Glossary - B
Backputty
The layer of putty which is put first in the sash bar before inserting the glass.
Baluster
A column in a balustrade used to describe the posts supporting a handrail. See also 'banister'.
Banister
The posts supporting a handrail on a staircase. If turned in the form of ornamental columns they are more correctly termed 'balusters'.
Barge board
The board at the top of a gable where the wall meets the rough edge. Also called a parge board.
Base
The bottom of a wall or column.
Batten
A strip of wood, usually pine or fir, and between two and nine inches wide but less than nine inches.
Bay
Any part of a building cut off by timbers, buttresses, beams, etc. Especially used for sections of roof or floor between beams or arches.
Bead
Correctly refers to any small moulding in the form of beads on a string but is commonly used to describe small mouldings of other designs.
Beam
Any horizontal structure usually supported at each end. The term is therefore used to describe horizontal projection, whether load-bearing or not.
Bed
The horizontal surface of a stone. Also used to describe the large flat areas of a ceiling between beams.
Binder
The binder cements the pigment particles into a uniform paint film and makes the paint adhere to the surface. The nature and amount of binder determine most of the paint's performance properties such as washability, toughness, adhesion and colour retention.
Bittiness
A description applied to paint coatings that exhibit bits of skin or other extraneous matter.
Bituminous paint
Dark-coloured paints or coatings based on natural bitumens dissolved in organic solvents. They can include paints containing petroleum asphalt but are not generally used to those based completely upon coal-tar.
Blasting
A method of pressure cleaning used to remove rust, millscale or paint coatings in poor condition using grit or water under pressure.
Bleaching
Loss of colour usually caused by exposure to sunlight.
Bleeding
Soluble matter leeching out from a substrate or previous coating, causing discolouration of fresh paint, e.g. bitumen bleed or nicotine staining.
Blistering
A 'swelling' of the paint film into the form of blisters often caused by resinous exudation from timber or moisture in the substrate.
Blistering
The formation of dome-shaped hollow projections on paint often caused by heat or moisture.
Blooming
A greyish milky-coloured 'haze' appearing on the surface of the paint film usually caused by moisture attack during drying.
Body
The apparent viscosity of a paint, especially in relation to its appearance and behaviour in the container and during application. A high-viscosity paint may be termed 'full-bodied'. It can also be used to describe the 'build', or coat-thickness, of an applied coat.
Bond
The system whereby stones or bricks are laid in over-lapped courses so that vertical joints in one course do not coincide with those in the next.
Bottom rail
The lowest horizontal member of a framed door.
Box gutter
Usually a wooden gutter lined with sheet-lead, zinc or asphalt used in roof valleys or parapets.
Breeze-block
A building block made from cement and ashes or coke which is used mainly for internal walls.
Bridging
Where a paint film appears to be in continuous contact with a surface but is in reality not in contact at some points, i.e. by spanning or bridging over open cracks with a thick coat of paint.
Bringing forward
This term is used to describe the preparation and spot priming or other painting which is required to bring repaired or bare surfaces to match the adjacent paintwork so that subsequent painting results in even appearance.
Broken colour
A multi-coloured effect obtained usually by the merging of wet paints of different colours during application.
Bronze paint
Descriptive of metallic paints composed of copper-bronze or tinted aluminium powder in a clear medium. So-called gold paints are in fact of this type and the term bronze or gold-bronze is used to describe the whole range, irrespective of colour.
Bronzing
A metallic lustre or iridescent 'bloom' that may develop on full-coloured paints based on certain pigments, e.g. Prussian and phthalocyanine blues.
Brunswick black
A black varnish, usually a solution of asphalturn.
Brunswick green
A green obtained from a mixture of Chrome yellow and Prussian Blue.
Build
The actual or apparent thickness of a dried film of paint.
Burning off
The removal of paint by means of heat applied to the surface by means of a blow-lamp.
Butt
A joint formed between two squared ends which come together but do not overlap. Also used for 'butt hinge' and refers to the type of hinge commonly used for doors and casements.
Blistering of paint on plaster
Blistering can occur on plaster if you overcoat solvent-based paints such as gloss or eggshell with a conventional emulsion in an area that suffers from high levels of condensation.
To resolve the problem, scrape back the blistered paint until you have a firm edge, feather lightly with abrasive paper and dust off. Now spot, prime and bring forward any bare areas with Dulux Primer Sealer, using Dulux Alkali Resisting Primer on friable surfaces. Finally, repaint the surface using a thinned first coat of water-based Dulux Trade Quick Drying Eggshell followed by one or two full coats.
Bleeding
Common causes of bleeding from the surface below include old wallcoverings, bituminous paint and creosoted surfaces, so these should be completely removed before painting. If this is not possible apply one or, in severe cases, two coats of Dulux Aluminium Wood Primer. New creosote or bituminous materials must be aged for at least 12 months before painting. For staining by metallic inks in wallcoverings or felt tip pens, the surface should be touched in locally with Dulux Alkali Resisting Primer.
Blooming
This greyish, milky-coloured 'haze' on the surface of the paint film is usually caused by moisture attack during drying. Thoroughly clean down the surface to remove all dirt, grease and surface contaminants, then rub down with a suitable abrasive and dust off prior to re-applying paint.
Bronzing
Full coloured paints based on certain pigments, such as Prussian and phthalocyanine blues, can produce a metallic lustre. To cure this irridescent effect, thoroughly clean down the surface to remove all dirt, grease and surface contaminants, then rub down with a suitable abrasive and dust off before repainting.
Brush disturbance/floating/flooding
When pigments have been disturbed in this way, wait until the paint is completely dry. Thoroughly clean down the surface to remove all dirt, grease and surface contaminants, rub down with a suitable abrasive and dust off, then reapply paint.
Bubbling/aeration/floating
There's only one way to cure this problem. Thoroughly clean down the surface to remove all dirt, grease and surface contaminants. Then carefully scrape back any areas of poorly adhering or bubbled coating to a firm edge. Rub down to 'feather' any broken edges, dust off, and reapply paint