We're four months into a major renovation project and the walls (at least) are finished, so we're getting our brains around painting them. So far, one wall is painted so that the radiator can be (more BrE) fitted (in AmE, I'd say installed) this week. I've marked the same space as 'same wall' on the 'before' picture, so you can see the difference, though it's a Ship-of-Theseus question whether it's the same wall...
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Because major renovations are not something I've done in any other country, I'm often not sure if the vocabulary I'm learning is (a) trade jargon that lay people don't generally know, (b) words I'd know if I were just a little bit handier, or (c) British words for things that Americans have different (or no) words for. Painting is something I have previous experience of, though, so I'm pretty sure I can make a whole week's worth of Twitter Differences of the Day (#DotD) out of them (#PaintWeek). So, I'm pre-loading the differences on this blog, but I reserve the right to add more painting differences to this post as the week goes on!
Decorating
When UK friends see the progress pictures I post on Facebook, many say "It's just the decorating now!" By (BrE) decorating they mean the painting, wallpapering and decorative tiling. They've been saying that for over a month even though we don't have (AmE) countertops/(BrE) worktops, a (BrE) hob/(AmE) range top, bathroom plumbing, or a (finished) kitchen floor and soon we'll be moving everything from the living room into the kitchen, so that another floor can be replaced. Other than the one wall painted so that the radiator can be plumbed in, decorating is mostly (AmE) a ways off yet. But my main point is: my American friends don't say "it's just the decorating now!" and I can't think of an exact AmE equivalent for BrE decorating in this sense.
Similarly, the person you hire to paint interior walls (or to wallpaper them) is a (BrE) decorator. In AmE, you'd call them a painter if they're painting. In AmE decorator is not the name of a manual-labo(u)r job, but a creative one—close to being an interior designer, but more focused on choosing lampshades and pictures for the walls than on . This art/design college site describes the difference between interior design and AmE interior decorating as:
Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building, while interior decorating is the furnishing or adorning of a space with decorative elements to achieve a certain aesthetic. In short, interior designers may decorate, but decorators do not design.
(In other words, interior designers are not very good at explaining what interior designers are, but they get paid a lot more than interior decorators.)
Paints and their finishes
The paint term you're most likely to find confusing if you move countries is the name for normal wall paint. In BrE it's emulsion and in AmE latex (paint) or just wall paint.
In terms of finishes (there's a chart below), the dullest one is matt in BrE but spelled matte in AmE, in a rare case of AmE spelling being longer than BrE. AmE also uses flat for this finish. Dulux (UK brand) has flat matt as a 'more velvety' kind of matt.
More popular than matt(e) in the US is eggshell, which is promoted as 'more washable'. You get this in the UK, but people seem to talk about it much less and buy matt paint more.
Both BrE & AmE have paints with satin finishes, though they may be more popular in UK—or there's the possibility that a meaning difference causes the different numbers in the two places, e.g. if UK satin has less sheen than a US satin or something like that. Then again, some of the number differences in the corpus table below may stem from people writing about such things more in the UK than the US. I remember when Peter Gabriel's song D.I.Y. came out in 1978 and Americans had to be told what the initialism meant. DIY is a national obsession in the UK.
A finish name I've seen in the UK and not the US is silk, "Dr Dulux" tells me that the term silk is used for woodwork paint, whereas satin is for (plaster) wall paint.
In AmE, I'd talk about paint finishes on wood in terms of gloss, a term well-used in BrE too. But it seems gloss finishes tend to be talked about in more hyphenated ways in AmE: semi-gloss, high-gloss.
(Note that the BrE 'matte finish' examples in the table are mostly about makeup, not wall paint.)
Plaster & paint
In both countries, this could be called a primer or priming coat too.
Colo(u)rs
A verb or two
And I've just noticed this relevant old Difference of the Day:
Diff o/t Day: AmE tends to use 'pry' where BrE tends to use 'prise' (e.g. getting a lid off a paint can/tin). Old post: http://t.co/uZWY7mH4
— Lynne Murphy (@lynneguist) February 3, 2012
Posts
In this context, I would also mention the AmE word "remodelling". As best as I can recall, the closest equivalent in BrE might be "renovation". In AmE, however, "remodelling" seems to cover anything from just painting to complete demolition and rebuilding. "Renovation" in BrE is (I think) always more than "redecorating".
