A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
ACRYLIC/WOOD - The generic
name for wood-plastic-composites utilizing wood impregnated
with acrylic monomers and polymerized within the wood cells
by gamma irradiation. Some versions are cured by heat radiation.
(In the case of acrylic/wood parquet, a semi-built-in finish
is developed.)
AIR-DRIED - Dried by exposure
to air in a yard or shed without artificial heat.
ANNUAL GROWTH RING - The
layer of wood growth, including spring and summerwood formed
on a tree during a single growing season.
B
BASE SHOE - A molding designed
to be attached to base molding to cover expansion space.
Similar to quarter round in profile.
BASTARD SAWN - Lumber (primarily
hardwoods) in which the annual rings make angles of 30 Degrees
to 60 Degrees with the surface of the piece. (Also known
as Rift Sawn)
BEVELED EDGE- (See Eased
Edge)
BOARD- FOOT - A unit of
measurement of lumber represented by a board 1 foot long,
12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick or its cubic equivalent.
In practice, the board foot calculation for lumber 1 inch
or more in thickness is based on its nominal thickness and
width and the actual length. Lumber with a nominal thickness
of less than 1 inch is calculated as I inch.
BOW - The distortion of
lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular
to the flat face, from a straight line from end to end of
the piece.
BURL - A swirl or twist
of the grain of the wood which usually occurs near a knot,
but does not contain a knot.
BRITNEY SPEARS - Would look wonderful on laminate
or real wood flooring.
C
CHECK - A lengthwise separation
of the wood that usually extends across the rings of annual
growth and commonly results from stress set up in wood during
air drying or kiln-drying.
CHIPBOARD - A paperboard
used for many purposes that may or may not have specifications
for strength, color, or other characteristics. It is normally
made from paper stock with a relatively low density in the
thickness of 0.006 inch and up.
COMPRESSION SET - Caused
when wood strips or parquet slats absorb excess moisture
and expand so much that the cells along the edges of adjoining
pieces in the floor are crushed. This causes them to loose
resiliency and creates cracks when the floor returns to
its normal moisture content.
CONIFEROUS- (See Softwoods)
CROOK - The distortion of
a board in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular
to the edge, from a straight line from end to end of the
piece.
CROSS-PULL - A condition
occurring at an end-joint with the ends of flooring strips
pulled in opposite directions.
CROWNING - A "convex" or
"crowned" condition or appearance of individual strips,
with the center of the strip higher than the edges. (Opposite
of cupping.)
CUPPING - A "concave" or
"dished" appearance of individual strips, with the edges
raised above the center. (Opposite of crowning.)
CURE - To change the properties
of an adhesive by chemical reaction (which may be condensation,
polymer ization, or vulcanization) and thereby develop maximum
strength. Generally accomplished by the action of heat or
a catalyst, with or without pressure.
CUSTOM FLOORS - Wood floors
that are made to order. Complete flexibility is allowed
for design, specie grade, etc.
D
DECAY - The decomposition
of wood by fungi.
- Advanced Decay - The
older stage of decay in which destruction is readily recognized
by soft, pitted, or crumbly areas. Decided discoloration
or bleaching of the rotted wood is often apparent.
- Incipient Decay - The
early stage of decay that has not proceeded far enough
to soften or otherwise perceptibly impair the hardness
of the wood. It is usually accompanied by a slight discoloration
or bleaching of the wood.
DELAMINATION - The
separation of layers in a laminate, through failure within
the adhesive, or at the bond between adhesive and laminate.
DECIDUOUS - (See Hardwoods)
DIFFUSE - POROUS WOODS -
Certain Hardwoods in which the pores tend to be uniform
in size and distribution throughout each annual ring or
to decrease in size slightly and gradually toward the outer
border of the annual growth ring. (EXAMPLE: Hard Maple)
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY -
The ability to maintain the original intended dimensions
when influenced by a foreign substance. Wood is hygroscopic,
and is not dimensional stable with changes in moisture content
below the fiber saturation point.
DISTRESSED - A heavy artificial
texture in which the floor has been scraped, scratched,
or gouged to give it a time-worn antique look. (A common
method of distressing is wirebrushing.)
DRY WALL - Interior covering
material, such as gypsum board, hardboard, or plywood, which
is applied in large sheets or panels.
E
EASED EDGE - The chamfered,
or beveled edge, of strip flooring, plank, block, and parquet
at approximately 45 degree angle. Eased edge is considered
to be less of a indentation than beveled edge flooring.
