Plain English
Painting terms, explained
Every word on this page is one you might find on a painting quote, in a contract, or on your own wall. No jargon for its own sake — just what each term means and why it changes the job, from a licensed team that's painted San Diego homes since 2007.
01
Paint & materials
- VOCVolatile organic compoundLow-VOC paint
- A volatile organic compound is a solvent that evaporates out of paint as it cures, and it is the source of both the smell and the indoor air-quality concern. Low-VOC and zero-VOC paints cut that sharply without giving up washability, which is why a room finished with them is usually usable the same evening rather than needing to be aired out for days.Learn more
- SheenFlatEggshellSatinSemi-gloss
- Sheen is how much light a dried paint film reflects, running from flat through eggshell and satin to semi-gloss and gloss. Higher sheens clean more easily but show every imperfection in the surface underneath, which is why large flat walls are usually finished flatter and trim and doors are finished glossier.
- Elastomeric coating
- An elastomeric coating is a thick, flexible exterior film that stretches across hairline cracks instead of splitting with them. It suits stucco with established cracking, but it is not a default — applied over a wall with a moisture problem it traps water behind the film and makes the situation worse.Learn more
- PrimerBonding primerSpot priming
- Primer is a preparatory coat that makes the finish stick to the surface beneath it and stops stains bleeding through. A bonding primer is the version used on glossy, chalked or previously failed surfaces, and skipping it is the single most common reason a repaint peels within a year or two.
- Dry film thicknessMilsFilm build
- Dry film thickness is how thick the paint layer measures once cured, stated in mils (thousandths of an inch). It matters because a coating only delivers its rated durability at the thickness the manufacturer specifies — an over-thinned coat that looks fine going on is the quiet reason some exteriors fade years early.
02
Surface problems
- Chalking
- Chalking is the powdery residue that comes off an old exterior wall on your hand, caused by ultraviolet light breaking down the binder in the paint. It is the normal end of an exterior coating's life inland, and the wall has to be washed and usually bonding-primed before it will hold a new coat.
- Alligatoring
- Alligatoring is a pattern of wide cracks across a paint film that looks like reptile skin, caused by a hard coat applied over a softer or still-curing one. It cannot be fixed by recoating — the failed layers have to come off, because anything applied on top moves with them.
- Efflorescence
- Efflorescence is the white crystalline deposit that appears on masonry, stucco or block when moisture moves through the wall and carries salts to the surface. Painting over it fails every time; the moisture source has to be dealt with and the deposit removed before coating.
- Blistering
- Blistering is bubbles lifting under a paint film, caused by moisture or solvent trapped beneath it — typically painting over a damp surface, or sealing bare wood under an inflexible coating. The blistered area has to be opened, dried, primed and recoated rather than simply painted over.
- MildewMouldMold
- Mildew on paintwork is a biological growth that establishes inside the film rather than sitting on top of it, which is why washing removes what is visible and it returns. Shaded north-facing elevations and coastal marine layer are where it takes hold, and those walls need treating and priming with a mildew-resistant system before recoating.
- Hairline cracking
- Hairline cracking is the fine surface cracking common in stucco from the 1970s onward, appearing around windows, at corners and along expansion joints. Paint applied over a live crack telegraphs back through within a season or two, so the cracks are opened where needed, patched, sealed and primed first.
03
Preparation & process
- Cut-inCutting in
- Cutting in is painting the edges by hand — where wall meets ceiling, trim, or a different colour — because a roller or sprayer cannot reach them cleanly. The straightness of those lines is the most visible difference between professional and amateur interior work, and it is a skill rather than a product.
- Back-rolling
- Back-rolling is following a sprayer with a roller so the wet coating is worked into the surface texture rather than just laid on top of it. On stucco and other rough exteriors it is what gets paint into the low points, and skipping it produces a finish that looks covered but fails early in the hollows.
- Soft washingLow-pressure washing
- Soft washing cleans a surface with low pressure and the right cleaning solution instead of high-pressure force. It is the correct method for stucco, wood and older surfaces, where a rented high-pressure machine drives water behind the finish, opens cracks and strips out caulking.Learn more
- Feathering
- Feathering is sanding the edge of a patch or repair so it blends invisibly into the surrounding surface instead of leaving a visible ridge. Under strong natural light an unfeathered patch shows straight through the finish coat, which is why repairs are judged after priming rather than after painting.
- Skim coat
- A skim coat is a thin layer of joint compound spread across a whole wall to level it, rather than patching individual spots. It is the fix for walls left rough by wallpaper removal or years of repairs, and it is priced separately because it is a resurfacing job rather than preparation.Learn more
- CaulkingSealant
- Caulking is the flexible sealant filling the joints where two materials meet — around windows, along trim, at stucco control joints. It fails before the paint does, and hardened split caulk reads as dark lines across an otherwise sound wall, so it is cut out and replaced rather than painted over.
- Punch listFinal walkthrough
- A punch list is the short list of touch-ups agreed at the final walkthrough before a job is called finished. Asking for one is reasonable on any project — a contractor who will not walk the work with you at the end is the one to be careful of.
04
Licensing & compliance
- CSLB licence classificationC-33Contractor's licence
- A CSLB classification is the specific trade a California contractor is licensed to perform, with C-33 covering painting and decorating. It matters to a homeowner because advertising or performing work outside the classifications actually held is a violation of state law, and the licence number can be checked against the CSLB's public register in a minute.
- EPA Lead-Safe certificationRRP ruleLead-safe
- EPA Lead-Safe certification is required for contractors disturbing paint in housing built before 1978, under the federal Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. In practice it changes how preparation is carried out — contained work areas, wet sanding and a controlled cleanup — and a great deal of central San Diego's housing predates that line.
- Zone 0Ember-resistant zoneDefensible space
- Zone 0 is the first five feet around a structure in California's defensible-space rules, treated as the ember-resistant zone in high fire hazard areas. Painting does not change compliance, but that band is exactly where fascia, trim, decking and attached woodwork sit, so a repaint is the practical moment to review all of it.
- Coastal zone
- The coastal zone is the strip along the California shoreline where work beyond ordinary maintenance can require a Coastal Development Permit in addition to a building permit. Repainting is normally maintenance and is not caught by it, but a project that grows into replacing siding or altering the building's appearance can be.
- Certificate of insuranceCOI
- A certificate of insurance is the document proving a contractor's liability and workers' compensation cover is current, issued by their insurer rather than by them. Property managers and HOA boards normally require one naming the association, and any legitimate contractor can produce it on request.Learn more
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