Glossary - H
Hair cracks
This usually refers to very fine cracks which occur in plaster or cement rendered walls and which are often not seen until the surface is being painted. These cracks are too fine to 'fill' and the only remedy is to apply lining paper. On external walls the use of an aggregate type coating will often give satisfactory results.
Hard dry
This term is normally used to denote that the paint has dried without 'tack' or 'softness'. In the case of primer or undercoat a hard dry surface is one which can be rubbed down without undue clogging of the abrasive paper and which can be safely overcoated.
Hard gloss paint
General term for an oil-varnish bound paint originally used to distinguish such paints from those based solely on a drying oil.
Hard stopper
A drying or setting material which is sufficiently stiff to stop up open joints and holes in timber without sagging and which will not shrink when set. Usually applied with a putty knife or small trowel. Bare surface should be primed before applying a hard stopper.
Hard stopping
A material in stiff paste form usually applied by knife to fill deep indentations cracks or joints in a painted surface. It dries hard through and should not be confused with ordinary putty.
Hardboard
Hard-pressed fibre building board.
Hardwood
Wood from a tree of the botanical group of trees that are broadleaved and usually deciduous. The term has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood.
Header
A stone or brick laid across the thickness of the wall. On the face of the brickwork only the end of the header is visible. Opposite to 'stretcher'.
Heartwood
Inner zone of wood that in a growing tree has ceased to contain living cells. It is usually more durable than the outer zone of sapwood.
Heavy body
See 'body'
Hiding power
The ability of paint to hide or obscure a surface colour of stain over which it has been uniformly applied. Hiding power is provided by the paint's pigment
Holidays
A term used to define a small area missed during the application of a paint coating e.g. where during application of a gloss paint a small area of undercoat is left unpainted.
Hot surface
In the painting sense this denotes a highly absorbent surface which tends to take up the liquid content of paint very rapidly.
Hue
The attribute of a colour that determines whether it is red yellow green blue purple etc.
Hungry
Almost a synonym for 'hot' and indicates a porous surface that quickly absorbs paint applied to it. It is also sometimes used to describe the appearance of a paint film that has been affected by the excessive porosity of the surface beneath - hence is applied to any thin coating with poor 'build'. Alternatively the term 'starved' may be used.