Terms	Description
Aggregate	Particles of sand or stone of varying sizes mixed with cement and water to make concrete, or added to paint to make a textured finish.
Airlock	A blockage in a water pipe caused by trapped air.
Appliance	A machine or device powered by electricity. or A functional piece of equipment connected to the plumbing-a basin, sink, bath etc.
Architrave	The moulding around a door or window
Arris	The sharp edge at the meeting of two surfaces.
Back-siphonage	The siphoning of part of a plumbing system caused by the failure of mains water pressure.
Balanced flue	A ducting system which allows a heating appliance. such as a gas boiler, to draw fresh air from, and discharge gases to, the outside of a building.
Ballast	Naturally occurring sand and gravel mix used as aggregate for making concrete.
Baluster	One of a set of posts supporting a stair handrail.
Balustrade or Banister	The protective barrier oten made of posts alongside a staircase or landing.
Batt	A short, cut length of glass-fibre insulant or mineral-fibre insulant.
Batten	A narrow strip of wood.
Batter	The slope of the face of a wall that leans backwards or tapers from bottom to top.
Blind	To cover with sand.
Blown	To have broken away, as when the plaster sounds hollow on a solid wall when tapped or when a layer of cement rendering has parted from a wall.
Bore	The hollow part of a pipe or tube. Or To drill a hole.
Burr	The rough raised edge remaining on a workpiece (typically metal or plastic) after cutting or filing and before sandpapering or filing.
Buttercoat	The top layer of cement render.
Came	The grooved strip of lead which holds the glass in a leaded light or a stained-glass window.
Cap-nut	The nut used to tighten a fitting onto pipework.
Casing	The timber lining of a door opening.
Catenary wire	A length of wire cable suspended horizontally between two points.
Cavity wall	A wall of two separate masonry skins with an air-space between them most often it is an external wall.
Chamfer	A narrow flat surface on the edge of a piece of wood – it is normally at an angle of 45 degrees to adjacent surfaces. Or To plane at an angle to create the angled surface.
Chase	A groove cut in masonry or plaster to accept pipework or an electrical cable. or To cut such grooves.
Circuit	A complete path through which an electric current can flow.
Concave	Curving inwards.
Conductor	A component, usually a length of copper wire, along which an electric current will pass.
Convex	Curving outwards.
Cornice	The horizontal moulding between walls and ceiling.
Counter-bore	To cut a hole which allows the head of a bolt or screw to lie below a surface. or the hole where the nut sits itself.
Countersink	To cut a tapered recess which allows the head of a screw to lie flush with a surface. or the tapered recess itself.
Coving	A pre-fabricated moulding used to make a cornice.
Cup	Vital for Tea or the bend as a result of shrinkage- specifically across the width of a piece of wood.
Dado	The lower part of an interior wall- usually defined with a moulded rail.
Dado Rail	The moulded rail that is mounted horizontal along a wall half way up that splits the wall in half. (If the rail is at head height this is called a picture rail)
Damp-proof course (DPC)	A layer of impervious material which prevents moisture rising from the ground into the walls of a building.
Damp-proof membrane (DPM)	A layer of impervious material typically plastic or Butyl which prevents moisture rising through a concrete floor.
Datum point	The point from which all measurements are taken for a specific project
Drip groove	A groove cut or moulded in the underside of a door or windowsill to prevent rainwater running back to the wall and causing damp.
Drop	The length of wall measured from top to bottom that will need to be covered by wallpaper
Earth (Electrical term)	A connection from an electrical circuit to the ground giving a safe passage for electricity in case of a fault. Or A terminal within a plug to which the earth wire (Green/Yellow) is connected.
Eaves	The edges of a roof that project beyond the walls.
Efflorescence	A white powdery deposit caused by soluble salts migrating to the surface of a wall or ceiling it appears typically at the edge of a damp patch or after damp has been cured..
ELCB	Earth-leakage circuit breaker. Same as a residual-current circuit breaker.
End grain	The surface of wood that can be seen after cutting across the fibres.
Ergonomics	The study of the physical relationship between the human body and its surroundings.
Extension	A length of electrical flex for temporarily connecting the short permanent flex of an appliance to a wall socket. or A room or rooms added to an existing building.
Face edge	In woodworking, the surface planed square to the face side.
Face side	In woodworking, the flat planed surface from which other dimensions and angles are measured.
Fall	A downward slope.
Fascia board	Strip of wood which covers the ends of rafters and to which external guttering is fixed.
Feather	To wear away or smooth an edge until it is undetectable.
Fence	An adjustable guide to keep the cutting edge of a tool a set distance from the edge of a workpiece.
Filing	Using a handfile, sander or glasspaper to remove the top surface of your workpiece, either to help it to fit or to make it smoother
Flashing	A weatherproof junction between a roof and a wall or chimney, or between one roof and another. Often made with lead.
Flaunching	A mortared slope around a chimney pot or at the top of a fireback.
Flute	A rounded concave groove.
Footing	A concrete foundation for a wall typically half as wide again as the width of the wall.