ReplyDeleteLocal variation on "plaster". I live near Sante Fe now, and "plaster" here covers a variety of different materials. As a result, you will see "diamond plastering" and "diamond plaster" in connection with contractors, which I believe is to differentiate real plaster from applying anything else vaguely similar (e.g. adobe mud, or even stucco which to many homeowners may seem similar).
Oil-based (wall/trim) paints have mostly gone away in the US at this point, but for decorating purposes they seem to be termed "Alkyd paint" in AmE, versus "oil paint" or "gloss enamel" in BrE.
Thanks, I've been seeing 'alkyd' on US sites today and didn't know what that meant. I might add it to the post later...
DeleteI agree about renovation vs redecoration in BrE, when it's on a home.
DeleteBusinesses seem to be more likely to talk about "renovations" even when all they're doing is redecorating, but I think this is a deliberate attempt to make it seem more significant than it is.
Related to the BrE 'Renovation' is one of my favourite Australianisms - over there it's frequently shortened to 'Reno'
Delete"Contractor" is another North American-specific word, isn't it? I think in the UK and Ireland it would be just "workers", "labourers", "handymen", etc. — or indeed the "painters" and "decorators" discussed in the post! And Americans pronounce "contractor" with the stress on the first syllable.
Delete@Ian, hadn't known that "contractor" was more common in AmE. But there's a nuance here. MW Unabridged defines "contractor (3)" as ": one who contracts on predetermined terms to provide labor and materials and to be responsible for the performance of a construction job in accordance with established specifications or plans — called also building contractor." To the extent it applies to workers, it's because they're working for a contractor (or a sub, eg for painting, electrical, etc.) -- meaning it's a big job. If I just hire an electrician or a handyman, that's what I'd call them; even if I literally have a written contract with them, "contractor" would sound a bit grandiose in the small-job context.
DeleteOh why, oh why won't it let me click "notify me" to be able to read all the comments on this post? I really don't want to have to subscribe to every post to get the comments.....
ReplyDeleteA warning: don't use matt/matte/flat paint on in kitchens, bathrooms (AmE), or children's rooms, as you can't clean it. Satin will work, but semi-gloss (AmE?) is better.
ReplyDeleteAlkyd paints in the US are an alternative to oil paints -- they are water-based, so much easier for clean-up, but they produce a much better gloss or semi-gloss finish than latex paints.
ReplyDeleteI saw the tweets about 'mist coat' -- not a term I recognize. I have done a fair amount of plastering and skim-coating (this is in the US) and I just use a general purpose primer (undiluted). I don't know if there is some compositional difference between UK and US plaster that would necessitate different treatments.
"Conventional alkyd paints dry by solvent evaporation and cure by oxidation in approximately five days to a hard, glossy finish that is simply unmatched by latex paints. This makes alkyds well-suited for interior trim, doors, cabinets and other high-use areas that require smooth durability. When you brush alkyd paint onto a handrail or kitchen cabinet, it can look like it was sprayed.
DeleteConventional alkyds use petroleum-based solvents and have higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They also involve a more difficult cleanup that requires paint thinner. There is a product that puts the best of both conventional alkyds and waterborne-alkyds in practice as the new gold standard for the pro painter. "
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/contractors/job-solutions/project-advice/alkyd-paint
You're right - I was thinking of urethane alkyds, which are widely used. Solvent-based alkyds are not so common, in my experience.
DeleteAlkyds use more volatile solvents than old-fashioned oil-based paints, which as you say are rare these days.
Also, I share your perplexity at trying to translate BrE 'decorating' into AmE. I think most USians would be more specific in describing what's left to be done. Eg the cabinets have been installed but we are waiting for the countertops, and the painting and trim will be finished after that.
ReplyDelete“Decorate” to me (US) means moving furniture and art around or getting new ones, whereas the type of work shown in the photos looks like “renovation.”
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that I would only use “remodel” to refer to a kitchen renovation in which old models of appliances such a refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers are replaced with new ones, in addition to replacing sinks and cabinets.
My point is that the work shown in the photos seems like a “renovation” and probably a “remodel” but certainly not a “decoration” or “redecoration” to me.
I believe that in the UK lingo, you can:
Delete* redecorate without doing any renovations
* carry out a renovation, which will finish with the decorating
By contrast, in the US, you "remodel", unless you're literally doing nothing but painting and don't want to make it sound like more than it is :)
Brits wouldn't call the right-hand picture 'decoration' either. Decoration is what you do once the new walls, doors etc. are in place.
