Nail Pops
Caused by shrinkage of framing members after wallboard is installed.

Nail Set
A small tool used to hammer nail heads beneath the surface.

Nailer
A piece of wood used in any of several places to provide a nailing surface for other framing members.

Naptha
Naptha is used as a solvent or thinner in varnish and as a fuel. Petroleum naptha is also known as benzine.

Newel
The chief post at the foot of a staircase for the railing to end in. Also, the central support for the railing of a winding flight of stairs.

Nominal Dimension
The stated size of lumber, such as 2x4.

Nominal Size
The size by which a material is specified- The actual size is often slightly smaller.

Nonbearing Wall
A wall supporting no load other than its own weight.

Nosing
(1) The part of a stair tread which projects over the riser; any similar projection. (2) A term applied to the rounded edge of a board.

Notch
A crosswise rabbet at the end of a board.

O.C. (on center)
The measurement of spacing for studs, rafters, joists, and similar members in a building from the center of one member to the center of the next.

O.G. (ogee)
In building construction, a molding with a profile in the form of a letter S; having the outline of a reversed curve.

Offset
Ledge of recess where there is a change in material or wall thickness.

Oil Paint
A paint in which the vehicle is oil.

Oil Varnish
A varnish consisting of a hard resin combined with a drying oil and a drier thinned with a volatile solvent. After application, the solvent dries first by evaporation; then the oil dries by oxidation.

Open-Grained Wood
Common term for woods with large pores such as oak, ash, chestnut, and walnut. Also known as "coarse textured."

OSB
Oriented Strand Board. The newest chipboard that has the long axis of the strands of the wood chips aligned with the long dimension of the materials (such as the 8 foot measurement in a 4x8 sheet of osb) The old chip board was not structural while OSB is structural just like plywood.

Outcrops
Bare rock formations protruding from the surrounding soil.

Outlet Plate
A trade term describing the cover placed over an electrical outlet and screwed to the center of the outlet.

Outrigger
An extension of a rafter beyond the wall line. Usually a smaller member nailed to a larger rafter to form a cornice or roof overhand.

Over-Building
A term describing the practice of investing money in a home that is unlikely to be recovered, due to surrounding properties. An example would be adding three bedrooms to a home, for a total of six bedrooms, when surrounding homes only have three bedrooms.

Oxidation
The process of combining with oxygen.

Paint
A combination of pigments with suitable thinners or oils to provide decorative and protective coatings.

Panel
(1) A large, thin board or sheet of lumber, plywood, or other material. (2) A thin board with all its edges inserted in a groove of a surrounding frame of thick material. (3) A section of floor, wall, ceiling, or roof, usually prefabricated and of large size, handled as a single unit in the operations of assembly and erection.

Panel Door
A door made up of panels held in place by rails and stiles.

Panel Siding
Large sheets of plywood or hardboard which may serve as both sheathing and siding.

Paneling
Planks or sheets used as a finish wall or ceiling surface; often with a wood or simulated wood finish.

Parging
A thin coat of portland cement plaster used to smooth masonry walls.

Parquet Floor
A floor made of short pieces of hardwood laid in different design patterns.

Particleboard
A structural sheet material composed of compressed wood chips, flakes, or small wood particles such as sawdust, held together with special glues.

Parting Stop or Strip
A small wood piece used in the side and head jambs of double-hung windows to separate upper and lower sash.

Partition Wall
A wall that divides space but plays no part in a building's structural integrity.

Party Wall
Common wall that separates two properties

Patio
A recreational area constructed on the ground.

Pavers
Preformed concrete or brick units commonly used for driveways, patios, and sidewalks. Designed to be laid in a sand base. They come in many shapes and colors and may interlock in repeating patterns.

Pea Gravel
A fine grade of naturally rounded stones approximately 1/4 inch in diameter; used in gravel gardens and as flooring for children's play areas.

Pedestal Sink
A bathroom sink with a china bowl hung on the wall and supported by a china pedestal.

Pennsylvania Bluestone
A flagstone used to make attractive, durable paving for terraces and paths.

Penny
As applied to nails, it originally indicated the price per hundred. The term now serves as a measure of nail length and is abbreviated by the letter d.

Pergola
A garden passageway made of stone, brick, or wooden columns that support an overhead trellis on which vines are trained.

Perimeter Drain
An underground drain pipe around the footings to carry ground water away from the building.

Permits
Documents issued by the code enforcement office allowing work to be legally performed.

Phillips Head Screwdriver
Shaped in the form of a cross with a point

Pier
A masonry column.

