Painting glossary
Definitions kept under forty words, because a definition that needs a paragraph is an article.
- LRV (Light Reflectance Value)
- The percentage of visible light a surface reflects, from 0 (absorbs all) to 100 (reflects all).
- Undertone
- The faint hue bias inside a near-neutral colour, which becomes visible when it sits next to another colour.
- Sheen
- How much light a dried paint film reflects, from flat through eggshell, satin and semi-gloss to gloss.
- Cutting in
- Brushing a band of paint along edges a roller cannot reach — ceiling lines, corners and trim.
- Flashing
- A visible difference in sheen or colour where brushed and rolled paint meet, or where the surface absorbed unevenly.
- Greige
- A grey warm enough to read as beige in some light — the low-chroma warm band between the two families.
- RRP Rule
- The EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, 40 CFR Part 745, governing paid work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 buildings.
- TDS (Technical Data Sheet)
- The manufacturer document giving a specific product's coverage, dry time, recoat time and application limits.