A

• Acrylic Paint: A fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion, often used for walls and ceilings due to its durability.

• Aggregate: Materials such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone used in concrete or as a base for pavements.

• Architrave: A moulded frame around a doorway or window.

• Attic: The space or room located directly below the roof of a building, often used for storage.

B

• Balustrade: A railing supported by balusters, especially on a staircase, balcony, or terrace.

• Batten: A thin strip of wood used to hold something in place or as a base for lath or plaster.

• Bay Window: A window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building, forming a bay in a room.

• Bi-Fold Doors: Doors that fold in half to open, often used for wardrobes or to divide spaces.

C

• Cavity Wall: A wall consisting of two parallel walls (or "leaves") with a gap (or "cavity") between them.

• Coving: Decorative moulding at the junction between walls and ceilings.

• Cornice: A moulded projection that crowns a building or wall, often found at the top of internal walls.

• Crown Moulding: Decorative trim used to cover the transition between the wall and the ceiling.

D

• Dado Rail: A horizontal moulding fixed to the wall around the perimeter of a room, typically at waist height.

• Dormer Window: A window that projects vertically from a sloping roof, creating additional space in the roof area.

• Dry Lining: A method of covering the interior face of a building with plasterboard or similar materials, without the use of wet plaster.

• Ducting: Tubes or pipes used to enclose and protect electrical cables, heating, or ventilation systems.

• Downlight: This is a recessed light fitting popular for its subtle appearance and versatility.

E

• Eaves: The part of a roof that overhangs the walls of a building.

• Engineered Wood: Composite wood made from layers of wood bonded together, used for flooring and furniture.

• Epoxy Resin: A durable adhesive and coating material used for floors, countertops, and repairs.

• Exterior Cladding: Material applied to the exterior of a building to protect it and improve its appearance.

F

• Fascia: A board running horizontally under a roof edge, covering the ends of the rafters.

• Fitted Wardrobe: A wardrobe built into the structure of a room, often custom-made to fit the space.

• Flashing: Thin pieces of impervious material installed to prevent water penetration at joints and roof penetrations.

• French Doors: A pair of doors with glass panes extending for most of their length, typically opening onto a garden or balcony.

G

• Gable: The triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof.

• Glazing: The installation of glass in windows or doors.

• Grouting: The process of filling the gaps between tiles with a hard-wearing paste.

• Gypsum Board: Another term for plasterboard, used for making walls and ceilings.

H

• Hardwood: Wood from broad-leaved trees, often used for flooring, furniture, and cabinetry due to its strength and durability.

• Header: A horizontal structural beam over a door or window opening.

• Herringbone: A distinctive V-shaped weaving pattern often used in flooring and tiling.

• HVAC: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems that regulate the indoor environment.

I

• Infill: Material used to fill gaps in construction, such as between bricks or panels.

• Insulation: Material used to reduce heat loss or sound transmission.

• Interior Designer: A professional who plans and decorates the interiors of buildings.

• I-Beam: A beam with an I- or H-shaped cross-section, used in construction for its high strength-to-weight ratio.

J

• Joist: A horizontal structural member used to support floors or ceilings.

• Jamb: The side post or surface of a doorway, window, or other opening.

• Joinery: The craft of assembling pieces of wood to produce complex items such as windows, doors, and stairs.

• Junction Box: An enclosure used to protect and house electrical connections.

K

• Knob: A rounded handle used to open doors, cupboards, or drawers.

• Kickboard: A recessed board at the bottom of a kitchen base unit, also known as a plinth.

• Kerb Appeal: The attractiveness of a property as viewed from the street.

• K-Render: A type of external rendering that is durable and often used for modern finishes on buildings.

L

• Laminate: A multi-layer synthetic flooring product fused together with a lamination process, designed to imitate wood or stone.

• Lintel: A horizontal support across the top of a door or window.

• Load-Bearing Wall: A wall that supports the weight of the structure above it.

• Louvre: An opening with horizontal slats that allow air and light to pass through but keep out rain and direct sunlight.

M

• MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard): An engineered wood product made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres.

• Mortar: A mixture used to bond bricks or stones together, often made of cement, sand, and water.

• Moulding: Decorative strips used to cover transitions between surfaces or for ornamental purposes.

• Mullion: A vertical bar between the panes of glass in a window.

N

• Newel Post: The central supporting pillar of a staircase.