Pigment
A substance which gives color, as in paint, enamel, dye, or lacquer.

Pilaster
A masonry or concrete pier built as an integral part of a wall.

Piles
Long posts driven into the soil in swampy locations or wherever it is difficult to secure a firm foundation.

Pilot Hole
A small hole used as the guide for a drill point when making a larger hole.

Pitch
The incline of a roof. It is the ratio of the total rise to the total width of a house. For example, an 8' rise and a 24' width make a 1/3 pitch roof.

Plank
A broad board, usually more than 1" thick; especially, one laid with its wide dimension horizontal and used as a bearing surface.

Plaster
A mixture of lime, sand, and water, used to cover outside and inside wall surfaces.

Plastic Concrete
Concrete that has not hardened.

Plat of Subdivision
A map of a subdivision indicating the block numbers; the location, boundary lines, dimensions and number of each lot; and the location and names of the existing and planned streets.

Plate
The horizontal framing members at the top and bottom of the wall studs.

Platform Framing
A method of framing in which each level is framed separately- The subfloor is laid for each floor before the walls above it are formed.

Plumb
Exactly perpendicular; vertical.

Plumb Bob
A weight hung from a string to indicate vertical.

Plumber's Putty
A pliable sealer often used around fixtures.

Ply
A term used to denote a layer or thickness, as of building or roofing paper, or a layer of wood in plywood.

Plywood
A wood product made by fastening together layers of veneer or a combination of veneer layers and a lumber core. The layers are joined with an adhesive. Adjoining plies are usually laid with grains at right angles to each other, and almost always an odd number of plies are used.

Plywood A/C or A/D
Plywood that is clear or knot-free on one side only.

Points
Also known as discount points, these are fees paid to a lender to increase the yield of a loan being offered by the lender.

Polybutylene Pipe
A modern type of flexible plastic pipe used for the distribution of potable water in a building.

Polyurethane Finish
A clear finish used for coating stained wood to provide it with protection and shine. It is durable and highly resistant to water.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
A type of plastic formulation. Thin, flexible sheets of PVC plastic are used for pond liners. Rigid PVC plastic pipe is used for water supply lines.

Porch
A floor extending beyond the exterior walls of a building. It may be covered and enclosed or open.

Portico
A covered entrance to a house, usually supported by decorative columns.

Portland Cement
Finely powdered limestone material used to bond the aggregate together in concrete and mortar.

Post
A timber set on end to support a wall, girder, or other structural member.

Powder Room
A trade term referring to a room containing a toilet and a lavatory, without a bathtub or shower.

Prehung Door
A door that is purchased as an assembled unit, already installed with hinges in a frame and pre-bored to receive the lockset.

Preservative
Any substance that, for a reasonable length of time, is effective in preventing the development and action of wood-rotting fungi, borers of various kinds, and insects that cause deterioration in wood.

Pressed Wood Products
A group of materials used in construction that are made from wood veneers, particles, or fibers bonded with an adhesive under heat and pressure.

Pressure Balance Control
A trade term used to describe a type of plumbing faucet. These faucets are considered a safety feature because they prevent the user from being scalded by hot water if there is a fluctuation in the cold water pressure.

Pressure Treated Lumber
A process of forcing preservatives into wood. One commonly used pressure treatment is waterborne chromated copper arsenate (CCA). CCA specified for above ground use is labeled LP-2 or .25. CCA rated for ground contact is labeled LP-22 or .40.

Primer
The first coat of paint in a job that consists of two or more coats; also, the paint used for such a coat.

Progress Payments
Periodic payments made as work progresses into defined stages, such as rough-in and final.

Pulls
A knob or other form attached to the front of a drawer by which the drawer can be opened.

Pumice
An extremely light and porous material used in powder form to smooth and polish surfaces.

Punch-Out
A trade term referring to the process of correcting deficiencies and making minor adjustments at the end of the job.

Purlin
In a roof, a horizontal timber which supports rafters, or one that supports the roof sheathing directly.

Putty
A soft, pliable type of cement, having nearly the consistency of dough. Used in sealing glass in sash, filling small holes and crevices in wood, and for similar purposes.

PVC Pipe
Poly Vinyl Chloride, a type of plastic pipe used in plumbing. Frequently used for drains and vents and occasionally used for cold water piping.

Quarter-Round
A molding which, in profile, appears as a quarter-circle.

Quotes
Firm prices given by contractors and suppliers for labor and materials.

