A coating's ability to resist wear caused by rubbing, scraping or traffic.

The tendency of a porous substrate to draw liquid into its surface.

An additive used to increase the rate of cure or chemical reaction in a coating.

Chemical treatment used to clean or roughen mineral or metal surfaces before coating.

A polymer binder based on acrylic chemistry used in many water- and solvent-based coatings.

A coating in which an acrylic polymer forms the main binder.

The ability of a coating to remain attached to the surface beneath it.

A material added to improve bonding between a coating and a difficult substrate.

A drying process that occurs under normal ambient conditions without forced heat.

A spray method that atomises paint by forcing it through a small tip at high pressure without compressed air.

The ability of a coating to resist damage from alkaline substrates or chemicals.

A polyester-type resin modified with oils or fatty acids and widely used in solvent-based paints.

A pigment used to help reduce or slow corrosion of a metal substrate.

An additive used to prevent or reduce foam during manufacture or application.

An additive used in oxidatively drying coatings to reduce skin formation in the container.

The amount of coating applied over a given surface area.

The breakup of liquid paint into fine droplets during spray application.

A coating that protects mainly by physically isolating the substrate from water, oxygen or chemicals.

The colour-producing layer in a basecoat-clearcoat automotive paint system.

A defined quantity of coating manufactured in one production cycle.

The film-forming portion of a paint that binds pigments together and attaches the coating to the surface.

The amount of binder required to adequately wet, bind and support the pigment and extender package.

The formation of bubbles or raised areas in a paint film.

The unwanted sticking together of two painted surfaces when they are pressed into contact.

A hazy or cloudy surface appearance that develops after application.

Visible ridges or lines left by brush application after the coating has dried.

The ease with which a coating can be spread and worked with a brush.

A mineral extender widely used in decorative and industrial coatings.

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the same way as the reactants.

The formation of a loose powdery layer on the surface of an aged coating.

The ability of a cured coating to withstand contact with chemicals without unacceptable damage.

The process by which dispersed polymer particles merge to form a continuous film in many water-based coatings.

A temporary film-forming aid used to help polymer particles fuse during drying of water-based coatings.

The ability of a paint base to accept tinting colourants without causing defects or poor colour development.

The measurable difference between two colours, often expressed numerically using colour-space calculations.

The ability of a coating to maintain its original colour during service.

The area that a given volume of paint can coat at a specified film thickness.

The splitting of a paint film into visible cracks.

Circular depressions that remain in the film where the coating has pulled away locally.

A coating adhesion test in which a lattice pattern is cut through the film and the coating's retention is assessed.

The development of the final chemical or physical properties of a coating after application.

A reactive component that chemically combines with a resin to form a cured coating film.

An additive used to destroy foam that forms during manufacture or application.

Mass per unit volume of a coating or raw material.

The temperature at which moisture begins to condense from air onto a surface.

Dry film thickness: the thickness of a coating after drying or curing.

A liquid used to reduce viscosity or adjust application properties without being the main solvent for the binder.

A coating designed to be applied directly to properly prepared metal without a separate conventional primer in some systems.

An additive that helps wet and stabilise pigments and extenders during dispersion.

The process of separating and distributing pigment or extender particles throughout the liquid phase of a coating.

A rough, powdery spray finish caused when droplets lose too much solvent or water before reaching the surface.

The time required for a coating to reach a defined stage of dryness.

The stage at which a coating can be lightly touched without paint transferring to the finger.

White crystalline salts that appear on masonry or concrete surfaces as moisture carries dissolved salts outward.

A flexible coating designed to accommodate movement and bridge small cracks.

A water-based coating in which the film-forming polymer is dispersed as fine particles in water.

A coating formulated to form a relatively hard, smooth and often higher-sheen finish.

A reactive resin system known for adhesion, chemical resistance and toughness.

A primer based on epoxy chemistry used where strong adhesion, barrier performance or corrosion protection is required.

A mineral or other particulate material added to a coating to modify properties and often reduce cost.

A coating formulated to withstand outdoor weathering, moisture and ultraviolet exposure.

Loss or change of colour during exposure.

A particulate raw material used to add body, fill voids or modify the mechanical and application properties of a coating or repair compound.

The process by which a liquid coating becomes a continuous solid or semi-solid film.

