Glossary
The vocabulary of paint, explained
Matt, eggshell, satin, gloss; emulsion, multi-surface; sheen, coverage, washability, VOCs, primer. A short, factual definition of every word you meet when choosing a paint — and, for the seven Mylands finishes, the figures that go with them.
Glossary updated September 2026
- Breathable (vapour-permeable) respirante
- A paint whose film lets water vapour through, so the wall can release its moisture instead of trapping it. Essential on old masonry, plaster and lime. Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion and Masonry Paint are breathable.
- Class 1 (wet-scrub resistance, EN 13300) classe 1
- The European standard EN 13300 classes interior wall paints by their resistance to wet scrubbing, from class 5 (the most fragile) to class 1, the best. Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion is class 1: a deep matt that can be washed and gently scrubbed without burnishing.
- Coat (number of coats) couche
- One pass of paint over the whole surface. Allow two coats of finish for a true colour and a durable film; a third on bare, unprimed surfaces, for some very saturated reds and yellows, or when covering a strongly contrasting shade. Respect the recoat time between coats.
- Colour card nuancier
- The document showing every colour in a range, with swatches painted in real paint — the starting point of any project. At Mylands it is free; the digital colour card also shows every shade on screen, with room photographs.
- Colour drenching immersion couleur
- Painting a whole room — walls, ceiling, woodwork, radiators, sometimes furniture — in a single shade, without a break. It calms and enlarges. It calls for a matt multi-surface finish: at Mylands, Multi-Surface Dead Matt (≈ 5%), which goes from wall to door without changing tin.
- Coverage (m²/L) rendement
- The area one litre covers in one coat on a smooth, primed surface. Marble Matt Emulsion: up to 15 m²/L; multi-surface finishes: ≈ 12 m²/L. It is the figure that turns a tin price into a price per square metre — see Mylands paint prices and the calculator.
- Crushed Carrara marble marbre de Carrare
- A mineral filler in Mylands emulsions — sourced from the offcuts of the stone industry — for a denser, tougher film with a mineral feel. It gives Marble Matt Emulsion its name and its texture.
- Eggshell coquille d'œuf
- A lightly satin finish of about 15–20% sheen depending on the maker — the look of an eggshell. The balance between the softness of matt and the toughness of satin. At Mylands: Multi-Surface Eggshell (≈ 15%), moisture-resistant, for kitchens, bathrooms and woodwork, inside and out.
- Emulsion émulsion
- The traditional British name for water-based wall paint: binder particles suspended in water. Marble Matt Emulsion is Mylands' signature wall paint — flat matt (3% sheen), loaded with crushed Carrara marble, breathable, class 1 washable, up to 15 m²/L.
- Flat matt (2–3% sheen) très mat
- The bottom of the sheen scale: a chalky surface with almost no reflection, the matt of old. Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion is given as 3%; Multi-Surface Dead Matt about 5%. See matt.
- Floor paint peinture de sol
- A finish toughened for footfall, dragged chairs and dogs' paws, on wooden floors, boards and stairs. Mylands Decorative Floor Satin is mid sheen; it is not suitable for concrete floors and needs primer and drying time before use (24 h before light use).
- Gloss (high gloss, lacquered) brillant
- A high-sheen finish, deep as a mirror, the most resistant to knocks, washing and weather. It demands flawless preparation: gloss forgives nothing. At Mylands: Multi-Surface Gloss, for front doors, radiators, ironwork and exterior woodwork.
- Hiding power (opacity) pouvoir couvrant
- A coat's ability to mask the colour underneath. It depends on the pigment load and the titanium white: high hiding power means fewer coats. Not to be confused with coverage, which measures the area a litre covers.
- LRV (light reflectance value) valeur de réflexion
- The percentage of visible light a colour bounces back, from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (perfect white). An off-white often sits above 80, a mid grey around 40, a navy below 10. Useful for predicting how bright a room will feel; not to be confused with sheen, which depends on the finish, not the colour.
- Masonry paint peinture de façade
- A breathable exterior paint for render, brick and concrete, resistant to rain, frost, UV and mould: it lets masonry release its moisture. Mylands Masonry Paint is flat matt; it is not for limewash or lime renders.
- Matt (deep matt, ultra matt) mat
- A finish that absorbs light rather than reflecting it: ≈ 2–5% sheen. Matt hides the small irregularities of old walls and gives pigments their full depth. Once fragile, it is now washable: Marble Matt Emulsion (walls) and Multi-Surface Dead Matt (walls, wood, metal) at Mylands.
