Value – The lightness or darkness or a color.

Vapor – The gaseous form of any substance which is usually liquid.

Vaporization – Conversion from a liquid or solid to a gaseous state.

Varnish – A liquid which converts to a translucent or transparent film after application.

Varnish Stain - A varnish that has a transparent color added. It usually has less penetrating power than a true stain.

Vegetable Oil - Oil obtained from the seeds or nuts of vegetable growth. Some of these are “drying oils,” such as linseed, soya, tung and oiticica, which are used as binders for oil-based paints and varnishes.

Vehicle – The liquid portion of paint.

Vinyls – Family of chemical compounds also called polyvinyl chlorides. A very tough plastic compound noted for durability, long service life, toughness, and strippability. Types of vinyl wall coverings include (1) vinyl laminated to paper; (2) paper laminated to lightweight woven cloth and vinyl-coated; (3) vinyl laminated to lightweight woven cloth, natural or synthetic; (4) vinyl laminated to lightweight non-woven cloth, natural, or synthetic; (5) vinyl laminated to non-woven paper; and (6) a man-made base impregnated with vinyl.

Vinyl Coating – One in which the major portion of the binder is of a vinyl resin.

Vinyl Resin – Synthetic resins made from vinyl compounds such as vinyl acetate.

Vinyl Siding Warp - Warping or buckling of vinyl siding panels that have been repainted.

Viscosity – A measure of fluidity.

Visibility – The ability of paint colors to be easily seen by the eye.

Volatile – The ability to evaporate quickly.

Volatile Content – Those materials which evaporate, usually expressed as a percentage.

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) - Volatile Organic Compound. Any carbon compound that evaporates under standard test conditions. Essentially, all paint and caulk solvents except water are classified as VOCs. Some government agencies are limiting the amount of volatile organic compounds permitted in paint because of concerns about environmental and health effects.

Volume Solids - The volume of the solid components (pigment plus binder) of a paint or caulk, divided by its total volume, expressed as a percentage. High volume solids provide a thicker dry film, resulting in improved hiding and high durability. A top quality oil-based paint will typically have volume solids of 45% - 65%, while quality latex paints are generally in the 35% - 45% range. A top quality acrylic sealant will have volume solids of 70% - 80%.