Glossary

1

1:1:6

mortar 1 part cement 1 part lime and 6 parts sand by volume.

1:2:9

mortar 1 part cement 1 part lime and 9 parts sand by volume. 1:2:9 is prone to premature failure, 1:1:6 is a better option.

2-way switching

A method of wiring switches so that a lamp can be turned on or off from more than one switch.

3:1

mortar 3 parts sand to 1 part cement by volume.

A

ac

a/c or a.c.

1. alternating current
2. air conditioning

Acrylic

1. Type of plastic
2. Type of Paint
3. Type of adhesive/sealant (typically marketed as 'solvent-free' gripfill/no-more-nails/etc)
4. Clear sheet material aka perspex

AF

Across Flats. Most commonly used imperial nut & spanner measurement system.

Aggregate

Airbrick

Brick or block containing many ventilation holes. Used to ventilate underfloor cavities, rooms containing a gas fire, and less often chimney stacks and cavity walls.

Airlock

Trapped airbubble preventing water flow

Alkyd

the chemistry of most oil based household gloss paints.

Alkyd putty

a glazing putty

Allen key

hexagonal profile L shaped bar used for driving screws with a hexagonal recess.

Aluminium oxide

a low cost grit widely used for sandpaper and grinding wheels.

Angle grinder

a high speed hand held disc grinder used for grinding, cutting, and with wire brushes, mortar rakes etc.

Apex

Arbitration

Arc

1. semicircular curve
2. electrical conduction across insulation breakdown, often through air.

Architrave

Aris

A corner of something - typically timber.

Aris Rail

A triangular cross section of timber, typically made by rip cutting a square sectioned length of timber in two across the diagonal. Often used for fence rails since they do not allow moisture to sit on the wood.

Artex

A filler/plaster material popularly used to create stippled and combed ceiling finishes. Its popularity arose from the absence of any plastering skill needed to create such finishes, and the consequent lower cost of artexed ceilings compared to plastered.

Asbestos

Asbestos is any one of several tough natural fibres. The word is usually used to refer to asbestos cement. Asbestos is usually chrysotile (white), crocidolite (blue) or amosite (brown), though other less often used asbestos fibres also exist.

Ashathene

An obsolete plastic cable, a precursor of pvc.

Asphalt

Hardwearing flooring made from bitumen and clay.

Auger

1. a self feeding drill bit for wood. Designed for very low rotational speed with high torque. A good choice for hand drilling wood. Commonly available in sizes of 6mm and up.
2. Type of earth drill bit

B

Baby oil

Mineral oil with added perfume. See Mineral oil

Back siphonage

Balanced Flue

Ball pein hammer

Hammer with ball shaped striking face. Possibly named as a result of indiscriminate use.

Ballast

1. Stone & other rubble used to form a hard stable base
2. Current control device used to run a fluorescent tube or other discharge lamp.

Baluster

Balustrade

Banister

Barge Board

Barrel

1. Lock barrel. The part of a nightlatch (lock) mechanism that accepts the key.
2. Oak barrel. Wine making barrel used as a planter

Batten

Strip of wood applied to wall or ceiling, to which usually plasterboard is applied. Used to even up uneven walls and to permit insertion of insulation behind plasterboard.

BC

Bayonet Cap, most popular type of lightbulb connection.

Beam

joist, rafter, purlin, or any other large wooden, steel or concrete structural member.

Bench grinder

A bench mountable grinder used primarily for sharpening tools.

Bimetal

1. Mechanical type of thermostat. Reliable, low cost, and lacking extra features. Need a neutral connection to avoid excess hysteresis. Compare electronic thermostat.
2. saw tooth type used on handsaws

Bipin

2 pin connection used on fluorescent tubes & halogen lamps.

Bitumen

a black sticky gloop used to waterproof and preserve.

Blind grommet

grommet with the central hole closed by a thin layer of plastic. This is pierced when threaded.

Blockboard

2 thin wood veneers with strips of wood glued between. One of the many ways to convert low value material into useful sheet material.

Blown

broken away, happens to render, plaster, brick

Blowlamp

Flame lamp used for soldering, paint stripping, etc. Usually gas, but historic paraffin blowlamps are also used occasionally. Sometimes confusingly referred to as a torch.

Bolster

Extra wide masonry chisel.

Bolt

Bond

1. adhesion
2. pattern of brickwork

Bonding

1. adhering
2. a type of plaster

Bore

to make a hole

BR

building regulations.

Bradawl

Pointed tool used to mark a point on wood for drilling.

Breeze Block

Lightweight aerated concrete block.

Brick acid

Hydrochloric acid solution

Brilliant white

A cold bright white. Has a very slight blue tint when compared to white, which helps to disguise slight Paint discolouration.

British Standard

A published performance standard. Many are obligatory, some are not.

Broken white

White which has had a small amount of a dull colour added to remove the intensity of the whiteness.

BSF

An uncommon imperial nut measurement system.

Bubble wrap

Insulation. Deteriorates in the presence of UV.

Building line

String or rope stretched in a straight line to mark position of building works.

Burr

Small amounts of material sticking out from the workpiece where a cut has been made. All metals & many plastics produce a burr on cutting.

Burnt sand mastic

a sand & linseed oil mastic used between wood frames & masonry.

Buttercoat

topcoat of render

Butyl putty

another glazing putty.

Butyl rubber

a long lived plastic used as pond liner, flat roof covering and sometimes as heat resistant electrical wire insulation.

BZP

Bright Zinc Plated

C

Cabinet Scraper

Cable

Electrical wire not intended for regular flexing. Has solid single core copper conductors. See also flex.

Cable clips

Clips that hold cable in place. Usually a plastic clip fixed in place with a small masonry nail, but other types also exist.

Cable ties

Self locking plastic strap to hold cables

Camber

Camber is a slope downwards from the centre of a road, used to shed rainwater.

Camber Beam

A curved beam

Camden

Came

Lead strip used in leaded windows.