The thickness of a coating layer, measured wet or dry depending on the stage of application.

The lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapour to form an ignitable mixture under defined test conditions.

A waiting period that allows volatile material to leave a coating layer before another coat, bake or processing step.

A low-sheen coating designed to minimise reflected light.

The ability of a coating to bend or move with a substrate without cracking or losing adhesion.

The loose association of pigment particles into clusters after dispersion.

The ability of a wet coating to move and smooth out after application.

Gas bubbles generated in a liquid coating during mixing, pumping or application.

An additive used to help protect a coating or painted surface against fungal growth.

Steel protected by a zinc coating applied by galvanising.

The degree to which a surface reflects light in a specular direction.

The ability of a coating to maintain its sheen during ageing and exposure.

Mechanical processing used to reduce pigment agglomerates and achieve the required dispersion.

The reactive second component in many two-pack coatings.

The resistance of a coating to indentation, scratching or deformation.

The ability of a coating to obscure the colour or contrast of the surface beneath it.

A coating designed to achieve a relatively thick dry film in one or a small number of coats.

A mixer using a high-speed disc to wet out and disperse pigments and extenders.

The ability of a coating to remain at the surface rather than soak excessively into the substrate.

The amount of water vapour present in the air.

A waiting period required after mixing certain multi-component coatings before application.

A primer containing pigments or chemistry intended to slow corrosion reactions at a metal surface.

The bond between one coating layer and the next.

A coating formulated primarily for indoor walls, ceilings or other interior surfaces.

A family of durable inorganic pigments widely used in primers and coloured coatings.

A reactive chemical group commonly used in polyurethane curing agents.

A viscosity unit commonly used for architectural paints and measured with a Stormer-type viscometer.

A fast-drying coating that forms film mainly by solvent evaporation rather than oxidative or two-pack chemical cure.

A common name for water-based paint made with a polymer dispersion.

The ability of a wet coating to smooth out brush marks, roller texture or spray pattern before it sets.

The resistance of a pigment or coloured coating to colour change caused by light exposure.

An alkyd resin with a relatively high proportion of oil or fatty acid modification.

A coating with a sheen level between flat/matt and higher-sheen finishes.

Resistance to visible surface marks caused by rubbing, handling or light abrasion.

A coating formulated for low specular reflection and a non-shiny appearance.

A solvent-rub test used to assess the degree of cure of some chemically resistant coatings.

A plate-like mineral extender used to influence barrier properties, reinforcement and texture.

A micrometre, equal to one thousandth of a millimetre, commonly used to express coating film thickness.

An additive used to help protect dried coatings against mildew or fungal growth.

The concentrated pigment-dispersion stage of a paint before final let-down.

The lowest temperature at which a polymer dispersion can form a continuous film under defined conditions.

The specified proportion in which components of a multi-pack coating must be combined.

A pattern of wide cracks that resembles dried mud.

The ability of a coating to prevent the substrate from showing through.

A textured surface resembling the skin of an orange.

The period during which a coating can be recoated without additional surface treatment.

Spray droplets that do not land on the intended target area.

Drying by reaction of the binder with oxygen from the air.

A pigmented liquid, paste or powder product applied to a surface to form a decorative, protective or functional coating.

Loss of expected coating performance through defects such as peeling, cracking, corrosion, blistering or premature degradation.

A sequence of compatible coating layers designed to work together on a specific substrate and exposure.

Loss of adhesion causing a coating to detach from the substrate or an underlying layer.

A low-viscosity primer intended to penetrate and bind porous or friable surfaces.

A finely divided insoluble solid used to provide colour, opacity, corrosion protection or other properties.

The process of wetting, separating and stabilising pigment particles in the liquid coating medium.

The percentage of total dry film volume occupied by pigments and extenders rather than binder solids.

Very small holes or voids that remain in a coating film.

A primer used on new or porous plaster and related masonry surfaces before decorative topcoats.

An additive used to increase flexibility or reduce brittleness of a polymer film.

A resin containing ester linkages and used in several coating technologies.

A polymer system formed through reactions involving isocyanates and hydroxyl-functional materials or related polyurethane chemistry.

The usable time after the components of a reactive coating have been mixed.

A solvent-free coating applied as a dry powder and fused or cured on the substrate, usually by heat.