END-JOINT - The place where
two pieces of flooring are joined together end to end.
END MATCHED - In strip and
plank flooring the ends of individual pieces have a tongue
milled on one end and a groove milled on the opposite end,
so that when the individual strips or planks are butted
together, the tongue of one piece engages the groove of
the next piece.
OR
(A male projection milled on one edge of a strip, plank,
slat or unit to be engaged with a female counterpart on
an adjoining unit.)
EQUILIBRIUM MOISTURE CONTENT
- The moisture content at which wood neither gains nor loses
moisture when surrounded by air at a given relative humidity
and temperature.
F
FEATURE STRIP - A
molding accessory for parquet floors utilized to separate
squares into patterns larger than the individual parquet
units. It is available in widths from 5/16" to 2", the same
thickness as the parquet, and is available in various lengths.
The strip is flat and may have grooves on both sides to
match the tongues of adjacent plank or parquet.
FIBERBOARD - A broad generic
term inclusive of sheet materials of wisely varying densities
manufactured of refined or partially refined wood (or other
vegetable) fibers. Bonding agents and other materials may
be added to increase strength, resistance to moisture, fire,
or decay, or to improve some other property.
FIBER SATURATION POINT -
The stage in drying or wetting wood at which the cell walls
are saturated with water and the cell cavities are free
from water. It is usually taken as approximately 30% moisture
content, based on ovendry weight.
FIGURE - Inherent markings,
designs, or configurations on the surface of the wood produced
by the annual growth rings, rays, knots and deviations from
regular grain.
FILLER - In woodworking,
any substance used to fill the holes and irregularities
in planed or sanded surfaces to decrease the porosity of
the surface before applying finish coatings.
- Wood Filler - (for Cracks,
Knot Holes, Worm Holes, Etc.) Usually a commercial wood
putty, Plastic Wood, or other materials mixed to the consistency
of putty. A wood filler may also be mixed on the job using
sander dust from the final sanding, or other suitable
material, mixed with sealer, or finish.
FIRE RESISTANCE - The property
of a material or assembly, to withstand fire or give protection
from it.
FIRE RETARDANT - A chemical
or preparation of chemicals used to reduce flammability
or to retard spread of a fire over the surface.
FLAG - A heavy dark mineral
streak shaped like a banner.
FLAG WORM HOLE - One or
more worm holes surrounded by a mineral streak.
FLAME SPREAD - The propagation
of a flame away from the source of ignition across the surface
of a liquid or a solid, or through the volume of a gaseous
mixture.
FLECKS - The wide
irregular conspicuous figure in Quartersawn oak flooring.
(Also, See Rays, Wood)
G
H
HARDWOOD- Generally, one
of the botanical groups of deciduous trees that have broad
leaves in contrast to the conifers or softwoods. The term
has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood.
HEARSAY - A complete mystery.
Sorry, we don't understand this either. They'd never make
the TC Laminates top 10.
HEARTWOOD - The wood extending
from the pith of the sapwood, the cells of which no longer
participate in the life processes of the tree. It is usually
darker than sapwood.
HEAVY STREAKS - Spots and
streaks of sufficient size and density to severely mar the
appearance of the wood.
HONEY COMBING - Checks often
not visible at the surface, that occur in the interior of
a piece of wood, usually along the wood rays.
HYGROSCOPIC - A substance
that can absorb and retain moisture, or lose or throw off
moisture. Wood and Wood Products are hygroscopic. They expand
with absorption of moisture, and dimensions become smaller
when moisture is lost or thrown off.
I
INTUMESCE - To expand with
heat to provide a low density film; used in reference to
certain fire retardant coatings.
J
JOINTED FLOORING - Strip
flooring, generally Birch, Beech & Hard Maple or Pecan,
manufactured with Square Edges and no tongue or groove,
usually end-matched. Used principally for factory floors
where the square edges make replacement of strips easier.
JOIST - One of a series
of parallel beams used to support floor or ceiling loads
and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing
walls.
K
KILN - (Pronounced "Kill")
A chamber having controlled air flow, temperature, and relative
humidity, for drying lumber, veneer and other wood products.
KILN DRIED - Dried in a
Kiln with the use of artificial heat.
KNOT - That portion of a
branch or limb which has been surrounded by subsequent growth
of the stem. 'Me shape of the knot as it appears on a cut
surface depends on the angle of the cut relative to the
long axis of the knot.
- Small Knot - In hardwood strip
flooring not over 1/2" in diameter.