Card level

low cost replacement for a spirit level

Carpet tape

Tough tape for joining carpet. See Tapes and Duct Tape Review

Car body filler

A tough durable filler made from polyester resin with inert fillers.

Cartridge

see nozzle

Popular way to buy various sealants, glues, caulks etc. Cartridge gun needed for use.

Cartridge Gun

Tool that enables controlled squeeze-outage of materials in cartridges.

Casing

Timber lining of a door or window opening.

Cast Earth

Earth and gypsum mix, used to construct walls etc.

Catslide roof

Pitched roof with asymmetric shape

Caustic Soda

a strong alkali. Hot caustic solution clears drains blocked by grease & removes hard to remove sticky kitchen grease.

Cavity Wall

An external wall built with a gap/ cavity between the 2 leaves of the wall. Different sizes of cavity are encountered, but 2" is by far the most common. Contrary to popular belief, cavity walls were sometimes used in the 1800s, but to prevent damp ingress rather than as insulation.

Cellulose thinners

A strong solvent mixture.

Cement Dye

These are added to cement mixes to colour them. Colours vary in their durability, black becomes washed out and streaky in time, whereas iron oxide (dull red) is permanent.

Cement mixer

Powered machine for mixing cement. Many alternatives exist.

Central Vacuum

A vacuum cleaning system using a fixed vacuum pump plus built in plumbing to convey this vacuum around the building. Popular in the states, it has several advantages over a portable vacuum cleaner.

CFL

Compact Fluorescent Lamp. Energy saving lamp used in place of filament lamps.

Cill

aka sill.

Circline

circular fluorescent tube

Circular saw

Saw using a large circular saw blade. Fast cutting, but unable to cut curves.

Cistern

Water storage container.

Chamfer

Chase

A channel cut usually in masonry for cables or pipes. Also used as a verb, meaning to cut a chase.

Cherry picker

High access machine. Consists of a small work platform on an extending arm on a wheeled vehicle.

Chipboard

A low cost low performance sheet material made from wood sawdust & wood chips stuck together with glue.

Chisel

Also see cold chisel, plugging chisel, bolster,

Chocolate block, choc block

screw connector strip for mains cables.

Cladding

Clamp

Device to hold 2 or more items together. Often used while glue dries. Many types of clamp exist.

Clayboard

Clay walling board with paper surfaces. Superior sound absorption to plasterboard. See also: plasterboard

Club hammer

CLS

Canadian Lumber Stock. A standard wood size with rounded edges used as general purpose timber. Now sourced from many countries.

Clunch

a hardened chalk & clay stone occasionally used for building.

CO

1. Carbon Monoxide, a lethal odourless colourless gas produced by combustion with insufficient oxygen
2. Conservation Officer, local authority employee who decides what works are permitted on listed buildings.

Cob

Various types of earth based walling.

Cobbles, cobblestones

small rounded top stones used for paving and roads. Gives a very poor surface, uneven and slippery. Long superceded for most uses, but still used where it is desirable to keep people away.

Cold chisel

Chisel for masonry use

Common brick

Lower cost type of brick used where it will not be seen.

Compression joint

Pipe joint that grips pipes by compression. Has a nut at each end of the joint.

Compressor

1. Machine delivering compressed air.
2. Delivers compressed refrigerant in a fridge, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier circuit.

Concrete

1. A usually hard tough bulk building material usually made from cement, sand and stone. Other ingredients are sometimes also used.
2. Less often the term is used to describe any hard masonry-like composition material, which need not contain cement.

Condensation

Water deposited by the air on cold surfaces, such as windows or walls.

Condensate

Condensed water produced by condensing boilers, dehumidifiers, fridges, freezers and. Gas boiler condensate is acidic.

Conduit

a tubing system of some sort for carrying something around a building, usually electrical wiring.

Contactor

Relay (electrical)

Corbel

Core drill

Bit that drills a hole by cutting around the edge only. The core is left in one piece. Mostly used for very large holes. Different types are available for different materials.

Corgi

A gas fitter accreditation body.

Cornice

Decorative moulding where the wall meets the ceiling. Generally made from wood, polystyrene, moulded plaster strips, or plaster applied in situ, but other materials are occasionally encountered.

Corrugated fixing

Counterbore

to cut a recess for a bolt head.

Countersink

to cut a tapered recess for a bolt head.

Coving

A plain style of cornice.

CPC

Circuit Protective Conductor, earth conductor, earth wire.

Crescent Wrench

the most common type of adjustable spanner

Crosscut saw

saw blade optimised to cut at right angles to wood grain. Used in electric mitre saws.

Crossover Switch

Type of switch used in 3 or more way switching.

Cup

A type of warping of wood planks that makes the side edges raised or lowered compared to the centre of the plank.

Customer

Primary source of inconvenience, payments and senseless complaints. Person expecting owt for nowt.

D

Dado

The lower section of an interior wall, upto around waist height

Dado rail

A rail, usually horizontal and wooden, run at around waist height on a wall. Reduces wear & chair damage to the wall decorations.

Damp proof course

1. an impermeable layer intended to stop rising damp. Usually plastic, but slate, bitumen and waterproof coatings have also been used.
2. a chemical injection intended to form an impermeable layer, but which more often do not.

Damp proof membrane

An impervious membrane laid usually in the floor to prevent transmission of damp.

Daub

earth plaster. See wattle & daub

Datum

A physical point of reference from which other positions are measured.

dc

'direct current'. Unidirectional voltage.

Defects liability period

The period for which the builder remains liable for defects occurring. Defined in contract.

Dehumidifier

Machine for extracting humidity from the air. See also: humidistat

Delamination

the separation of layers of a material. Plywood and other laminated products may fail in this manner.

Denib

DHW

Domestic Hot Water

Diamond disc

Die grinder

commonly called a Dremel

Dimmer

device for reducing the efficiency of filament bulbs.

Distemper

A lime based interior Paint now coming back into favour due to its soft matt appearance and low manufacturing cost. Removed by washing with hot detergent, making it ideal for detailed cornicing, as it avoids Paint build up and loss of detail.