• Nosing: The front edge of a step or stair tread that projects beyond the riser.

• Niche: A shallow recess, especially one in a wall to display a statue or other ornament.

• Neutral Colours: Colours such as beige, grey, or white that blend easily with other colours.

O

• Open Plan: A layout with few or no dividing walls between areas, often used in living spaces to create a sense of spaciousness.

• Ornate: Heavily decorated or embellished with intricate designs.

• Overboarding: Applying a new layer of plasterboard over an existing one to improve finish or insulation.

• Ogee: A type of decorative moulding with an S-shaped profile.

P

• Party Wall: A wall between two adjoining properties with different owners. Or a wall for a building with one owner on land with another owner.

• Plasterboard: Also known as drywall, a panel made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper, used to make interior walls and ceilings.

• Parquet: Flooring composed of wooden blocks arranged in a geometric pattern.

• Pendant Light: A light fixture that hangs from the ceiling, typically suspended by a cord, chain, or metal rod.

• Plywood: A type of engineered wood made from thin layers of wood veneer glued together at right angles.

Q

• Quoin: The external corner of a building, often made of large stones or bricks for decorative effect.

• Quartz Worktop: A durable and non-porous surface made from engineered quartz, commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms.

• Quarry Tiles: Unglazed ceramic tiles, typically used for floors due to their durability and slip resistance.

• Quatrefoil: A decorative element with four lobes or leaves, often used in architecture and design.

R

• Render: A coating applied to the exterior of buildings, typically composed of cement, sand, and water, to provide a smooth or textured finish.

• Riser: The vertical part of a step in a staircase.

• Recessed Lighting: Lighting fixtures installed into a hollow opening in the ceiling.

• Rubber Flooring: Flooring made from natural or synthetic rubber, known for its durability and slip resistance.

S

• Skirting Board: A wooden board running along the base of an interior wall, covering the joint between the wall and the floor.

• Stud Wall: A wall constructed from a frame of timber or metal studs, covered with plasterboard.

• Stair going: The horizontal distance between the first and last riser on a flight of stairs.

• Soffit: The underside of a building element, such as the eaves of a roof.

• Sash Window: A window with one or more movable panels, or "sashes," that slide vertically or horizontally.

• Spotlight: Creates a concentrated beam of light, focused on a particular chosen place.

T

• Tiling: The process of laying tiles on floors, walls, or other surfaces.

• Transom: A horizontal beam or bar above a door or window.

• Tongue and Groove: A method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood.

• Trompe-l'œil: An art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that depicted objects exist in three dimensions.

U

• Undercoat: A preparatory coating put on materials before the final coat of paint.

• Uplighting: Lighting that directs light upwards, often used to highlight architectural features.

• Underfloor Heating: A heating system installed beneath the floor to provide radiant heat.

• Utility Room: A room for domestic tasks such as laundry, typically containing appliances like washing machines and dryers.

V

• Varnish: A transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing.

• Vinyl Flooring: A synthetic flooring material made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), known for its durability and water resistance.

• Vaulted Ceiling: A ceiling that arches upward to create a sense of space and grandeur.

• Venetian Plaster: A wall and ceiling finish consisting of plaster mixed with marble dust, applied in thin layers and polished to a smooth finish.

W

• Wainscoting: Wooden panelling that lines the lower part of the walls of a room.

• Wallpaper: A material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes and buildings.

• Wet Room: A waterproof bathroom with an open shower area, designed to prevent water from escaping into other parts of the room.

• Wrought Iron: A tough, malleable form of iron often used for decorative work on gates, railings, and furniture.

X

• X-Brace: A diagonal brace used to support and stabilise structures, often in wooden framing.

• XPS Insulation: Extruded polystyrene foam insulation, known for its moisture resistance and strength.

Y

• Yoke: A horizontal timber or beam, often used to support rafters in a roof.

• Yellowing: The discolouration of paint or varnish over time, often due to exposure to sunlight or chemicals.

Z

• Zoning: Dividing a space into different areas for specific purposes, often used in open-plan designs.

• Zigzag Pattern: A pattern with sharp angles creating a series of connected "V" shapes.

• Zinc Cladding: A type of metal cladding made from zinc, known for its durability and aesthetic appeal.

• Zero VOC Paint: Paint that contains no volatile organic compounds, making it more environmentally friendly and safe for indoor use.