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A to Z Glossary of Home Improvement Terms - C

This page of our online glossary is for home improvement terms beginning with the letter 'C'.

• Caisson - A watertight enclosure or casing sunk into the ground to allow work on-the foundations of a building - prevents the foundations being flooded.
• Cantilever - A beam or slab supported at one end only and counterbalanced.
• Cape Chisel - A narrow-bladed cold chisel which is for masonry work.
• Capital - The moulded or sculptured head of a column.
• Casement Window - A window which opens on hinges or pivots.
• Cavity Blocks - Pre-cast concrete blocks which are shaped to form a cavity wall.
• Cavity Wall - A hollow wall formed by two parallel masonry walls, separated by an air gap to form damp proof insulation.
• Chase - A groove which is cut in a masonry or plaster to accommodate pipes or electric cable ducts.
• Chimney Breast - A projection into a room which contains the flue and hearth of a fireplace.
• Circuit Breaker - A safety device which will open or break an electric circuit automatically when it becomes overloaded (too much current is flowing).
• Coffer - A recessed panel, usually ornamented, in the under-surface of a ceiling, barrel-vault or balcony.
• Conduit - A channel or pipe to carry water. Also, the pipe or casing through which electric cables are run.
• Contact Adhesive - A type of glue that is applied to the two surfaces that are to be joined together. When they are brought together they will bond instantly, without the use of clamps or support fixings.
• Coping Tile - Used on the top of a masonry wall.
• Corbel - A strong supporting member, of stone or timber, projecting from a wall to support a beam or other feature.
• Course - A horizontal layer of bricks or slates throughout a wall.
• Cove - A surface that is continuously concave. A quarter-circular hollow moulding.
• Cupola - A small dome-like roof or lantern. An ornate turret attached to a roof to give light to an interior or to contain a bell.
• Cylinder Lock - The lock is operated by a small key from the outside, and by a knob from the inside.