Distressed

Looking knackered. A deliberate style of Paint finish.

Divertor

Device to divert rain from a downpipe to a barrel. Usually includes water level limiting.

Dog clamp

A [ shaped clamp hammered into 2 pieces of wood to hold them together during glue setting.

Door Chain

A short chain allowing partial opening of a door, while retaining a limited amount of security.

Door Viewer

Small wide angle lensed lookout hole fitted to exterior doors for security. See also Door Chain.

Dowel

A straight stick of (usually) wood used to accurately locate 2 pieces of wood together, and to fix them together, usually with glue.

Dowel bit

aka Lip & spur drill bit, which see.

Drain Heat Exchanger

Heat exchanger recovering heat from waste water.

Dremel

Also known as a die grinder. A brand name, but widely used to mean any brand of small high speed rotary tool, typically taking tools of upto around 1" diameter with 3.2mm shank. Many types of tools are used with these.

Drip groove

Groove in the underside of a window cill. Prevents rain running back onto the brickwork.

E

Earth

1. Soil. See topsoil, subsoil.
2. Electrical connection to earth / ground.

Earthcrete

Earth plus cement powder. Used to stabilise soil before laying gravel. Also see Papercrete

Earth leakage

the flow of mains current to earth, sometimes via a human. Earth current is often fault current, though not always.

Earth wire

electrical wire connected to earth

Eaves

The part of a roof structure that overhangs the walls. The underside cladding of the eaves being the "soffits" and the outwood cladding being the "facia".

EEBAD

Earthed Equipotential Bonding and Automatic Disconnection of supply. An electrical installation capable of cutting the power when a live to earth short occurs. All post 1950s isntalls should be EEBAD, the non-EEBAD setups occasionally found have a serious safety problem.

Efflorescence

White salt deposits on the surface of brick, plaster, stone or mortar. Harmless & common on new brickwork, it brushes off and cures itself over time.

Eggshell

An oil based paint with a semi matt finish. Harder wearing than emulsion.

ELCB

Device to cut electrical power in the event of certain earth leakage faults. There are 2 significantly different types of ELCB, current operated (aka RCD) and voltage operated. Now superceded by RCDs, the designation 'ELCB' indicates an old device.

Electrocution

Death by electric shock.

EML

expanded metal lath, sometimes called gauze. Used mainly to support plaster & render.

Emulsion

popular wall paint based on PVA, titanium dioxide and pigment.

Enamel

any type of hard surfaced paint

Engineering brick

A hard dense frost resistant brick.

Epoxy

a tough synthetic 2 part resin mainly used as a glue. Araldite is a well known brand.

Epoxy mortar

mortar based on epoxy resin & sand. For small concrete repairs.

Equipotential bonding

Connection of metal items together so that they stay at the same voltage even in a fault situation

ES

Edison Screw. The most common size of screw-in lightbulb base. See also SES, MES, M14

Essex Flange

see also: Surrey flange

Estimate

Guess at a price. Expect the real price to be higher. Estimates are best avoided in favour of a binding quote for most jobs.

Eternit

synthetic roofing slate, asbestos cement based.

Extinguisher

Fire extinguisher, either portable or permanently fixed types, eg a sprinkler.

Extractor

fan that moves air from building interior to the exterior. See also: HRV

F

Facing Brick

Brick with a fair face, used where they will be seen.

Fall

rate of downward slope. Mostly applies to plumbing waste pipe & guttering.

Fascia

Board fitted to the outer face of the top of house walls. Supports guttering

Feather

1. to taper down something so the stepped edge is diminished and not noticeable.
2. bird feather used for faux marbling

Featheredge

Horizontal boarding for exterior use. The boards are of tapered thickness. Mostly used on sheds & fence. Compare weatherboard.

Feeler gauge

Tool containing a set of assorted thicknesses of metal sheet. Used for measuring very small gaps.

Felt

1. non-woven wool cloth
2. Roofing sheet used under tiles to reduce dirt and water ingress.

Fence

guiding edge attached to a tool to keep the blade a certain distance from the edge of the workpiece

Fibre cement

a fibre reinforced cement, usually found in sheet form. Asbestos used to be the most common fibre used, now glass fibre is probably the most common choice. Fibre cement is often called 'asbestos.'

Fibreglass

Glass fibres & resin, used mainly for baths, roof coverings and rigid pool liners.

Fibro cutters

asbestos cement cutters. Not suited to use with modern asbestos replacements.

Filament lamp

Traditional light bulb containing a white hot filament. See also CFL, Fluorescent, LED, Halogen, Discharge Lighting.

Filling loop

Fire cement

A brittle aluminous cement able to handle very high temperatures.

Flange

Flap wheel

A disc with abrasive flaps attached. Used with an angle grinder.

Flashing

Metal strip used to shed water at roofing joins. Usually lead but may also be copper or aluminium.

Flat bit

A low cost, low performance, easily made drill bit. see Drill Bits

Flaunching

Flex

flexible electrical cable. The flexibility results from using stranded conductors. See also Cable

Flitch Beam

Steel and wood sandwich beam.

Float glass

The flat defect-free glass used for domestic glazing today.

Fluorescent lamp

A highly energy efficient type of lighting.

Flute

1. Groove in a drill bit used to clear debris
2. Fluting is carving along the length of wood

Flux

several materials used to enable solder to wet the metal being joined.

Flying Freehold

Part of a house that sits above another building owned by someone else. Common in old buildings in some regions. The owner of the lower supporting property is responsible for providing the support for the upper one.

FOC

Free Of Charge. Means we're gonna steam you some other way.

Footing

Base of wall. Nothing to do with dancing.

Fortic

proprietary name for a combination hot water cylinder and (small) storage tank formed on top of the cylinder, connected together. The result is too often a system with poor hot water pressure.

Frass

wood powder made by woodworm beetles.

Framing square

An L shape tool used to give an accurate right angle. Squares come in many sizes, framing squares tend to be fairly large.

Freehold

Outright ownership of house & land. See leasehold.