Rabbet
An L-shaped groove cut into the edge of a board to receive the edge of another board and form a corner joint.

Radial
Extending out from the center, as the rays in a tree.

Radiant Heating
(1) A method of heating consisting of a forced hot water system with pipes placed in the floor, wall, or ceiling. (2) A method of heating with electrically heated panels.

Radon
A colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water.

Rafter
One of a series of structural members of a roof, designed to support roof loads. The rafters of a flat roof are sometimes called roof joists.

Rafter Cuts
A trade term for the angles cut on rafter boards when stick-building a roofing system.

Rail
The horizontal top, bottom, and middle framing pieces of a panel door. A top or middle bar extending over or between posts.

Raised Grain
A roughened condition of the surface of dressed lumber in which the hard summerwood is raised above the softer springwood but not torn loose from it.

Rake
The inclined edge of a gable roof. (The trim member is a rake molding.)

Rake
The angle on a gable roof design

Rasp
A rough-edged file used to shape wood.

Ready-Mix Concrete
Wet concrete that is ready to pour, transported in a truck from a concrete supplier.

Rebar (reinforcing bar)
Steel rods for reinforcing concrete.

Reflective Insulation
Sheet material in which one or both surfaces will conduct comparatively little heat. When used with the surfaces facing air spaces, such material reduces the heat radiation across the air space.

Rehab
Reconstruction or restoration of an existing rundown building.

Reinforcing
Steel rods or metal fabric placed in concrete slabs, beams, or columns to increase their strength.

Reinforcing Mesh
Steel wires welded into a grid of 6 or 10 inch squares and embedded in concrete. Ties a concrete pad together in the event of cracking.

Relief Valve
A type of valve designed to open if it senses excess pressure or temperature.

Remodeling
The practice of altering existing conditions and adding new space to existing structures.

Resawing
Sawing lumber again after the first sawing; specifically, sawing into boards or dimension lumber.

Resilient Flooring
Vinyl, vinyl-asbestos, and other man-made floor coverings that are flexible yet provide a smooth surface.

Resin
A sticky material obtained from the sap of certain trees and plants (natural resin) or made synthetically from coal-tar products and other organic substances (synthetic resin). Resins are widely used in making varnishes and paints.

Retaining Wall
A wall that holds earth in place vertically; a retaining wall can either be mortared of dry stacked.

Reveal
A term used for doors and windows that means the amount of space (gap) between the door and its frame. The reveal should be equal all around if the unit is installed properly.

Ribbon
A narrow board let into the studding to add support to joists.

Ridge
The horizontal line at which two roof planes slope down from that line.

Ridge Board
The board placed on edge at the ridge of the roof to support the upper ends of the rafters.

Ridgeboard/Ridgepole
The horizontal framing piece to which the rafters attach at the roof ridge.

Ripping
Sawing wood along the grain.

Rise
The vertical dimension of a roof or stair.

Riser
Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces between the treads of stairways.

Rock Wool
Insulation made from silica or other rock material.

Roll Roofing
Roof covering consisting of felt impregnated with asphalt.

Roof
The covering or upper part of a building.

Roof Sheathing
Boards or sheet material, fastened to the roof rafters, on which the shingles or other roof covering is laid.

Roofing
Material put on a roof to protect it from wind and water.

Roofing Felt
A black, paper-like product applied between the roof sheathing and the shingles.

Rosin
A hard resin used in making certain varnishes.

Rotary Cutting
A way of cutting veneer from a log. The log is fastened in a large lathe and a sharp knife cuts the veneer, much as a paper is unwrapped from a roll.

Rough Lumber
Lumber as it comes from the saw.

Rough-In
A trade term referring to the installation of material prior to enclosing the stud walls. Examples would be for plumbing, heating, and electrical systems. The bulk of these systems must be installed before the wall coverings are applied, so this is considered rough-in work.

Rout
To gouge out or make a furrow in, as in wood.

Router
An electric tool used to cut grooves and shape lumber into various moldings.

Rowlock
Position of bricks in which the bricks are laid on edge.

RPM
Revolutions per minute.

Rubber-Emulsion Paint
Paint with a vehicle of fine droplets of natural or synthetic rubber dispersed in water.

Rubbing Compound
An abrasive material used to produce a smoothly finished wood surface.

Rubble
Uncut stone.

Run
The horizontal distance covered by an inclined surface such as a rafter or stair.

Run
A line of pipes or cabinets.

Runoff
Water traveling across the ground surface, caused by heavy rains or irrigation.

R-Value
The ability of a material to resist the flow of heat.

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