Plain definitions of 36 terms we use on the job in Bellevue.
Term Index
Open any term below for a dedicated definition page.
Acrylic caulk is a paintable sealant made from water-based acrylic materials. It fills narrow gaps and joints around siding, trim, and other building surfaces. After it dries, the caulk forms a flexible barrier that helps block air and moisture. Painters use it where a neat painted finish matters.
Also called: Acrylic Latex Caulk
Back Rolling is a painting method that follows spray application with a roller. The roller presses paint into small surface pores and evens out the wet coating. This process helps sprayed paint bond with textured walls, ceilings, and other uneven surfaces. Back rolling also helps create a consistent finish across the painted area.
Bonding Primer is a specialty coating that helps paint stick to smooth, glossy, or difficult surfaces. It creates a firm base between the surface and the finish paint. Painters use it on materials such as laminate, painted wood, metal, and some plastics when regular primer may not grip well.
Also called: Adhesion Primer
Brush Marks are visible lines, ridges, or uneven areas left by a paintbrush as coating spreads across a surface. They may show through the dried finish when paint is too thick, the brush is overloaded, the surface absorbs paint unevenly, or the painter works back into partially dried areas during interior painting.
Also called: Brush Strokes
Chalking is the release of fine, powdery pigment from an exterior paint or coating as weathering breaks down its surface binder. The residue may appear on siding, trim, or other painted surfaces. Light chalking can affect color and adhesion, while heavy chalking may require cleaning and surface preparation before new paint is applied.
Also called: Chalky Surface
Color Matching is the process of selecting or reproducing a paint color so it blends with an existing surface, sample, or design plan. The process considers the paint’s hue, depth, undertone, sheen, and the light around it. A close match may still look different when applied to another material or viewed in changed light.
Also called: Paint Color Matching
A color wheel is a visual guide that arranges colors by their relationships. It shows primary, secondary, and blended colors in a circular layout. Painters use these relationships to choose matching, contrasting, or balanced colors for walls, trim, cabinets, and other surfaces during a color consultation.
Coverage Rate is the area a paint or coating can cover with a set amount of material while producing the intended finish. The rate depends on surface texture, porosity, paint type, application method, and color change. Painters use it to estimate material needs and plan commercial painting work.
Also called: Paint Coverage
Drywall Compound is a spreadable material used to fill joints, cover fastener marks, repair dents, and smooth drywall surfaces. It starts soft, then dries into a firm layer that can be sanded or textured. Painters and drywall finishers use it to create an even surface before applying primer and paint.
Also called: Joint Compound
Drywall Primer is a coating made for new or repaired gypsum board. It seals the paper and joint compound so the surface absorbs paint more evenly. This base coat can reduce flashing, which appears as uneven sheen over seams and patches. It also helps the finish coat bond consistently across the wall.
Efflorescence is a powdery salt deposit that forms on brick, mortar, or concrete when moisture carries dissolved minerals to the surface. The moisture evaporates and leaves a white, gray, or pale crust behind. Efflorescence signals moisture movement through masonry, but the deposit itself usually does not damage the brick.
Also called: Salt Deposits
An Elastomeric Coating is a flexible exterior coating that expands and contracts with a building surface. It forms a thick, water-resistant film over materials such as siding, stucco, and masonry. The coating can bridge small surface cracks, but it cannot repair major damage or replace proper surface preparation.
Also called: Elastomeric Paint
Epoxy Primer is a bonding coat applied before epoxy to help the coating stick to a prepared surface. It seals some pores, supports a more even finish, and helps reduce adhesion problems on concrete or other suitable substrates. The primer must match the epoxy system and the surface condition.
Etching is a surface preparation process that opens the pores of concrete so a coating can bond more securely. A mild acid solution reacts with the top layer, creating a fine texture. The surface is then rinsed and allowed to dry before epoxy or another coating is applied.
Also called: Concrete Etching
Fade Resistance is a coating’s ability to keep its color when sunlight, weather, and outdoor exposure act on the surface. On a stained fence, fade resistance helps the chosen color stay closer to its original shade over time. It depends on the stain, wood surface, exposure, and upkeep.
Also called: Colorfastness
Film thickness is the depth of a coating after application or drying. Painters use it to check whether a coating covers the surface as designed. The measurement may describe wet film thickness during application or dry film thickness after curing. Each value helps guide coverage, performance, and compliance checks.
Also called: Coating Thickness
Hiding Power is a paint’s ability to cover the color, pattern, or stains beneath it. Strong hiding power creates an even surface with less show-through. Paint formula, pigment concentration, color choice, surface condition, and applied film thickness all affect the result on walls, ceilings, trim, and other interior surfaces.
Also called: Opacity
Lap Marks are visible bands or color changes that form when a stain or coating dries across overlapping brush or roller sections. The marks show where one wet section meets another. On a deck, lap marks often appear when the coating begins drying before the applicator blends the next section into the wet edge.
Also called: Overlap Marks
Mildew Resistant Paint is a coating made with additives that help limit mildew growth on painted surfaces. It is designed for areas that often stay damp, but it cannot correct leaks, trapped moisture, poor drainage, or dirty surfaces. Proper cleaning, drying, and surface preparation remain necessary before application.