Furring

1. hard water deposits
2. tapered wood strip used to level an unlevel floor
3. ...roof

Fuse

Thin piece of wire which melts when excess current is passed, thus breaking the circuit. A fuse's rated current is the current it will pass indefinitely, not the current at which it fuses, which is significantly higher.

Fusebox

Box with switch & fuses. see also CU.

G

Gable

triangular section of wall at the end of a roof.

Galv

galvanised, which see.

Galvanised

zinc coated. A low cost corrosion inhibiting coating for steel.

Gang

G clamp

Gloss

1. having a shiny surface
2. Paint that has a shiny surface when set.

Glue

see adhesive. A glue uses a solvent to let it melt into the adjoining substrates, then sets hard, making a solid lock. An adhesive grabs both surfaces while not intruding into them. An adhesive will work on non-porous surfaces but a true glue won't. Glues take a longer time to cure.

Goggles

Protective eyewear. See 'direct vent' and 'indirect vent'

Going

On stairs, the distance from front to back of each tread

Grab

initial adhesion of an adhesive. Nomore nails, sticks like sh!t etc are high grab adhesives.

Gravel

Grinder

see angle grinder, bench grinder, die grinder.

Grommet

rubber ring-shaped item that protects cables etc from the sharp edges of a hole. Also see blind grommet

Ground rent

see leasehold

Grounds

wooden wedges inserted into masonry joints for fixing skirting & framing to. Generally found in old buildings, wallplugs are a lot less labour.

GRP

Glass Reinforced plastic, fibreglass. See fibreglass

Gulley

Gypsum

a pink powder widely used as plaster. See also lime plaster, mud plaster.

H

HAC

High alumina cement

Hair

animal hair used to reinforce plaster. Not often used today.

Halogen lamp

a high temperature filament lamp. Popularly used as downlighters.

Hardboard

Thin woodfibre sheet material. Lacks good rigidity. See also: Pegboard, MDF.

Hardcore

mixed hard pieces used as a sub base. Typically includes any of broken concrete, brick & stone.

Head

height of surface of water above appliance. Head is proportional to water pressure at zero flow.

Header tank

Heat exchanger

Transfers heat from one liquid or air stream to another, without allowing the 2 to mix.

Used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps. Used in many ways, from geothermal spas to car radiators to wine coolers to computer chip radiators

Heave

upswell of ground due to water content. A Bad Thing

Holesaw

Rotary saw tool that cuts the perimeter of a hole. For wood & other relatively soft materials. See also core drill. Available in a few different patterns.

Hose clip

Any one of a number of types of clip designed to attach a hose firmly to a tube. See also: Jubilee clip.

Hose Pipe Collector

Low cost solarthermal collector. Primarily used for pool heating.

HRV

Heat Recovery Ventilation. Forced ventilation which recovers some of the otherwise lost heat using a crossflow heat exchanger.

HTI

High Temperature Insulation

Humidistat

Device that switches electrical power according to humidity level. Usually switches power on when RH goes above its threshold value. See also fan, Dehumidifier

Hydraulic lime

a fast setting lime used to make mortar for exposed locations and in permanently wet situations. Sets in wet conditions.

Hydrochloric acid

A strong acid used to remove cement, limescale, grease, pipe blockages, and organic matter. Sold as brick acid.

Hydronic

a heating system that uses water (or steam) as the heat transfer fluid. Most British central heating systems are hydronic.

I

Inhibitor

1. Corrosion Inhibitor: chemicals introduced into a heating system (e.g. Central Heating) to prevent or reduce corrosion of steel and other components by the system water, and oxygen present in it.
2. Scale Inhibitor: chemical or electrical and/or magnetic device intended to prevent or reduce the deposition of limescale from hard water in a plumbing system

Intumescent

Material that swells during a fire to provide fire & smoke resistance.

Intumescent strip

Strips fitted to some doors that swell during a fire to seal the door to frame gap.

Intumescent Paint

Paint that swells in a fire to delay burning. Also available as varnish.

Iron oxide

low cost pigment used to give dull red or brown colour. Iron oxide is what makes red bricks red.

Isolating valve

Isolation valve

(also known as Servicing Valve and Service Isolation Valve)

a valve, usually small and operated by means of a screwdriver or Allen key but sometimes by a small handle, fitted in pipework to fittings such as taps and cistern filling valves, allowing the fitting to be isolated for servicing. The most common size is 15mm with 22mm also found. The valve inlet may be a compression or push-fit fitting, and the outlet may be the same as the inlet or a tap-connector for fitting directly to a tap or cistern valve. Some isolating valves have a tap-connector outlet at right angles to the inlet. Washing machine valves are usually similar in construction, with a handle and with a 3/4" BSP male thread on the outlet for connection to a washing machine hose.

J

Japan black

a tough low cost black Paint. Wikipedia

Jetty

building storey jutting out further than its supporting walls. Common feature of medieval wood frame buildings.

Jeweller's screwdriver

Miniature screwdrivers mainly used for repairing appliances.

Jigsaw

An electric saw with low cutting speed and in most cases not very good ability to follow a straight line. Best used for cutting curves.

Joist

wood beams supporting floor or wall.

Jubilee Clip

A tightenable metal band designed to attach a hose firmly to a tube. The device is tightened with a screwdriver.

Junction box

Box containing connection points for cables. Fire resistant.

K

Knockdown joint

aka 'KD' joint. 2 plastic blocks held together by a screw. Used to make joints where repeated disassembly is desired.

Knotting Compound

Painted onto knots before primer to ensure adhesion

L

L&P

Lath & plaster, a construction of walls & ceilings.

Lagging

(thermal) insulation

Laminate

layered material. Most often used to describe wood flooring laminate, which is generally a thin layer of real wood on a chipboard base.

Lamp black

Soot, a formerly widely used black pigment.

Lath

Lightweight material used as a semirigid backing for plasterwork.

* Wood: Thin strips of wood, usually oak or other hardwood.

* Metal: EML.

* Reed roll is also sometimes used as lath. See L&P.