The first purpose-designed coating layer applied to a prepared substrate.

Pigment volume concentration, the volume percentage of pigment and extender in the dry non-volatile portion of a coating.

A hard silica mineral used in textured coatings, flooring and some filler systems.

The minimum or recommended time before another coat is applied.

A solvent blend used to adjust the viscosity, evaporation rate or spray characteristics of a coating.

A film-forming polymeric material used as a principal binder component in a coating.

The study and control of how a coating flows and deforms under different forces.

An additive used to control viscosity, flow, sag resistance, settling and application behaviour.

Small droplets thrown from a roller during application.

Iron oxide corrosion products formed when iron or steel reacts with oxygen and moisture.

A treatment intended to react with or stabilise residual rust before coating.

Downward movement of wet paint that produces runs, curtains or uneven film thickness.

An accelerated corrosion test in which coated panels are exposed to a controlled salt-fog environment.

Abrasive blast cleaning using a stream of abrasive media to remove rust, scale and contaminants and create surface profile.

The ability of a coating to withstand repeated wet scrubbing without excessive wear or film loss.

A coating used to reduce porosity, lock down a surface or prevent unwanted migration through later coats.

The downward separation of pigments or extenders during storage.

The visual level of surface reflection between very matt and high gloss.

A broad family of silicon dioxide materials used in coatings for matting, reinforcement, rheology and other functions.

Surface contamination by silicone or similar low-surface-energy materials that can cause severe wetting defects.

The percentage of a coating's mass remaining as non-volatile material after the volatile portion is removed under defined conditions.

The percentage of a liquid coating's volume that remains as dry film after volatiles leave.

A volatile liquid used to dissolve or carry binder components and adjust coating application properties.

The combined solvency and evaporation behaviour of a solvent blend.

Small craters or pinholes caused when trapped solvent escapes from a film that has begun to skin or cure.

The ratio of a material's density to the density of water at a defined reference condition.

The shape and distribution of droplets produced by spray equipment.

A thinner blend designed to adjust a coating for spray application.

The area that can theoretically or practically be coated by a given volume of paint.

The ability of a coating to resist visible marking or permanent discolouration from common contaminants.

A copolymer binder combining styrene and acrylic monomers.

The underlying surface to which a coating is applied.

The microscopic peak-and-valley texture of a prepared surface, especially after abrasive blasting.

The force at a liquid surface that influences wetting, flow and defect formation.

A drying stage at which the coating surface is no longer sticky under the defined test condition.

A soft lamellar magnesium silicate mineral used as an extender in coatings.

A liquid or blend added to reduce paint viscosity for application or equipment cleaning.

Time-dependent reduction in viscosity under shear followed by recovery when shear is removed.

A high-refractive-index white pigment used for opacity, whiteness and brightness.

The final visible coating layer in a multi-coat system.

A stage of drying at which light finger contact does not transfer wet paint.

The percentage of sprayed coating that actually reaches and remains on the target surface.

An intermediate coating used between primer and topcoat to build opacity, improve sanding or provide a uniform base.

The ability of a coating, binder or pigment to resist degradation caused by ultraviolet radiation.

The ability of a coating film to allow water vapour to pass through it.

A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow.

The fraction of a wet coating's volume that remains as dry film after volatile components leave.

The ability of a painted surface to withstand cleaning without unacceptable damage or appearance change.

The ability of a coating to resist softening, whitening, blistering or adhesion loss when exposed to water.

A coating in which water is the primary volatile carrier.

A coating formulated to reduce water ingress through a building surface.

The combined effect of sunlight, moisture, temperature and atmospheric exposure on a coating.

The period during which newly applied paint can be worked into an adjacent area without leaving a lap mark.

The thickness of a coating immediately after application while still wet.

A surface-active additive used to improve the contact of a liquid coating with pigments or substrates.

A rippled or shrivelled film surface caused by uneven drying or curing through the coating thickness.

An aromatic hydrocarbon solvent widely used in industrial and solvent-based coatings.

A shift toward yellow coloration during ageing or exposure.

An inhibitive anti-corrosive pigment widely used in primers for steel and other metals.

A primer containing a high level of metallic zinc intended to provide galvanic corrosion protection to steel.