¼" round - A narrow, flexible piece of molding that covers the joint between the baseboard and the floor. Sometimes called shoe molding.

Apron - The bottom piece of window casing that finishes the window frame beneath the sill.

Backerboard - see cement board

Baseboard - Trim running along the bottom of a wall to cover gaps between the wall and the floor to protect the bottom of the wall.

Brickpointing - Technique used to repair misaligned, broken or crumbling bricks.

Casing - Trim that surrounds a door or window opening.

Cement board - A type of backerboard made from a cement base and coated with fiberglass mesh. Used instead of drywall as an underlayment for ceramic tile installations.

Caulk - Any of several compounds used to seal around sinks, bathtubs and other surface gaps or joints. Applied in semi-liquid form.

Circuit - Continuous loop of electrical current flowing along wires or cables.

Crown molding - Decorative molding installed where wall meets ceiling.

Dead bolt - A bolt on a lock that is moved by turning a key or knob; more secure than a spring activated lock.

Drywall  (sheetrock / gypsum board) - A sheet product made of paper faces covering a core of gypsum that is used to build interior walls and ceilings.

Flaoting Floor - Flooring, such as laminate click and lock strips, that is not nailed or glued to the subfloor.

Framing - The structure of a wall and floor. This term includes all the wooden parts  including studs, joists etc.

Glazing - Material used to seal the glass pane in the window sash.

Greenboard - A moisture resistant drywall product made for wet installations, such as baths and showers. Greenboard is not waterproof.

Grout - A mortar mix used to fill the joints between set tiles. Available in unsanded mixtures for narrow joints and sanded mixtures for wider joints.

Insulation - Material used in walls to limit the transmission of thermal energy or sound.

Isolation Membrane - Synthetic sheet material installed over concrete floors and under cementboard to protect ceramic tile installations from movement that may occur.

Jamb - The wooden frame around a door or window opening.

Joint Compound - A plaster-like product that is used to conceal the joints between drywall panels.

Joists - A horizontal piece of lumber used to support a ceiling or floor.

Laminate - Flooring Designed to look like hardwood flooring and made of a composite of laminated materials.

Level - Having all surfaces exactly on the same plane with no part higher or lower than the other.

Load bearing - A wall that supports the weight of the floor above it. A wall never to be removed without a contractor and structural engineer.

Lockset - The hardware used for keeping a door closed (doorknobs, lock, bolt and strikeplate).

Mastic - An adhesive used to glue tiles.

Plywood - A sheet product made from thin layers of wood glued in a sandwich.

Primer - A base coat applied to walls before painting.

Resilient Flooring - Tile or sheet flooring typically made of vinyl, rubber or linoleum.

Roughing in - The process of installing the first stage of plumbing piping and electrical wiring that will be hidden inside the walls.

Sash - The wood frame around a window that holds the glass in place.

Service panel - Metal box where electrical current is split into individual circuits protected by circuit breakers or fuses.

Sill - Flat edge below of a window or of an exterior door frame.

Strike plate - The metal hardware attached to the doorframe that receives the bolt from a lockset.

Stud - Wood, usually 2 x 4s, that is installed vertically to frame the walls.

Subfloor - A layer of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) fastened to the floor joists. The subfloor should provide a clean and even surface for the installation of the finished flooring.

Taping - The process of applying tape to drywall joints in preparation for application of joint compound (plaster).

Tongue & groove - A style of flooring where the strips interlock by fitting the protruding tongue of a strip into the groove of the next.

Vapor barrier - Synthetic sheet material (most commonly 6-mil polyethylene plastic) installed over the studs and under the drywall. Discourages moisture generated in living spaces from migrating into stud cavities where it condenses and causes wood to rot and mold to grow.