Lathe

Machine for turning and working wood or metal, or sometimes other material. Often confused with 'lath.'

Lead

A dull grey soft malleable metal used for roofing, flashing, and previously for gas & waterpipes.

Lead paint

any paint containing lead. Some lead paints are now banned.

Leasehold

see ground rent

LED (light emitting diode)

Solid state light emitter. Very low-power miniature devices available in white and assorted monochromatic colours, for use as indicators; small low/medium-power devices for use as in torches; higher-power devices for general illumination. Not to be confused with Laser.

Lime

A white powder, Calcium hydroxide. Makes mortar, Paints, plaster, stabiliser, and cement mortar modifier.

Limelite

A cement plaster containing cement, lime and chopped fibre. Not an equivalent substitute for lime plaster or lime mortar.

Lime plaster

A plaster mix based on lime. Usually also contains either sand or chalk.

Lime putty

A putty made by mixing bagged (hydrated non-hydraulic) lime and water, and storing while excluding air. Mainly used to make mortars & paints.

Limestone

A soft light coloured stone.

Limewash

Paint made from lime putty & water. Suitable for ceilings & outdoor walls.

Line

1. Live wire
2. Rope
3. String used for marking position
4. ...

Linseed

normally refers to linseed oil, extracted from flax seeds and used in a minority of Paints, mastics, varnishes and putties. The pleasant smell of linseed is characteristic. Raw oil is used to preserve wood, traditionally used for cricket bats made of willow. Can be used on white-wood furniture, usually outdoors.

Lip & spur

A drill bit for wood that doesn't wander. Also known as a dowel bit.

M

M3, M4, M6, M8, M10, M12

metric bolt thread types. The number after the 'M' is the width of the thread in millimetres.

M3.5

the size & thread of screws used with standard UK electrical accessory faceplates.

Marble

A pretty but weak stone.

Marine Ply

A grade of plywood with greater water resistance than WBP.

Matt

no surface shine or glossiness

MCB

Miniature Circuit Breaker, a pushbutton overcurrent cutout that replaces a fuse

MDF

Medium Density Fibre. A uniform wood fibre sheet material. Very vulnerable to water damage. See also: Hardboard

Melamine

A plastic. The term usually refers to melamine veneered chipboard.

Mercury Lamp

A highish efficiency white discharge lamp with poor light quality. Were popular as white streetlights 20-30 years ago.

MES

Miniature Edison Screw: screw-in bulb base widely used on torch bulbs.

Metal Halide Lamp

High efficacy white discharge light available in various versions of white.

Meter

see multimeter, water meter,

Machine oil

oil for lubricating machinery & preventing rust on steel goods during storage. Mineral oil.

Masking tape

A low tack tape that may be peeled off without residue or damage. Most masking tapes will not peel cleanly if left on for long.

Masonry drill

Drill bit for masonry.

MICC

Mineral insulated copper cable. A very high temperature rated rigid cable. Widely used for fire critical circuits. Known as pyro. Hygroscopic.

Mineral oil

A light stable oil with various uses. See machine oil. See Baby oil.

Minton

a well known brand of high quality Victorian floor tiling

Mitre saw

1. A handsaw with cradle enabling accurately angled cuts to be made in wood etc. Typically only 2 or 3 angles are provided for.
2. A powered circular saw mounted on a turntable able to cut wood etc at selectable accurate angles. A continuous range of angles is normally provided for.

Mole grips

A common type of large locking pliers. Has an adjustable bolt and a 3rd lever to assist in releasing grip.

Monkey wrench

An old type of adjustable spanner. See also Crescent Wrench.

Monumental Mason

Stonemason whose primary speciality is gravestones.

Mortar rake

An abrasive coated rod fitted to angle grinders and used to remove mortar between bricks. See Drill Bits

Mortgage

A means of ensuring you pay over twice the price for your house, but can pay over many years.

Mosaic

Tiling typically made with lots of very small tiles. Mosaics may also be made with stones.

Moulding plane

A plane that produces a moulded shape in the workpiece instead of a flat finish. Mostly replaced now by routers and spindle moulders.

Mud plaster

Earth containing clay used as plaster.

Multimeter

electrical meter that measures voltage, current (amps) and resistance. A worthwhile purchase for almost any DIYer.

N

Nail fatigue, nail sickness

When many nails are corroding through on a slate roof. Causes an increased rate of slate falls.

Nail plate

A metal plate with many nail-like spikes used to join wood rafters and joists.

Neon screwdriver

Simple voltage indicator. It is unsafe to rely on these when dealing with mains, as they give both false positive and false negative results.

Nipple

Nozzle

These screw onto cartridges. Tip hole shape determines the size & shape of extruded material. 2 part glues require special self mixing nozzles.

NVQ

Not Very Qualified

O

Oilstone

grinding stone intended to be used with oil. Some oilstones don't survive long if used without oil. See also waterstone

Olive

A copper gland forming a waterprof joint when compressed against copper pipe. Used in compression joints. Not edible.

OPC

Ordinary portland cement. Cement.

Open time

Time until it begins to set. Applies mainly to Adhesives & Mortar Mixes

OSB

Oriented Strand Board.

P

Paint guard

Handheld plastic strip used to keep paint off nearby surfaces or objects while painting. Simple ones may be made from strips of 2 litre soft drink bottles.

Paint kettle

small handled paint container. Makes holding & moving the paint easier, reduces the amount of spillage in case of accident, and avoids drying and contamination of the main reservoir of paint.

Papercrete

novel building material made from paper, clay, cement, sand, and sometimes other materials.

PAR

1. Wood: planed all round. Compare PSE.
2. Glass: polished all round.
3. Lighting: Parabolic Aluminised Reflector. Spotlight bulbs

PAR38 & other numbers

Spotlight bulbs.

• PAR number gives diameter in 1/8ths of an inch

Parapet

Pargetting

3d decoration in external plasterwork. Traditional in East Anglia.

PAT

Portable Appliance Test, electrical goods safety test.

