles per
liter; measured on a scale from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 corresponds to a neutral solution.
Solutions having a pH less than 7 are referred to as acidic those with a pH greater
than 7 are basic.

Pigments Insoluble, finely ground materials that give a coating its properties of color and
hide. Titanium dioxide is the most important pigment used to provide hiding. Other
pigments include anatase titanium, barium metaborate, barium sulfate, burnt
sienna, burnt umber, carbon black, China clay, chromium oxide, iron oxide, Tuscan
red, zinc oxide, zinc phosphate and zinc sulfide..

Polymer Substance, the molecules of which consist of one or more structural units repeated
any number of times; vinyl resins are example of true polymers.

Polymerization The interlocking of molecules by chemical reaction to produce very large

molecules.

Polyvinyl A synthetic resin used in the binders of coatings. Tends to discolor under exposure
Chloride to ultraviolet radiation.
 Glossary of Terms

Primer First complete coat of paint of a system applied to a surface. Such paints are
designed to provide adequate adhesion to new substrates or are formulated to the
special requirements of the surfaces.

Propellant The gas used to expel materials from aerosol containers

PVC The Pigment Volume Concentration (PVC) of a coating is the balance between the
volume of pigment and filler mix and total volume solids content of a coating.

QUV An accelerated test method to predict the performance of a coating in exterior

weathering.

REACH REACH is the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use
(EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and
Restriction of Chemical substances. The law entered into force on 1 June 2007.

Resin Synthetic or natural material used as the binder in coatings. Can be translucent or
transparent, solid or semi-solid, or in an emulsion.

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

Shellac A coating made from purified lac dissolved in alcohol, often bleached white.

Silicone A resin used in the binders of coatings. Also used as an additive to provide specific
properties, e.g., defoaming, adhesion or cross linking .

Solids The part of the coating that remains on a surface after the vehicle has evaporated.
Also called nonvolatiles.

Substrate Any surface to which a coating is applied.

Surfactant A surfactant can be classified by the presence of formally charged groups in its
Charges head. A non-ionic surfactant has no charge groups in its head. The head of an ionic
surfactant carries a net charge. If the charge is negative, the surfactant is more
specifically called anionic; if the charge is positive, it is called cationic.

Syneresis A liquid separation on the surface of a coating in the can.

Urethane An important resin in the coatings industry. A true urethane coating is a two
component product that cures when an isocyanate (the catalyst) prompts a
chemical reaction that unites the components.

Viscosity: The property of a fluid whereby it tends to resist relative motion within itself.

Examples: Zahn Cup, Stormer (Krebs Units), Brookfield (centipoise)

VOC Volatile Organic Compound

Weight/Gallon Determination of the weight contained in a gallon of coating.