Glossary of Terms

A, B & C

• Abrasion resistance – the ability of surface to resist being worn away by friction or rubbing.
• Acid – the opposite of alkali, with a PH of less than 7, where 7 is neutral.
• Adhesion – when two surface are held together.
• Acclimatising – allowing a wood floor to adjust to the humidity in a room; wood expands and contracts in response to the amount of moisture in the air.
• Alkali – the opposite of acid, with a pH of 7 or above, where 7 is neutral.
• Bevelled edge – the edge of a wood plank, which has been a groove or ‘v’ joint between boards when they are laid.
• Bond – the adherence of one material to another.
• Brushed – a manufacturing process, usually carried out by copper brushes that results in a textured surface.
• Ceramic – a tile made of a mixture of clay, earthen elements, powders and water, fired at a high temperature. Often has a glazed finish.
• Crowning – a wood floor that has reacted to moisture, so that the strip/s in the centre of the planks are higher than the edge. The opposite of ‘cupping’.
• Cushion-edged tile – tile on which the facial edges have a distinct curvature that results in a slightly recessed joint.
• Cushion-edged – tile edges with a distinct curvature, resulting in a slightly recessed joint.
• Cupping – a wood floor that has reacted to moisture, so that the plank has a concave appearance, i.e. the outer strips are raised above the centre. The opposite of ‘crowning’.

D, E & F

• (DPM) – Damp proof membrane (or DPC/damp-proof course) – a horizontal barrier designed to prevent moisture rising through the subfloor by capillary action.
• Distressed – a manufacturing process used to give a wood floor or tile a lived-in look. 
• Efflorescence – surface residue caused by the crystallization of soluble salts.
• Encaustic – tile decorated with coloured clays inlaid and fired.
• Engineered wood floor – a multi-layered wood flooring board comprising of a real wood surface layer, a central softwood core and a counter balancing backing of softwood.
• Epoxy grout – a two-part grout system consisting of epoxy resin and epoxy hardener with impervious qualities, stain, and chemical resistance. Used to fill joints between tiles.
• Expansion joint – a joint which makes allowance for the movement of jointed parts, without distortion.
• Finish – a protective coating applied to a wood floor. 
• Floating floor – a wood floor that is not nailed or glued to the subfloor. Flooring planks are connected by using adhesive or mechanical connectors.

G, H & I

• Grade – a term used to determine and define the quality and structural properties of the raw timber.
• Hand scraped – a manufacturing process used to undulate the surface of wood floors to create an uneven/aged finish.
• Hard wax oil – a wood floor surface-finishing treatment made from natural vegetable oils mixed with wax.
• Hardwood – one of the botanical groups of deciduous trees which have broad leaves, in contrast to softwoods or conifers.
• Herringbone – a traditional parquet floor pattern.
• Honed – a smooth surface with little or no gloss.
• Humidity – the amount of water vapour in the air.

J, K & L

• Joist – one of a series of parallel beams used to support ceiling or floor loads; supported in turn by larger beams, bearing walls or girders.
• Knot – a dark, circular area of wood; forms when branches are broken off or cut and grain grows around the base.
• Lacquer – a type of wood floor finish used as a sealer.
• Limestone – a sedimentary carbonate rock, composed mainly of calcite and sometimes dolomite.
• Load bearing – floors that bear the weight and force resting upon it.

M, N & O

• Matt – a non-glossy surface that reflects very little light.
• Moisture content – the amount of moisture in wood shown as a percentage of the weight of oven-dried wood.
• Mosaics – small tiles attached to a mesh backing.

P, Q & R

• Parquet – a wood flooring term often used to describe a design with three strips across each plank surface.
• Plank – an individual length of wood flooring.
• Polished – a glossy surface.
• Porcelain – a tile made from kaolin clay, fired at high temperatures.
• Porosity – the state of being porous.
• Prefinished – a protective finish applied during the manufacturing process.
• Reclaimed – timber salvaged from another location. Reclaimed-look is used to describe a product/finish with an aged appearance.
• Relative humidity – the amount of water vapour present in the air.
• Rustic grade – timber with knots and abundant colour variation in its sapwood and heartwood.

S, T & U

• Sapwood – the wood near the outside of a tree – usually lighter in tone than heartwood.
• Scotia – a concave strip of timber used to cover expansion gaps left around the edge of a wood floor.
• Screed – a levelling compound used to create a clean, level subfloor.
• Sealer – a protective film or penetrative coating.
• Species – the type of tree. For example, oak.
• Staining – changing the colour of timber by applying a dye/pigment.
• Strip – solid wood floors that are less than five inches in width.
• Subfloor – the surface that a floor or tile sits upon. For example, concrete or floorboards.
• Substrate – the underlying support or subfloor.
• Texture – the look and feel of the surface of a floor.
• Threshold – a piece of stone or wood used under a door between two rooms.
• Tongue & groove – a tongue milled into one edge and a groove cut into the opposite edge of a wood flooring plank. These are engaged to join together a wood floor.
• Tumbled – a manufacturing process that creates softer, rounded edges and an aged appearance.
• Underlay –  a layer of cushioning material used under a floor to provide protection, support and, sometimes, acoustic benefits. Generally made from rubber, foam or felt.
• Unfinished – a wood floor that has not been sealed during the manufacturing process.
• UV – ultraviolet light.

V, W, X, Y & Z

• Vapour barrier – a material with high resistance to vapour, used to control condensation or prevent migration of moisture.
• Water-based – a finish that has solids suspended in water.
• Waterproof membrane – a membrane used to provide waterproofing benefits over a subfloor.
• Wax – a type of wood floor finish, made from plant or animal origin, used to create a soft lustre.
• Wire brushing – a manufacturing method used to create a distressed appearance on the surface of a wood floor.