| Architrave | The trim surrounding a door frame or window. |
| Abrade | To roughen a surface with an abrasive such as steelwool or sandpaper usually to assist with adhesion when glueing. |
| Adhesive | A substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment. It is a general term and includes cements, and glue. |
| Acoustic batts | Sound-insulating material used for noise reduction. |
| Butt Joint | A simple type of joint, where two pieces of wood are ‘butted’ together; one piece is pushed against another and attached using nails, screws or glue, etc. |
| Bulkhead | Feature used to cover a change in ceiling heights. Often used in kitchens to define it as a separate area from the living and dining spaces. |
| Batten | A length of squared timber or metal used to hold something in place or as fastening against a wall. |
| Clamps | Tools used to hold wooden components together while they are glued, until the glue has set. Also used to hold timber steady while it is worked on. |
| Cornice | A decorative moulding at the joint between an interior wall and a ceiling. |
| Cure | To change the properties of an adhesive by chemical reaction and thereby develop maximum strength. |
| Cladding: | Any material used on the face of a building or structure. |
| Double glazing | Consists of two glass panels approximately 3mm-4mm thick, with a 10mm gap between them used for energy efficiency and noise reduction. |
| Expanding Foam | A foam usually contained in an aerosol, that expands and hardens once sprayed from the container. It’s very useful for filling awkward gaps, cracks and cavities, and has many other uses from insulation to adhesion to waterproofing depending on the type of expanding foam. Be careful when using this product, due to its expanding nature, as it’s easy to use too much. |
| Expansion Joint | A gap left to allow expansion to occur in a structure. These are mainly in masonry walls or pathways, driveways etc. Expansion joints are usually filled with a flexible sealant |
| Eaves | The lower portion and edge of a roof that overhangs the walls. |
| Easement | A right held by one person to make use of the land of another. For example, land set aside for drainage and sewerage pipes. |
| Fascia. | Board fixed horizontally to the lower ends of the rafters, which guttering can be fixed to |
| Fixtures | Items that are attached to the property and cannot be removed without causing damage to the property, such as bathroom suites, built-in wardrobes and kitchen stoves. |
| Fittings | Items that can be removed without damaging a property, such as garden ornaments, lighting and drapes. |
| Jamb | The vertical and pieces of a door frame that the door is pushed against when closed. From the French Jambe for ‘leg’. |
| Joist | Big, strong, lengths of material, made from timber, concrete or metal, that support roofs, ceilings and floors. The floorboards in your home are attached to these. |
| Laminating (Timber) | The glueing of two or more pieces of timber to together to build up the timber thickness |
| Mechanical Fastener | A mechanical fastener is something used to assist in holding materials together. Some examples are Nails, Screws, Bolts. |
| Mitre Joint | A simple joint used for 90 degree joins such as in architraves,door jambs, gyprock cornice etc where the ends to be joined are cut at 45 degree angles |
| Riser | The back peice of a step which rises up to meet the underside of the tread above. It can also run down from the front of a concrete tread onto the tread below. This is called a Step & riser down. |
| Stringer | A timber or other support for cross members in decks. In stairs, the support on which the stair treads rest. |
| Tread | The flat part of a step that you walk on. |
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