Frass	Powdered wood produced by the activity of woodworm or a boring insect.
Frog	The angled depression in one face of some housebricks that provides a key for the mortar.
Furring battens or Furring strips	Parallel strips of wood fixed to a wall or ceiling to provide a framework for attaching panels.
Fuseboard	Where the main electrical service cable is connected to the house circuitry. or The accumulation of consumer unit, meter etc.
Galvanized	Covered with a protective coating of zinc.
Gel	A substance with a thick jelly-like consistency.
Going	The horizontal measurement between the top and bottom risers of a stair or the depth of one tread.
Grain	The general direction of wood fibres. Or The pattern produced on the surface of timber by cutting through the fibres. See also end grain and short grain.
Grommet	A ring of rubber or plastic lining a hole to protect electrical cable from chafing.
Groove	A long narrow channel cut in wood in the general direction of the grain. or To cut such channels.
Grounds	Strips of wood fixed to a wall to provide nail-fixing points for skirting boards and door casings. See also pallets.
Gullet	The notch formed between two saw teeth.
Hardcore	Broken bricks or stones used to form a sub-base below foundations. floors, paving etc.
Hardwood	Timber cut from deciduous trees.
Head	The height of the surface of water above a specific point- used as a measurement of pressure; e.g. a head of 2m. or The top horizontal member of a wooden frame.
Head plate	The top horizontal member of a stud partition.
Heave	An upward swelling of the ground caused by excess moisture.
Helical	Spiral shaped.
Hoggin	A fine ballast. usually with a clay content. used to form a sub-base for concrete pads or paving.
Hone	To finely sharpen a cutting edge.
Horns	Extended door or window stiles designed to protect the corners from damage while in storage.
Housing	A long narrow channel cut across the general direction of wood grain to form part of a joint.
Insulation	Materials used to reduce the transmission of heat or sound. or Nonconductive material surrounding electrical wires.
Jamb	The vertical side member of a door or window frame.
Joist	A horizontal wooden or metal beam used to support a structure like a floor, ceiling or wall.
Kerf	The groove cut by a saw.
Key	To abrade or incise a surface to provide a better grip when gluing something to it or the hole or depression made for this purpose.
Knurled	Impressed with a series of fine grooves designed to improve the grip.
Lath and plaster	A method of finishing a timber- framed wall or ceiling. Narrow strips of wood are nailed to the studs or joists to provide a supporting framework for plaster.
Lead	A stepped section of brick or blockwork built at each end of a wall to act as a guide to the height of the intermediate coursing.
Lintel	A horizontal beam used to support the wall over a door or window opening.
Live	The part of an electrical circuit which carries the flow of current to an appliance or accessory.
Marine plywood	Superior exterior-grade plywood.
Mastic	A non-setting flexible compound used to seal joints.
Micro porous	Used to describe a finish which allows timber to breath while protecting it from rainwater.
Mitre	A joint formed between two pieces of wood by cutting bevels of equal angles at the ends of each piece. or To cut the joint.
Mole	A tallow-soaked felt pad used to smooth a soldered lead joint or a machine used to lay pipe underground without disturbing the ground above.
Mono-pitch roof	A roof which slopes in one direction only.
Mortar	A sand cement mix used primarily to keep bricks apart
Mortise	A rectangular recess cut in timber to receive a matching tongue or tenon.
Mouse	A small weight used to pass a line through a narrow vertical gap.
Muck	See Mortar
Mud Sill	The lowest wooden member of a shed that runs across the foundation stones
Mullion	A vertical dividing member of a window frame.
Muntin	A central vertical member of a panel door.
Needle	A stout wooden beam used with props to support the section of a wall above an opening prior to the installation of an RSJ or lintel.
Neutral	The section of an electrical circuit which carries the flow of current back to source. or A terminal to which the connection is made. or A colour composed mainly of benign colours.
Newel	The post at the top or bottom of a staircase that supports the handrail.
Nogging	A short horizontal wooden member between studs.
Nosing	The front edge of a stair tread.
Outer string	See string.
Oxidize	To form a layer of metal oxide as in rusting.
Pallet	A wooden plug built into masonry to provide a fixing point for a door casing.
Pare	To remove fine shavings from wood with a chisel.
Pargeting	The internal render of a chimney.
Party wall	The wall between two houses and over which each of the adjoining owners has equal rights.
Penetrating oil	A thin lubricant which will seep between corroded components.
Pile	Raised fibres which stand out from a backing material as with a carpet.
Pilot hole	A small-diameter hole drilled prior to the insertion of a woodscrew to act as a guide for its thread or prior to using a bigger drill.
Pinch rod	A wooden batten used to gauge the width of a door casing.
Point load	The concentration of forces on a very small area.
Primer	The first coat of a paint system to protect the workpiece and reduce absorption of subsequent coats.
Profile	The outline or contour of an object.
Protective multiple earth (PME)	A system of electrical wiring in which the neutral part of the circuit is used to take earth- leakage current to earth.
PTFE	Polytetrafluorethylene – used to make tape for sealing threaded plumbing fittings.