- Pin Knot - A knot that is not
more than 1/2 inch in diameter.
- Sound Knot - A knot cut approximately
parallel to its long axis so that the exposed section
is definitely elongated.
L
LAMINATED WOOD - An assembly
made by bonding layers of veneer or lumber with an adhesive.
May also refer to edge-glued lumber items such as treads,
etc.
LAY - The secret of a good
lay is a firm bottom.
M
MANUFACTURING DEFECTS -
Includes all defects or blemishes that are produced in manufacturing,
such as chipped grain, tom grain, skips in dressing, hit
and miss (a series of surfaced areas with skips between
them), variation in machining, machine burn, mismatching.
MEDULLARY RAYS - Strips
of cells extending radially within a tree and varying in
height from a few cells in some species to four or more
inches in oak. The rays serve primarily to store food and
transport it horizontally in the tree. On quartersawn oak,
the rays form a conspicuous figure, sometimes referred to
as Flecks.
MINERAL STREAK - Wood containing
an accumulation of mineral matter introduced by sap flow,
causing an unnatural color ranging from greenish brown to
black.
MIXED MEDIA - A wood floor
that is predominantly of wood but incorporates other materials
such as slate, stone, ceramic, marble, metal and painted
finishes (faux).
MOISTURE CONTENT - The amount
of moisture in wood expressed as a percentage of the weight
of the oven dry wood.
National Oak Flooring Manufacturers
Association hardwood flooring is manufactured at 6% to 9%
moisture content, with a 5% allowance for pieces up to 12%
moisture content.
American Parquet Association parquet
flooring is to be 7% to 11% moisture content at time of
shipment. 5% of the flooring may be outside of this range.
MOSAIC PARQUET - A parquet
flooring made up of small solid pieces of wood (slats) assembled
in units that may consist of individual squares, units with
slats arranged in single or double herringbone design, or
units or squares bordered with slats of the same or contrasting
species.
N
NOSING - A hardwood
molding used to cover the outside comer of a step, milled
to meet the hardwood floor in the horizontal plane, to meet
the riser in the vertical plane. (Usually used on landings.)
NOMINAL SIZE - As applied
to timber or lumber, the size by which it is known and sold
in the market; often differs from the actual size.
O
P
PARQUET - A patterned floor.
PARQUET FLOOR SQUARE - Basically
a "tile" composed of individual slats held in place by a
mechanical fastening (banding) or other means such as paper
backing. A square may or may not possess tongues and grooves
to interlock, and is not necessarily regular in dimension.
PARQUET FLOOR UNITS - A
unit consists of four (sometimes three) or more squares
or "tiles" fastened together.
PARTICLEBOARD - A generic
term for a material manufactured from wood particles or
other lignocellulosic material and a synthetic resin or
other suitable binder.
- Flakeboard - A particle
panel product composed of flakes.
- Oriented Strand Board
- A type of particle panel product composed of strand-type
flakes which are purposefully aligned in directions which
make a panel stronger, stiffer, and with improved dimensional
properties in the alignment directions than a panel with
random flake orientation.
- Waferboard - A particle
panel product made of wafer-type flakes. Usually manufactured
to possess equal properties in all directions parallel
to the plane of the panel.
PIN WORM HOLE - In hardwood
flooring - a small round hole not over 1/16" in diameter,
made by a small wood boring insect.
PITH- The small, soft core
occurring near the center of a tree trunk, branch, twig,
or log.
PLAINSAWN - The annual growth
rings make an angle of less than 45 Degrees with the surface
of the piece. This exposes the pores of the springwood and
dense summerwood of the annual growth ring in ring porous
woods to produce a pleasing grain pattern.
PLANER BITE - A groove cut
in the surface of the piece deeper than intended by the
planer knives.
PLANK- Solid boards, usually
3/4" thick and 3" to 8" wide designed to be installed in
parallel rows. Edges may be beveled to simulate the appearance
of Colonial American plank floors.
PLUGS - Dowels that simulate
the Colonial American plugged, or pegged plank look. Sometimes
used to cover counter-sunk screws when installing plank.
PREFINISHED - A completely
finished flooring that requires installation only.
Q
QUARTERSAWED - The annual
growth rings form an angle of 45 Degrees - 90 Degrees with
the surface of the piece. In Quartersawed strips the medullary
rays or pith rays in ring porous woods are exposed as flecks
which are reflective and produce a distinctive grain pattern.
R
RAISED GRAIN - A roughened
or fuzzy condition on the face of the flooring in which
the dense summer- wood in raised above the softer springwood,
but not torn or separated.