Also called: Mildewcide Paint
Orange Peel is a drywall texture with small, raised bumps that resemble an orange's skin. A sprayer applies a thin layer of joint compound or texture material to walls or ceilings. The finish softens flat surfaces, hides minor surface marks, and creates a consistent pattern before primer and paint are applied.
Also called: Orange Peel Texture
Overspray is paint or coating that travels beyond the intended surface during spraying. Air movement, spray pressure, nozzle choice, and nearby objects can affect where the material lands. Overspray may settle as a fine mist on windows, floors, fixtures, vehicles, landscaping, or finished surfaces that were not meant to receive paint.
Also called: Paint Overspray
Paint Adhesion is the bond that holds a paint film to its surface. Strong adhesion helps the coating stay attached during normal changes in moisture, temperature, and use. Poor adhesion may lead to peeling, flaking, or blistering. Surface cleanliness, dryness, texture, and primer choice all affect this bond.
Also called: Coating Adhesion
A paint scraper is a hand tool with a firm, flat edge that lifts loose paint, peeling coatings, and surface residue. The tool helps expose a sound surface before new paint goes on. Scrapers come in several shapes, including stiff blades for removal and flexible blades for spreading filler.
Also called: Paint Removal Scraper
Paint Sheen is the level of light reflection created by a dried paint surface. It ranges from flat, which reflects very little light, to high gloss, which reflects much more. Sheen affects how a color looks, how easily a wall cleans, and how clearly surface flaws appear after painting.
Also called: Finish Sheen
A paint sprayer is a powered tool that turns liquid paint into a fine spray for fast, even application across large or detailed surfaces. The tool sends paint through a nozzle, while pressure controls the spray pattern. Paint sprayers suit walls, ceilings, trim, cabinets, siding, and other surfaces when careful masking protects nearby areas.
Also called: Airless Sprayer
Peeling paint is a surface-coating failure where paint lifts, cracks, or separates from the material below. The damage may appear as loose edges, flakes, bubbles, or larger bare areas. It often points to weak adhesion, moisture, dirt, or an unsuitable surface beneath the finish.
Also called: Flaking Paint
Pressure Washing is a surface-cleaning method that directs pressurized water at dirt, grime, mildew, and loose residue. The water stream can prepare wood, concrete, siding, and other outdoor surfaces for repair or coating. Pressure washing does not remove every stain, repair damaged material, or replace careful surface preparation before painting.
Also called: Power Washing
A recoat window is the period when a coating is ready to receive another coat. The surface must be dry enough for the next layer to bond, but the existing coating must still accept that layer properly. Temperature, humidity, airflow, coating type, and surface condition can change the usable window on a project.
Also called: Recoat Time
Sandpaper Grit is a measure of the abrasive particles on sanding paper. Lower grit feels rougher and removes material faster. Higher grit feels smoother and leaves a finer surface. Painters and carpenters choose grit based on the material, the coating being removed, and the smoothness needed before primer or paint.
Also called: Abrasive Grit
Surface Preparation is the planned cleaning, repair, sanding, scraping, and priming of a surface before paint or coating is applied. It removes conditions that can weaken adhesion, helps create an even finish, and prepares materials such as drywall, wood, metal, or masonry for the selected coating. Good preparation matches the surface and its condition.
Also called: Surface Prep
Tannin Bleed is a brown, yellow, or reddish stain that moves through paint from natural wood compounds. The stain often appears on oak, cedar, pine, and other wood surfaces. Moisture can draw tannins toward the surface, where they discolor the finish even after the wood receives a fresh coat of paint.
Also called: Tannin Staining
Texture coat is a textured finish applied over a prepared surface to create a raised, patterned, or lightly rough appearance. It can help hide minor surface variation and give stucco a consistent look. The finish may be spread, rolled, or sprayed, depending on the product and the texture the project needs.
Also called: Textured Finish
Touch-Up Paint is a small amount of matching coating applied to repair minor marks, scuffs, chips, or thin spots on a painted surface. It helps restore the finish without repainting the entire wall, ceiling, trim piece, or other area. The result depends on color, sheen, surface condition, and application method.
Also called: Touchup Paint
VOC Content is the amount of volatile organic compounds released by a paint or coating as it dries. VOCs are chemicals that can evaporate into indoor air. A product’s VOC Content appears on its label or technical data sheet and helps painters compare formulas for interior surfaces, including walls, ceilings, trim, and doors.
Also called: Volatile Organic Compound Content
Wood Filler is a repair compound that fills small holes, cracks, dents, and gaps in wood surfaces. The material dries into a sandable patch that can be primed and painted. Wood filler helps create a smooth surface before finishing, but it does not replace damaged wood or fix movement in a joint.
Also called: Wood Putty
Wood Stain is a colored finish that soaks into wood and changes its appearance while showing some of the grain. The finish can add color, help limit moisture absorption, and protect the surface when paired with proper preparation and maintenance. Wood stain may be transparent, semi-transparent, or more opaque.
Also called: Timber Stain