Purlin	A horizontal beam that provides intermediate support for rafters or sheet roofing.
Rafter	One of a set of parallel sloping beams that form the main structural element of a roof.
Ratchet	A device that permits movement in one direction only by restricting the reversal with a toothed wheel or rack.
Rebate	A stepped recess along the edge of a workpiece. Usually as part of a joint. or To cut such a recess.
Render	A thin layer of cement-based mortar applied to exterior walls to provide a protective finish. Sometimes fine stone aggregate is embedded in the mortar (AKA Pebble-dashed). or To apply the mortar.
Residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB)	A device which monitors the flow of electrical current through the live and neutral wires of a circuit. When it detects an imbalance caused by earth leakage, it cuts off the supply of electricity as a safety precaution.
Reveal	The vertical side of an opening in a wall.
Ring Main	A circular electrical circuit that supplies the electrical wall sockets of a house, current is delivered to each socket from both ways round the circle. Typically there is one per floor of a modern house.
Riser	The vertical part of a step.
Rising main	The pipe which supplies water under mains pressure, usually to a storage cistern in the roof.
Rolled steel joist (RSJ)	A steel beam usually with a cross section in the form of a letter I, this can also be known as a I-beam
Rub joint	Glued wood rubbed together and held by suction until set.
Rubber	A pad of cotton wool wrapped in soft cloth used to apply stain, shellac polish etc.
Sash	The opening part of a window.
Sash cord	The rope that connects the sash window to the counterweights
Score	To scratch a line with a pointed tool. See also scribe.
Scratchcoat	The bottom layer of cement render.
Screed	A thin layer of mortar applied to give a smooth surface to concrete etc.
Screed batten	A thin strip of wood fixed to a surface to act as a guide to the thickness of an application of plaster or render.
Scribe	To copy the profile of a surface on the edge of sheet material which is to be butted against it: to mark a line with a pointed tool. See also score.
Set	A small rectangular paving block.
Sheathing	The outer layer of insulation surrounding an electrical cable or flex,
Short circuit	The accidental rerouting of electricity from the live wire to earth or netural which increases the flow of current and blows a fuse.
Short grain	When the general direction of wood fibres lies across a narrow section of timber.
Sill	The lowest horizontal member of a stud partition. Or The lowest horizontal member of a door or window frame.
Sleeper wall	A low masonry wall used as an intermediate support for ground-floor joists.
Soakaway	A pit filled with rubble or gravel into which water is drained.
Soffit	The underside of a part of a building such as the eaves, archway etc.
Softwood	Timber cut from coniferous trees.
Sole plate	Another term for a stud partition sill. or A wooden member used as a base to level a timber-framed load bearing wall.
Spalling	Flaking of the outer face of masonry or tiles caused by expanding moisture in icy conditions.
Spandrel	The triangular infill below the outer string of a staircase.
Staff bead	The innermost strip of timber holding a sliding sash in a window frame.
Stile	A vertical side member of a door or window sash.
Stopper	A wood filler which matches the colour of the timber.
String	A board, which runs from one floor level to another, into which staircase treads and risers are jointed. The one on the open side of a staircase is an outer string, the one against the wall is a wall string.
Stud partition	An interior timber-framed dividing wall.
Studs	The vertical members of a timber-framed wall.
Subsidence	A sinking of the ground caused by the shrinkage of excessively dry soil or rotting tree roots.
Supplementary bonding	The connecting to earth of exposed metal appliances and pipework in a bathroom or kitchen.
Tamp	To pack down firmly with repeated blows.
Template	A cut-out pattern to help shape something accurately.
Tenon	A projecting tongue on the end of a piece of wood which fits in a corresponding mortise.
Terminal	A connection for an electrical conductor.
Thinners	A solvent used to dilute paint or varnish.
Thixotropic	A property of some paints which have a jelly-like consistency until stirred or applied. at which point they become liquefied.
Top coat	The outer layer of a paint system.
Torque	A rotational force.
Transom	A horizontal dividing member of a window frame.
Trap	A bent section of pipe below a bath, sink etc. It contains standing water to prevent the ingress of gases.
Tread	The horizontal part of a step or the pattern on a tyre
Undercoat	A layer of paint used to obliterate the colour of a primer and to build a protective body of paint prior to the application of a top coat.
Vapour barrier or Vapour check	A layer of impervious material which prevents the passage of moisture-laden air.
Wall plate	A horizontal timber member placed along the top of a wall to support joists and to spread their load.
Wall string	See string.
Wall tie	A strip of metal or bent wire used to bind sections of masonry together.
Waney edge	A natural wavy edge on a plank. It might still be covered by tree bark.
Warp	To bend or twist as a result of to much damp or heat.
Water closet (WC)	A lavatory flushed by water.
Water hammer	A vibration in water pipework produced by fluctuating water pressure.
Weathered	Showing signs of exposure to the weather. or Sloped so as to shed rainwater.
Weep hole	A small hole at the base of a cavity wall to allow absorbed water to drain to the outside.
Workpiece	An object being shaped, produced or otherwise worked upon. Sometimes shortened to ‘work’.