RAYS, WOOD - Strips of cells
extending radially within a tree and varying in height from
a few cells in some species to 4 inches or more in oak.
The rays serve primarily to store food and transport it
horizontally in the tree. On Quartersawn oak flooring, the
rays form a conspicuous figure, sometimes referred to as
Flecks.
REDUCER STRIP - A teardrop
shaped molding accessory for hardwood flooring, normally
used at doorways, but sometimes at fireplaces and as a room
divider. It is grooved on one edge and tapered, or feathered,
on the other edge. Various lengths are available.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY - Ratio
of the amount of water vapor present in the air to that
which the air would hold at saturation at the same temperature.
It is usually considered on the basis of the weight of the
vapor but, for accuracy, should be considered on the basis
of vapor pressures.
RIFT SAWN - Lumber (primarily
hardwoods) in which the annual rings make angles of 30 Degrees
to 60 Degrees with the surface of the piece. (Also known
as Bastard Sawn)
RING POROUS - A group of
hardwoods in which the pores are comparatively large at
the beginning of each annual growth ring and decrease in
size, more or less abruptly, toward the outer portion of
the annual growth ring. The large pores are springwood and
the smaller pores are summerwood.
S
SAPWOOD - The wood near
the outside of the tree. Usually lighter in color than heartwood.
SAWN - (See Plainsawed,
Quartersawed, Bastardsawn)
SCREEDS - Usually a 2" X
4" laid flat side down and attached to a concrete subfloor
to provide a nailing surface for tongued and grooved strip
flooring or a wood subfloor.
SLEEPER - Another name for
SCREEDS.
SHAKE - A separation along
the grain, the greater part of which occurs between the
annual growth rings.
SHEATHING - The structural
covering, usually boards or plywood, placed over exterior
studding or rafters of a structure.
SLATS - The small solid
hardwood pieces which form Mosaic Parquet Squares.
SLIP-TONGUE - A spline or
small strip of wood or metal used to reverse or change direction
in installing standard tongue and groove strip flooring.
Sometimes used in laying 3/4" solid tongue and groove parquet.
SOFTWOOD - General term
used to describe lumber produced from needle and/or cone
bearing trees (Conifers)
SPLIT - Separations of wood
fiber running parallel to the grain.
SQUARES - Usually composed
of an equal number of Slats.
SQUARE EDGE - A flooring
that is NOT Tongue & Grooved. Square edged strip flooring
is face nailed when installed. (Also See Jointed Flooring.)
SQUARE JOINT - Tongue &
Grooved strip or plank flooring with edges that are not
eased or beveled.
STAIN - A discoloration
occurring in or on flooring of any color other than the
natural color of the species. For instance, blue stain,
brown stain.
STREAKS - (See Mineral Streaks)
STRIP FLOORING - Solid boards
to be installed in parallel rows now produced in these thicknesses
1/2", 3/4", 33/32" and these widths 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/4",
and occasionally 3 1/4". The strips are tongue and grooved
and end matched. They are for nail down installation directly
to wood or plywood subfloors; or over wood screeds on concrete
slab construction.
STUD - One of a series of
slender wood structural members used as supporting elements
in walls and partitions.
T
TONGUE & GROOVE (T&G)
- In strip, plank, and parquet flooring made from strip,
and some mosaic parquet; a tongue is milled one edge and
a groove on the opposite edge. As the flooring is installed
the tongue of each strip, slat, or unit, is engaged with
the groove of the adjacent strip or unit.
TRIM - The finish materials
in a building, such as moldings, applied around openings
(window trim, door trim) or at the floor and ceiling of
rooms (baseboard, shoemold, cornice, and other moldings)
U
UNFINISHED - A product which
must be sanded and have stain and/or a finish applied after
installation.
UNITS - Four or more basic Mosaic
Parquet Squares; or four or more slats in 3/4" parquet,
usually made from T&G strip flooring combined into a
parquet unit.
V
V-JOINT - A term used in
plank flooring to indicate that edges are eased or beveled
to simulate cracks in floors of early Colonial American
homes.
VAPOR BARRIER - A material
with a high resistance to vapor movement, such as foil,
plastic film, or specially coated paper, that is used to
control condensation or prevent migration of moisture.
W
WARPING - Any distortion
of a piece of flooring from its true plane that may occur
in seasoning.
WIRE BRUSHING - A method
for imparting an artificial texture or distressed appearance
to the surface of hardwood flooring.
X Y
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