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Glossary

This is a brief list of terms used on our site which describe or are related to decorative painting or our services.

antiqued mirrors – mirrors that have been treated by chemicals or abrasives in order to give the appearance of age, characterized by small dark spots, streaks, or delamination.

antiquing – giving an appearance of age to an object or surface by deliberately abrading or marring.

architectural gilding – decoration by applying gold or metal leaf to elements of architecture, such as cornices, baseboards, or chair rails.

carved glass – ornamental glass created by sandblasting, which is a stream of sand projected by compressed air that cuts into or carves the glass into designs; usually creates a translucent or frosted effect on normally clear glass.

decorative painting - applying color, pigment, or paint to any surface for purely ornamental purposes.

distressing – marring an object or surface deliberately to give an effect of age.

encaustic – a paint made from pigment mixed with melted beeswax and/or resin, often applied to walls by means of a trowel in order to create a mottled or gradated effect of colors.

engrave - to form by incision, as on wood, metal or gold leaf, using a sharp pointed tool.

faux – from French, meaning false.

faux finish – “faux” comes from French, meaning false; a decorative painting technique that imitates something, such as wood or marble, creating hence false wood or false marble.

filigree - ornamental openwork of delicate or intricate design.

gilding – to apply gold or metal leaf to a surface by means of adhesives.

glazing – applying a glaze, a transparent paint which allows overlays of color to produce a mottled textural effect.

gold leaf – an extremely thin sheet of gold that is used for gilding.

hand-silvering – creating a mirror by hand, as opposed to by machine, by pouring silver nitrate onto prepared glass.

Italian intarsia – a mosaic usually of marble or stone fitted into a support.

lining - marking with lines

marbleized – any surface that has been given a veined or mottled appearance such as real marble.

marbling – painting a surface to give a veined or mottled appearance such as real marble.

metal leaf – an extremely thin sheet of metal, such as bronze or aluminum, that is used for gilding.

mural – a design that is applied to and made integral with a wall or ceiling surface.

overgrained – woodgrained over real wood to augment, yet not completely camouflage, its original appearance.

painted furniture – furniture which is painted, especially as it pertains to ornamention by decorative painting techniques.

ragging – painting a surface by applying with a rag in order to create a mottled effect.

reverse painting – painting on the backside of glass for viewing on the front side which involves applying the image in reverse order, details and highlights applied first before midtones and shadows.

rosette - a disk of foliage or a floral design usually in relief used as a decorative motif.

stencilling – applying a pattern, design, or print that is produced by means of a stencil, an impervious material such as a sheet of paper, thin wax, or woven fabric, perforated with a design through which paint is forced onto a surface to be printed.

stippling – painting by small short touches with a brush or tool that together produce an even or softly graded shadow.

strié – word comes from French, meaning streaked; painting by dragging with a brush or tool in order to create lines or streaks.

trompe l’oeil – term comes from French and means, literally, deceive the eye; a style of painting in which objects are depicted with photographically realistic detail.

Venetian plaster - a pasty composition, such as of lime, water, and sand, that hardens on drying and is used for coating surfaces such as walls, ceilings, and partitions, creating a mottled or gradated effect of colors.

verre églomisé – reverse glass gilding, term comes from French meaning glass gilded on the backside with gold or metal leaf by means of a gelatin adhesive, which produces a clear, mirror-like, reflective result, in which designs are engraved. While this technique is an ancient one and dates back to pre-Roman times, its name derives from Jean-Baptise Glomy, an 18th century French decorator who popularized its use.

vignette – an image that shades off gradually into the surrounding surface.

woodgraining – painting a surface to give the veined and flecked appearance of real wood.