- Multi-surface paint multi-supports
- A finish formulated to go equally on walls, wood and metal, inside and out — one tin for the door, the skirting and the radiator. The Mylands range has four: Dead Matt, Eggshell, Satin and Gloss, over Multi-Surface Primer.
- Pigment pigment
- The colouring matter, a fine powder dispersed in the binder. Mylands grinds its colours from natural earths and minerals, generously dosed: the pigment load is what gives shades their depth under light and the film its hiding power.
- Primer (undercoat) apprêt, sous-couche
- The first coat on a new, porous, dark or repaired surface: it seals the substrate, evens out absorption and gives the paint its grip — and often saves a whole coat of finish. Mylands makes two: Wall Primer under the emulsions, Multi-Surface Primer under the wood, metal and floor finishes. Allow about 0.5 L of primer per 1 L of paint.
- Recoat time (drying time) temps de recouvrement
- The interval to respect between two coats, given on the tin. Marble Matt Emulsion: touch-dry in 1–2 h, recoat after 3–4 h. Multi-surface finishes and floor paint: touch-dry in 2–3 h, recoat after 3–4 h. Full curing of the film takes two to four weeks.
- Sample pot (tester) pot d'essai
- A small pot — 100 ml at Mylands, about 1.5 m² — to paint two or three patches and judge a shade at home, morning and evening, in your own light, before ordering your litres. Essential: an unopened tin can be returned within 30 days, but paint that has been started cannot.
- Satin satiné
- A mid-sheen finish with a silky light, tougher than eggshell: for hard-working joinery, doors, skirtings, banisters, and wet rooms. At Mylands: Multi-Surface Satin. On large walls it reflects more than you may want and shows more of the preparation.
- Sheen (sheen level) brillance
- The share of light a painted surface reflects, given as a percentage on product sheets. It defines the finish: flat matt (≈ 2–5%), eggshell (≈ 15–20%), satin (mid sheen), gloss (high). A useful rule: the higher the sheen, the tougher and more washable the surface — and the more it shows the flaws underneath.
- Tinted to order teinte à la commande
- Every Mylands tin is made and tinted at the moment of ordering, at the London manufactory, to the colour's archived recipe, then checked against its master. That is what guarantees a tin ordered today matches yesterday's — and what, in law, excludes tins of paint from the right of withdrawal; we take them back within 30 days all the same, as long as they are unopened.
- VOCs (volatile organic compounds) COV
- Substances that evaporate from paint during and after application — the "paint smell". European regulation caps their content (30 g/L for an interior matt wall paint). Mylands paints, formulated in water, are low in VOCs and meet the EN 71-3 toy standard. See Low-VOC, low-odour paint.
- Washable lessivable
- A paint that can be cleaned with a sponge and mild detergent, as opposed to "wipeable" (a damp cloth only). Washability is measured by the wet-scrub resistance class. Wait for the film to cure fully — two to four weeks — before any firm cleaning.
- Water-based paint (acrylic) peinture à l'eau
- A paint whose binder is dispersed in water rather than a solvent: discreet smell, fast drying, tools washed in water, low VOC content. Every Mylands decorative paint is water-based.
The seven Mylands finishes
The finishes, in one table
To place each finish on the sheen scale and know where to use it. The Find your finish guide details strengths, limits and ideal rooms, finish by finish.
| Finish | Sheen | Surfaces | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marble Matt Emulsion | Flat matt (3%) | Interior walls & ceilings | Up to 15 m²/L |
| Multi-Surface Dead Matt | ≈ 5% | Walls, wood, metal — in & out | ≈ 12 m²/L |
| Multi-Surface Eggshell | ≈ 15% | Walls, wood, metal — in & out | ≈ 12 m²/L |
| Multi-Surface Satin | Mid sheen | Wood & metal, walls — in/out | ≈ 12 m²/L |
| Multi-Surface Gloss | High gloss | Wood & metal — in & out | ≈ 12 m²/L |
| Decorative Floor Satin | Mid sheen | Interior wooden floors & stairs | ≈ 12 m²/L |
| Masonry Paint | Flat matt | Render, brick, concrete — exterior | Depends on the substrate |
"Knowing the words is already knowing what to ask of a wall."