DeleteA couple of things that stand out to me as a Brit:
ReplyDelete• I've never heard of a "mist coat". If you're painting it on plaster, it's a primer; on wood it's an undercoat.
• You wrote that "Americans rarely deal with fresh plaster walls these days, mostly using (AmE) drywall". This puzzles me. My understanding was that drywall is what in BrE is known as plasterboard, which in all cases needs a layer of plaster to be applied on top of it (in a process known as skimming). So even if you use plasterboard/drywall, the need for fresh plaster is not obviated.
I agree. I have never heard of a "mist coat" either. Maybe it's just something Lynne's husband made up?
DeleteOn a "dry-lined" or plasterboard wall, we would have what we call a "skim" - a very thin layer of wet plaster to give it that smoooooth finish and cover up the joins and nails. Ceilings are also skimmed.
Upon further investigation, whether or not drywall/plasterboard should be skimmed with wet plaster seems to be a matter of debate. See, for example, here: https://community.screwfix.com/threads/does-drywall-plasterboard-need-to-be-skimmed.173620/
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDrywall (US) doesn't need a skim coat. After you've installed it, you go over the joints between sheet, plus screw/nail heads, with joint compound. The bare drywall surface can be primed directly.
ReplyDeleteIf that's so, then it's puzzling that Lynne listed "plasterboard" as the BrE equivalent to drywall. Also, Simon (next comment after yours) seems to disagree with you.
DeleteIt's not clear whether Simon is from the US or the UK. No doubt you can skim drywall if you like, but it seems like a lot of work for no strong reason. It's certainly not routine practice in the US.
DeleteThere is a variety of (UK) plasterboard known as tapered edge which is designed to be used like drywall board, that is to say it only required a small strip of finish plaster along the joint and the whole surface then has paint directly applied to it. Ideally the virgin surface should be primed (as should raw plaster) with a mist coat of thin paint or a PVA solution.
DeleteWouldn’t that be a primer? Depending on the color you may need a primer coat first.
DeleteHigh end construction will sometimes add a plaster skim coat over drywall.
DeleteHere in Sante Fe, it's very definitely a "look". It originates with the use of plaster over adobe, but even in stick-built houses here, if the builder/owner wants that "Sante Fe" look, they will plaster over the drywall.
I love your "mist/missed coat" story. That's hysterical. Sounds like it could be the basis for a Laurel & Hardy sketch!
ReplyDeleteAt $110/USgal, Farrow&Ball is more expensive in the US, as that works out at £22.17 per litre. Here, B&Q sell 2.4l for £49.50, which is only £19.80/l. Still way more expensive than the other well-known leading brand at £12.80/l
ReplyDeleteAha! Here is a page from a US hardware chain that says there is a difference between drywall and plasterboard -- in short, the latter is meant to be skimmed, the former not.
ReplyDeletethis was meant to be a reply to the comments above, but the reply function evidently didn't work right (cannot possibly be user error on my part, of course).
DeleteMystery solved :-)
DeleteAs a UK amateur decorator I can confirm mist coat is a well known term for a dilute sealing coat on new plaster. Just search online for 'mist coat' and you'll find lots of references. I'm still not sure what the difference is between plasterboard and drywall. We had a room with wallpaper glued directly to plasterboard and it's almost impossible to remove as any steam or soaking the wallpaper with water to scrape it off damages the plasterboard. It this a problem with drywall?
DeleteDrywall is also known as sheetrock in the US, at least in certain areas.
Delete@Anonymous: wallpaper is vastly less common in the US than in the UK. It's not unheard of, but I can't think of more than a couple of houses I've been in anywhere in the US that had it, unless they were historical preservations (which would have had plaster walls)
DeleteI could be a bit behind the times, but I think there may be a difference between what 'swatch' conceptually is assumed to mean in the two countries. Looking it up in a dictionary I got,
ReplyDelete"a small sample of fabric intended to demonstrate the look of a larger piece: colour swatches.
- a collection of fabric samples, especially in the form of a book.
- a sample of paint, make-up, etc. applied to a surface or one's skin to test or demonstrate the colour: "
I think as a BrEnglish speaker I'd assume the essence of what swatches are, are the little strips of cloth as in the first meaning. Using the word to describe samples provided in some other format makes sense but is metaphorical.
