A to Z Glossary of Home Improvement Terms - S
This page of our online a to z glossary is for home improvement terms beginning with the letter 'S'.
- Screed - A thin layer of mortar or concrete layed to finish a floor (make it level). Also, a small strip of wood used as a plastering guide.
- Shims - Thin strips of wood, usually wedge-shaped, used for levelling timber battens.
- Shingles - Thin pieces of wooden building material, with one end thicker than the other, which are overlapped to cover roofs and walls.
- Shoring - Timber which is used as a temporary support during repairs.
- Sill - Horizontal beam at the bottom of a door or window.
- Skirtingboard (Baseboard) - A border, normally of wood but sometimes of plaster or plastic, at the base of a wall where it meets the floor.
- Solder - an alloy of tin and lead which is used in plumbing. Also, to join the surfaces of metals together with fused solder.
- Spandrel - The triangular space enclosed by the curve of an arch.
- Stipple - To draw or texture a surface with dots.
- Strapwork - An Elizabethan form of decoration consisting of enriched interlacing bands, generally used on ceilings and occasionally on panels.
- Stretcher - The longest face of a brick.
- Stucco - External plastering, often moulded and painted to appear like stone.
- Stud Wall - An internal partition wall constructed from timber sections and covered with a finishing material such as plasterboard.
- Sugar Soap - Used to clean and degrease painted surfaces.
|
