GLOSSARY 

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D 

DADO PAPER

Wallcovering usually covering the lower part of a wall and generally ending at chair-rail height.  

DESCENT CONTROL

A descent control device works like a rope grab, but also has a mechanism that allows a worker who has fallen and is hanging from a lifeline to unlock the grabbing device and slowly descend to the ground or the surface below. 

DECORATIVE PAINTING

Architectural painting; aesthetic painting; painting for appearance rather than for protection.

DEHUMIDIFY

To reduce, by any process, the quantity of water vapour in the atmosphere within a given space. 

DELAMINATION

The separation of a coat or coats of paint from the previous coat or from the base substrate. 

DENSITY

Mass per unit volume. The density of paint is usually expressed as pounds per gallon. 

DETAIL SANDER

A power tool with a small, oscillating sanding pad attached to a handle for smoothing otherwise inaccessible corners and edges.  

DETERGENT

A synthetic organic cleaning agent that is liquid- or water-soluble and has wetting agent and emulsifying properties. 

DEW POINT

The temperature at which air becomes saturated with water, that is, when the air is at 100 percent relative humidity. Below this temperature, moisture will condense and produce dew or fog. As air is cooled, the amount of water vapour it can hold decreases. If air is cooled sufficiently, actual water vapour pressure equals saturation water vapour pressure, and any further cooling normally results in the condensation of moisture. 

DILUENT

A volatile liquid that is not a solvent for the none volatile parts of a coating, but that is used to lower viscosity and to give other desirable properties to the coating. 

DIMPLE

Impression in drywall board formed by the crowned head of a hammer without breaking the paper facing.  

DIP COATING

Method of applying a coating in which the substrate is dipped into a container of coating and then withdrawn. The excess coating that drains off can be collected and recycled. This method is used in factories to coat small, difficult to paint, or fabricated assemblies. 

DISBONDING

Intercoat disbonding is the failure of a coating to adhere to a previous coating layer or to the substrate to which it has been applied. Intracoat disbonding is the failure of a coating layer to cohere or hold itself together. 

DISC SANDER

A power tool that uses a revolving, flat, circular, abrasive disc to remove heavy coatings and other contaminants from the surface. 

DISCOLOURATION

Change in the colour of a coating after application, normally caused by exposure to sunlight or chemical atmospheres.  

DISPERSION

Process of dispersing a dry powder or pigments in a liquid medium in such a way that the individual particles become separated from one another and are reasonably evenly distributed throughout the entire liquid medium. This usually is accomplished by rapid, high-shear mixing or agitation. 

DISPERSION AGENT

Additive used in paint to increase the stability of a suspension of powder or pigment in a liquid medium (vehicle). 

DOUBLE CUT SEAM

A double cut seam is made by overlapping two strips of wallcovering, then cutting through both strips at the same time, and removing the overlapping and under-lapping pieces. 

DOUBLE ROLL

A roll of wallcovering containing the surface area equivalent of two single rolls. 

DRAG

The resistance of paint to being spread by a brush. Paint with a lot of drag is hard to work with a brush. 

DRIER

Compound of certain metals that accelerates the drying action of oil-based paints and varnishes. Most of these are solutions of metallic soaps in oils and volatile solvents. 

DROP

A vertical descent of a scaffold. 

DROP CLOTH

A large piece of fabric or plastic used by a painter to protect furniture, rugs, and other articles from damage; also used over bushes and shrubs. 

DRY AIR

Air containing a level of water vapour that is significantly below (40 percent or more) its maximum concentration for the prevailing temperature and pressure. 

DRY COLOURS

Powder-type colours to be mixed with water, alcohol or mineral spirits and resin to form a paint or stain. 

DRY FALL/FOG COATING

A coating specially formulated with a solvent system that will evaporate after spray application in the time required for over-spray to freely fall 9 to 13 feet. These coatings are designed for application to interior or exterior surfaces where over-spray or contamination from paint fallout can become a problem. 

DRY FILM THICKNESS

Thickness of applied coating when dry; expressed in mils. 

DRYING OIL

An oil that can readily take oxygen from the air and change to a relatively hard, tough, elastic substance when exposed to air in a thin film. Vegetable oils that are drying oils used in paints include linseed, tung, soybean, dehydrated caster, and oiticica oils. 

DRYING TIME

Time required for an applied film of a coating to reach the desired stage of cure, hardness, or none tackiness. 

DRY SPRAY

A rough, powdery, non-coherent film produced when an atomised coating partially dries before reaching the intended surface.

DRY-TO-HANDLE TIME

The drying time needed for a film of paint or varnish to harden sufficiently so that is can be handled without marring. 

DRY-TO-RECOAT TIME

The drying time required between the applications of successive coats of paint or varnish.  

DRY-TO-TOUCH TIME

The drying time needed for a film of paint or varnish to harden sufficiently so that it is tack free when touched lightly. 

DRYWALL

A generic term referring to various types of gypsum wallboards that are assembled to form a complete wall product.  

DRYWALL NAIL

Nail specially coated with cement or made with concentric rings and grooves for securely attaching drywall panels to framing. 

DRYWALL TYPES

In addition to regular drywall, which is suitable for most uses, the following other types of panels are available:

  • WATER- RESISTANT DRYWALL - A drywall made for use as tile backing in high-moisture areas, such as kitchens and baths.
  • FOIL-BACKED DRYWALL - A drywall designed to form a vapour barrier when the foil side faces the framing.
  • TYPE X DRYWALL - A drywall that is treated to be more fire-retardant than regular drywall.
  • EXTERIOR SOFFIT DRYWALL - A drywall made for eaves, soffit, ceilings of porches or patios, and other exterior areas not directly exposed to weather.
  • PREDECORATED DRYWALL - A drywall that has paint or wallcovering applied during the manufacturing process.
  • BACKING BOARD - A drywall designed for use as a base layer for multiply constructions.
 

DULL FINISH

Paint having almost a dead flat finish. 

DULL RUBBING

Act of rubbing a dried film of finishing material to a dull finish, usually with abrasive materials such as pumice, rottenstone, or steel wool moistened with oil or water.  

DUST FREE

A film of paint is "dust free" when dust no longer adheres to it.

DUTCH METAL

Thin leaves of bright brass used for overlaying in the same manner in which gold leaf is applied. 

DWELL TIME

The time that a blasting nozzle remains pointed at any spot on the surface being cleaned. Loose contaminants and paint require a shorter dwell time to remove than tightly adherent materials.  

DYE

A material used for dyeing or staining, usually dissolved in oil, water, or alcohol.