Design and Decorating Terms Glossary - P

Plywood:

Plywood is made up of thin layers or plies of timber that get bonded together. Layers are laid face to face but each adjacent layer the grain runs in the opposite direction, which provides strength to the board making it stiffer and stronger than solid timber of the same thickness.

Pointing:

Raking out the old mortar from joints of brickwork and refilling them with new, normally cement, mortar.

Poles:

(drapery) Poles are available in many different materials – timber, brass, wrought iron, bamboo, and painted timber. They usually have co-coordinating rings that fix to the hooks on the heading of the curtains. A more contemporary type of pole system is the tensioned steel wire, which doesn’t impose on the windows.

Polyamide

(nylon): (textiles) Nylon is made from coal, tar and petroleum. It is a very strong resilient fibre with high strength and good elasticity. It drapes well and doesn’t absorb moisture and it won’t shrink. It tends to attract dirt but it is easy to wash and is crease resistant. It has a poor resistance to UV light. It is one of the first and most useful synthetics. Many types are now available. It is frequently used in blends. It is used widely in carpeting.

Polyester Resin:

Produced by combining polyester resin, aggregates, fillers, glass fibres pigments and catalyst. It can be laid over a cement screed or plywood. It is a hardwearing product with a wide colour range.

Polystyrene:

A plastics compound used for tableware and in an expanded form for insulation.

Polyurethane:

A plastics resin used for foam cushioning, etc.

Polyurethane Resin:

Produced by combining polyurethane resin and fillers. It can be laid over a cement screed or plywood. It provides a hardwearing non-slip surface available in numerous textures and colours.

Pomel:

a knob knot or boss.

Pongee:

Wild silk with irregular texture. Also imitated in cotton and synthetics. Subject to shrinkage.

Poplin:

Lightweight fabric with small-scale ribbing.

Portcullis

Portcullis:

a door sliding up and down in coulisses or gutters consisting of a massive frame or grating. These are the grated or grilled gate that is often at the entrance to a castle after the drawbridge.

Portico:

a range of columns in front of a building usually a porch or covered walkway.

Positive Stencil:

The paint is passed through the voids in the stencil plate to produce the design.

Pre-Pasted Paper:

(wallcovering) Pre or ready-pasted papers have a coat of adhesive applied during the manufacturing process. The adhesive is reactivated for application by being passed through water in a water trough before hanging.

Primary Color Scheme

Primary Color Scheme:

the simplest or most basic color schemes. The pure hues of red yellow and blue. They are often used for children’s play equipment and surrounding environments.

Primer:

(paint) This is the first coat of paint that is applied to a raw (unpainted) surface. This is used to “stick” to the substrate and provide adhesion for the remaining coats of paint. It provides a smooth stable surface for the following coats and prevents corrosion and chemical attack of the substrate. There are numerous types of primers that are selected to suit the substrate and surface conditions.

Printed Papers:

(wallcovering) There are two forms, ground and pulp. Ground papers are coated with paint before they are printed. Pulp is where the pattern is printed directly on the natural colour of the paper.

Purlin:

Horizontal member laid across the principal rafters and supporting the subsidiary rafters.

PVA Adhesive:

(wallcovering) this is a ready-made glue of thick consistency. It has a high adhesive ability and is used for foils, vinyls and other heavier wall hangings.

PVC:

Poly Vinyl Chloride, kind of plastic in sheet or tile form.

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