From what Lynne has said, it sounds as though in USEnglish, it may be that the second meaning might be the primary one, i.e. visual samples set out in any way that enables one to sample or compare them visually, of which the little strips of cloth is just an example.
Forgot to leave myself a comment-catching comment. Alas, Blogger...
ReplyDeleteDo carry on without me, though, I'm having an overwhelming work week!
For anyone who hasn't bothered to watch that Saturday Night Live sketch, I urge you to do so ... it's very funny indeed.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoyed the "color/colour" business.
As someone who makes a point of pronouncing "color" as "colore" when I see it spelt the American way, it's most amusing to see it from the other perspective.
To me, as probably an insanely bigoted and prejudiced person, the word 'color' seems to imply a rather brash primary colour, possibly even day-glo, as opposed to 'colour', which encompasses all the subtlety of the gamut found in nature. Sorry, I can't help it ;-) When I was a lad, American spelling was quite rare in printed material.
DeleteWith apologies to Lynne (this is meant to be a language blog, not a home reno blog), I am still somewhat mystified by the mist coat. As I said above, in US it's standard to put a coat of plain, undiluted, general-purpose primer on drywall, joint compound, or new plaster (at least this is what I've always done, with no problems). You can buy 'drywall primer' with (presumably) a slightly different formulation, but I've never seen the need to use it.
ReplyDeleteSo my question is: why do DIYers in the UK use a mist coat of diluted paint rather than primer? What is the rationale?
My experience of painting fresh plaster is that it is wildly different to drywall. The standard primers that I would use on drywall work, but not as well as they would on drywall.
DeleteAnother possibility might just be that the widespread use of actual plaster in the UK meant that there was never a need to develop a new technique as there was in the US when drywall become the dominant wall material. After all, a literal mist coat won't do much as a primer for drywall at all. Then it turned out that the new drywall primers worked ok on plaster too, and US practice shifted towards using primer for everything.
Also: re the difference between drywall and plasterboard ... several contractors that I've watched and or know will often just use regular drywall but paint a layer of "render" onto drywall before plastering. This takes the place of the "highly absorbent face surface" that blue pasterboard has, and means you can just use regular drywall (easier to find, cheaper).
And about paint: You know that in the UK, if a process is really tedious and boring, we describe it as 'like watching paint dry'
ReplyDeleteSame in US?
Definitely, IME. Or watching grass grow.
DeleteEggshell vs matt finish. I think they are marketed differently in UK: eggshell in the trade range, and matt in the DIY range. May be why matt is spoken of more
ReplyDeleteI'm English and I would have spelt the paint finish "matte", rather than "matt".
ReplyDeleteI suspect the British spelling may have changed since the last time I did any serious decorating, which would have been in the 1980s.
I recently disposed of a load of very old paint tins, unfortunately, or I'd have been able to check.
(I SAID they might come in handy one day, but she wouldn't have it!)
Hmm, I wouldn't have thought "eggshell" and "matt[e]" were synonymous. Indeed, this link -- to one of the largest US paint brands, Benjamin Moore -- points to a chart listing at least 7 not-entirely-consistent interior gloss levels, from "flat" (let's call that 1) to "gloss/high gloss" at 7. "Matte" and "eggshell" are at slots 2 and 3. https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/interior-exterior-paints-stains/how-to-advice/painting-101/choosing-paint-finish
ReplyDeleteIn Britain the tradesman who paints your house is a "painter and decorater".Their unions and associations use that expression. That's how they advertise themselves, even in Sussex.
ReplyDeleteAround 1970 the newly appointed US Ambassador, Walter Annenberg, caused much mirth in the British papers by stating that he intended to 'refurbish' the vast ambassadorial residence, Winfield House. The word was entirely unfamiliar here. Many people thought he intended to say 'refurnish' and got mixed up. Now I think it has become almost completely naturalised.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing him in conversation on this topic with the Queen - she seemed bemused by the word!
ReplyDeleteIn universities, 'refurbishment' seems to be used for putting up stud partitions to turn a large office or seminar room into a series of smaller spaces ... or vice versa when open-plan space is desired.
On the domestic front, we might see 'revamp your decor' when painted surfaces, carpets and curtains are changed.
The modern BrE version of "Ship of Theseus" is "Trigger's broom".
ReplyDeleteWe’ re all agog! Surely this job is finished by now! Does it look as good as you hoped?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's like having a new house without having to move!
Delete