Patio Cleaner

Cleaner based on hydrochloric acid and/or oxalic acid.

Pattress

Backbox for electrical accessories (light switches, sockets, etc)

Pea shingle

Pegboard

Hardboard with a matrix of holes. Metal hooks may be inserted into the holes for hanging tools. See also: Hardboard.

Perspex

A clear plastic sometimes used for window glazing, especially of sheds.

Pex

PFA

Pulverized Fly Ash. The ash from coal burning that goes up the chimney. Used in cement mixes. See also bottom ash.

Phosphated

a tough black non-rusting finish used on some screws.

Picture rail

Rail normally above head height for hanging pictures. Similar to dado rail but with a different profile and higher up.

Piece rate

payment per task, not per hour.

Piss coat

watered down first coat of Paint.

Pitch

1. number of turns per inch of a screw thread
2. variety of pine
3. bituminous black gloop
4. Slope of stairs

Plane

Tool for smoothing wood

Plank

Plaster

An indoor smooth wall finishing coating. Based on gypsum, or less often lime, cement or mud.

Plaster floor

an unusual type of suspended floor made from composite plaster

Plasterboard

flat sheet of plaster with paper surfaces.

Plasterboard fixing

Fixing designed for use with hollow plasterboard walls. Also see hollow wall anchor

Plasterboard Nail

A short stubby small headed nail intended for fixing plasterboard to wooden studs. Not recommended.

Plasterboard screw]

screw for fixing plasterboard. Has bugle head to avoid rucking, sharp hard point to pierce steel framing, non-rusting finish, and philips head to disengage from driver once home.

Plate Heat Exchanger

Type of heat exchanger, which see.

Pliolite

plastic resin Paint for exterior use.

Plug

1. electrical plug-in connector, such as mains plugs used on electrical appliances
2. expanding plastic sleeve placed in masonry hole to enable a screw to grip. Plugs made from fibre, wood or metal are also used.
3. to fill a hole

Plumb bob

Weight with a central point on a string, Indicates the vertical.

Pointing

The outer layer of mortar between bricks, blocks etc. Usually shaped for aesthetic effect & rain resistance.

Polarity

Polyisocyanurate

a type of high performance plastic foam insulation. Kingspan is a well known manufacturer.

Polypropylene

a tough plastic

Polystyrene

a plastic used as a lower cost type of plastic foam Insulation.

Pozzolan

substance that changes the set of lime to produce a harder mortar. Examples include clay, ground tiles, brick dust, trass, flyash, etc. Pozzolan may also be used with cement, which contains free lime, allowing some reduction of cement use.

PP

period property

Primatic

a proprietary name for a type of hot water cylinder where the primary water is kept apart from the potable secondary water by an arrangement which creates an air gap inside the cylinder separating the two bodies of water (c.f. a conventional indirect cylinder in which the primary water is confined to a heating coil within the cylinder)

Primer

Profile gauge

Tool containing a row of blunt needles used for copying or transfering profiles

Programmable thermostat

A combined programmer and thermostat that allows different temperatures to be set for different times. Normally electronic. Used with central heating and air conditioning.

Programmer

Timer for central heating and hot water. May be electronic or mechanical.

PSE

Planed Square Edge wood. Planed all round with corners all 90 degrees. Compare with PAR.

PTFE Tape

A thin slippery soft non-stick tape used to make threaded plumbing joints watertight or gastight.

* Yellow PTFE tape: PTFE tape approved for gaswork.

PU

polyurethane, a type of glue

Pullsaw

Saw that cuts on the pull stroke. Permits use of a thinner blade. A thinner cut equals less energy use, if other factors are equal.

Punch

see also letter punch

Purlin

Pushfit

Type of pipe joint assembled by pushing the pipes in. Some are disassmeblable and reusable.

Putty

a stiff setting mixture. See lime putty, linseed putty, alkyd putty,

PV

Solar PhotoVoltaic, an electricity producing solar panel.

PVA

multipurpose building glue.

PVC

A common plastic. See also: upvc

PVC Pipe Clamp

a simple spring clamp. See Clamps & Make Things from PVC Pipe

PVP

Q

Quicklime

Unslaked lime. Can catch fire when water is added in some cases.

Quick Release Clamp

R

R50

50mm diameter spotlight bulb.

R63

63mm diameter spotlight bulb.

R80

80mm diameter spotlight bulb.

Raft Foundation

A type of building foundation used on unstable ground. Floor and sides of the foundation are all tied together with reinforcement. The intent is that in case of ground movement, the whole structure will move as one, avoiding any damage.

Rafter

wood beams supporting a roof

Rasp

A coarse file used for shaping wood.

Rawlplug

a brand of wall plug, which see.

RCBO

an MCB & RCD in one device. See Electricity Basics & Rewiring Tips

RCD

device that cuts the power if it detects earth leakage. See also Rewiring Tips. Compare ELCB.

R clip

R shaped clip used to hold things on a shaft.

Reciprocating saw

Powered saw with linear blade supported at one end that moves back and forth.

Reed Roll

Reeds joined with metal wire to make a flexible sheet. Sold for fencing. Sometimes also used as lath for walls & ceilings.

Relay

Electrically controlled switch. The first electrical computers were made from thousands of relays.

Render

mortar coating on wall. Usually a cement mortar, sometimes lime mortar.

Repair plate

Metal plate with holes in, used to repair woodwork by fixing in place with screws.

Repointing

Replacing the outer edge of mortar between bricks, blocks or stone in a wall.

Resin

tough durable glues, including epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin,

Resin Terrazzo

A modern type of terrazzo comprising a thin layer (typically a quarter inch) of stone in resin.

RH

Relative Humidity. Amount of water vapour in air as a percentage of vapour saturation. How much vapour air can hold varies with temperature.

Ripsaw

Saw blade optimised to cut along the grain of wood.

Riser

1. Pipe (or similar) emerging from underground. May carry water, gas, oil, electricity etc

Road base

Various material mixes used for road bases

* ABC MAG: A specified road base mix of stone, sand clay and dirt that can be used to make an [economical interior floor].

Rodding

Clearing a drain with drain rods.

Rodding eye

waste pipe fitting that permits rodding access.

RSJ

Steel beam. {Rolled Steel Joist.) Also see UB.

Rub down

sand down

Rubble

scrap broken masonry.

Rubble bag

heavy duty version of plastic bin bag, suitable for disposal of rubble.

Rub-r-Slate

A low cost floor surfacing compound

Rust Converter

Phosphoric acid gel used to turn rust into a stable paintable compound. All loose rust must be removed first.

S

Sand

see silver sand, building sand, sharp sand, epoxy sand.

Sanding Block

Sarking

Water shedding boarding under the roof covering.

Sash

Opening part of a window, containing glass.

Sash Cord

Cord used to counterbalance the weight of window sashes

SBC

Small Bayonet Cap. Miniature version of the more popular bayonet cap used on mains light bulbs.

Scabbling

making a stone into a rough rectangle with axe or hammer

Scraper

paint scraper, cabinet scraper

Screed

Top layer of cement mortar used to give a smooth floor surface.

Screwshoe

An easy shoe modification giving better grip on sub-zero sites.

Scutch hammer

used for chopping bricks

Scythe

A handled blade for cutting grass and crops.

* Short handles scythes have a small single handed handle

* Long handles scythes have a 2 handed handle several feet long

SDS

A drilling system which uses hammer blows directly onto the end of the drill bit for better drilling performance. SDS uses its own type of chuck and bits, which are incompatible with conventional drills. Not all hammer drills are SDS.

Self Levelling Compound

A self levelling gloopy setting compound for levelling uneven floors.

SES

Small Edison Screw. The 2nd most common size of screw-in lightbulb base, smaller than ES.

Service Valve

Servicing Valve

Service Isolation Valve

see Isolation valve

Set square

Setts

see cobbles

Shed

1. garden building, often wooden
2. diy merchant or retailer

Silicone

a soft synthetic plastic much used for sealing around baths, showers and sinks. Silicone contains acetates which encourage mould growth. See also Putties & Mastics

Silk

Sill

cill

Slate

A natural stone widely used for roofing.

Socket

1. electrical outlet into which a plug can be inserted.
2. tool which grips a nut or bolt. Fits on the end of a socket bar, of which a few types exist.

Sodium Lamp

2 different types of very high efficacy yellow and pink lighting. Much used for road lighting. Low pressure sodium lighting has the best energy efficiency of all lighting types.

Soil pipe

A vertical pipe ventilating sewage plumbing. Dissipates explosive gases and relieves pressure buildup.

Solder

Metal alloy used to join pipes and sometimes wiring. Lead & tin solder has long been used, but is no longer permitted for potable water piping.

Soleplate

Bottom horizontal member of a wood framed wall.

Solvent weld

plastic pipe joined by applying a solvent. This melts the plastic together.

Spiral saw

Saw using a thin spinning blade

Spirit level

indicates level accurately. Consists of a vial of liquid fixed to a bar. Some indicate vertical as well as horizontal, and some also fixed angles between the 2. Some have a series of vials indicating various angles close to horizontal, such as 1 degree, 2 degrees etc

Spreader

Spring Clamp

Spyhole

See door viewer.

SRPC

Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement. Cement used where it may come into contact with ground water, which often contains sulphate, which damages ordinary portland cement.

Staging

Presenting a house to make it appeal to buyers.

Stainless steel

various types of non rusting steels, which vary in their rust resistance.

Stilson

Large type of wrench. It grips when turned one way and loosens when turned the other.

Stonemason

Skilled stone worker.

Stopper

See knotting compound

Street Elbow

Angled pipe connector with male connection on one side & female on the other. Usually 90 degrees.

String

The side part of a staircase that supports the treads and risers.

Stringer

A short joist or strut used to transfer the load from the cut end of a joist or rafter to the adjacent joists/rafters. Typically used when creating an opeing in a floor or roof that is wider than the spacing of a single joist / rafter.

Striplight

Linear lamp, either fluorescent or filament

Stud

1. Woodwork in a wood framed partition wall.
2. Threaded metal rod

Sub

suncontract

Subsoil

Soil below top layer, does not contain humus. Does not support plant growth on its own. May be converted to topsoil by mixing in a generous amount of organic matter, such as weeds, grass clippings, paper, food scraps, manure, etc, and giving the material time to break down to form humus.

Suffolk Pink

A traditional pink colour. Traditionally a lime Paint pigmented with blood.

Sugar soap

Used for cleaning paintwork before repainting. Not edible, does not contain sugar,

Sulphamic acid

A descaler

Sulphuric Acid

used to unblock drains

Superadobe

Stabilised earth, or other material fill, in plastic cloth tubing used to construct dome shaped buildings.

Surrey flange

See also Essex flange

Switchbank

Bank of 2 or more switches. Permits much greater control over lighting etc than just a single switch. Compare 'dimmer.'

Switchboard

Switchfuse

Switch & fuse. Historic forerunner of the fusebox

SWMBO

She Who Must Be Obeyed
Originally from the novel She by Rider Haggard but used (and popularised) by Rumpole of the Bailey in reference to his wife, and now commonly used on uk.d-i-y to mean a poster's female partner.

T

T&E

Twin & Earth. 3 core PVC cable used for most fixed house wiring.

Tablesaw

Saws

Tack Cloth

A rag treated so that dust sticks to it. Designed to remove dust etc from surfaces before painting.

Tamp

to hit mortar to compact it & drive out air voids.

Tar

TCO

Total cost of ownership. This includes costs of purchase, operation, servicing, consumables, repairs and disposal.

TCT

Tungsten Carbide Tipped. A very hardwearing fast feeding cutting material. Used widely on power saw blades & masonry drill bits.

Tea

an implied part of payment for all jobs.

Tee

T shaped pipe connector with 3 ports.

Teeth sucking

Indication of high costs ahead, usually warning sign of a rip off.

Tenon saw

Saws

Terrace

1. row of joined houses
2. stepped ground
3. bad news kids (or is that 'terrors'?)

Terrazzo

Stone set in concrete, cut and polished to give a perfectly smooth surface in which sections through the stone are visible at the surface. Horizontal metalwork is sometimes incorporated into the surface. Terrazzo makes a beautiful flooring, and the ingredients are low cost, but a little care is needed over cleaning materials and methods to avoid permanent staining.

Textured paint

A bulk forming Paint.

Thermidistat

Thermostat

Device that switches at a set temperature. Mostly used to maintain an approximately constant temperature.

* Electrical: Used to switch on heating or cooling at a predetermined temperature

* Plumbing: used to blend hot and cold water to achieve an approximately constant output temperature.

Thermostatic Shower

Shower containing a thermostat. Reduces output temperature swings as inlet temperatures & pressures change.

Ties

see cable ties, wall ties,

Timberboard

Sheet material made from strips of wood glued side by side.

Timer

A device that switches something on & off at preset times

Timber

wood

Titanium Aluminium Nitride

an extra hard drill bit coating.

Titanium Nitride

an extra hard drill bit coating. Gold coloured. See also Drill Bits

Titanium Oxide

White pigment used in modern paints and white bar soap.

Toggle

* Expansion fixing

* Hollow wall fixing

Tongue & groove

A tongue/groove profile used on the edges of boards to make them interlock in use. This blocks smoke access and reduces misalignment when boards shrink or warp.

Topcoat

The final coat of Paint

Top hat washer

A plastic tophat shaped washer used when fitting taps

Topsoil

top layer of soil containing organic matter. Supports plant growth.

Torch

1. hand held light.
2. blowlamp.

Torque Wrench

Socket bar allowing a predetermined torque to be used. These either measure or limit torque, depending on the type.

Tower

Tower shaped access scaffolding. Usually freestanding.

Track

1. Low grade road for vehicular access
2. line of conductive carbon across an electrical insulator

Tracked

Vehicle or machine using tracks in place of wheels, enabling movement over very rough ground.

Trap

plumbing device that catches solids. Mostly found underneath sinks, baths and showers. Need occasional emptying.

Trass

a pozzolan used with cement and lime mixtures.

Trip

Any button or switch operated electrical cut-out, such as MCB, RCD, RCBO. A colloquial term.

Truss

TT

Earthing system using a local earth, usually a rod but may sometimes be a pipe or grid.

Tuck Pointing

A style of pointing in which the bulk of the pointing mortar matches the wall colour, and a thin straight line of contrasting mortar is embedded into the bulk mortar. Traditionally used to make uneven irregular walls look neater.

Twist drill

most common type of drill bit.

U

UB

Universal Beam. Steel beam. As RSJ, though with minor differences in detail

Ufer

A method of creating a very low resistance local earth connection, and eliminating potential differences between concrete floors and CPC during fault conditions, all at no significant cost.

Undercoat

Underpin

to deepen a building's foundations.

Upright

refers to upright timbers, eg in a partition wall.

uPVC

A rigid plastic, easily scratched and brittle when cold. Discolouration is occasionally seen.

V

VA

Volts multiplied by amps gives VA. This equals power for some loads, but is not equal to power for non-resistive loads.

Vent

device admitting fresh air, ie something with a hole in it.

Vice

Vinyl

A plastic found in film form and invariably used for nasty purposes

Vinyl Dye

VIR

India rubber electrical wiring. Common half a century ago.

Voltstick

Simple voltage indicator. It is unsafe to rely on these when dealing with mains as they give both false positive and false negative results. See also neon screwdriver & Multimeter

Voussoir

wedge shaped brick or stone used in an arch

W

Wallpaper paste

A low cost glue that dries clear.

Wall plate

Wallplug

piece of plastic, wood or fibre that is inserted into a drilled hole in masonry to allow a woodscrew to be fitted. The wood screw expands the plug, causing it to grip the masonry firmly. Often called a 'rawlplug,' which is a tradename.

Wall ties

Ties that link the 2 leaves of a cavity wall. Usually metal, but stone or brick ties may be found on some older properties.

Warm air

a heating system using warm air as the heat transfer medium. Fanned vents are used instead of radiators. Popular in the states, but not in Britain.

Waterbutt

Large water collection barrel, usually plastic.

Water hammer

Waterstone

grinding stone intended to be used with water. See also oilstone.

Water table

The level of groundwater in the locality

Wattle

woven twig wood partition

Wattle & daub

woven twig wood partition coated with earth based plaster.

WBP

Water & Boil Proof. A grade of plywood. Not the same grade as marine ply.

Weatherboard

Exterior wood boarding mainly used on some historic buildings. The boards are rectangular: compare with featheredge.

Weep Hole

Small holes in a wall for any water in the cavity to drain out. Also used with retaining walls to relieve the extra weight of water that would otherwise build up behind the wall.

Weld cement

a high strength high cost cement mortar

Whitewash

chalk & glue Paint

Whiting

fine chalk powder. Used in paints, mastics, & some plaster.

Whitworth

A nut size measurement system standard from the 1800s, still occasionally used.

Wire brush

Brush with steel or brass bristles.

* Steel: used for removing cement smears, and sometimes for raising the grain of wood

* Brass: mainly used for removing dirt from suede

Wire wheel

A wire bristled wheel used in drill or angle grinder to remove rust, paint, etc.

Woodchip

A textured wallpaper consisting of 2 sheets of paper with wood chippings sandwiched between them. Used to disguise rough wall surfaces.

Woodworm

any of a number of wood boring insect species

Y

Yorkshire fittings

Solder ring plumbing accessories

More Glossaries

Lighting Glossary

Listed Building Basics

Nuts & Bolts FAQ

Wood finishing FAQ

Glossary of Conservation Terms

Glossary of Architectural Terms

Roofing Glossary

Bosch Power Tool Glossary

Trade Terms Glossary

Castle Terms Glossary

Glue Terminology

another glossary

See Also

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