| Term | Definition |
| FA | Fresh Air. |
| FAA | 1. Federal Arbitration Act. 2. Federal Aviation Administration. |
| Fabric | 1. The basic structure of a building. 2. Texture and quality, of textiles. 3. A woven cloth of organic or inorganic filaments, threads, or yarns. 4. A material that resembles cloth, like steel reinforcing mesh. |
| Fabric, Form | Welded-wire fabric used to reinforce concrete while it is setting and gaining sufficient strength to be self-supporting. |
| Fabrication | The construction, processing, or assembly of parts. |
| Fabrication, Metal | The building, construction, or manufacture of metal structures or devices. |
| Fabricut | Fabric vendor with broad assortment. Moderately priced. (9303 East 46th Street, Tulsa, OK 74145-4895) |
| Facade | An exterior face of a building. |
| Face | 1. The front or façade. 2. The exposed surface of a wall. 3. The long narrow side of a brick; the exposed surface of a wall or masonry unit. 4. The surface designed to be left exposed to view. 5. The more or less vertical surface of rock exposed by blasti |
| Face Amount | The sum of money stated on a check, bond, note or other instrument, exclusive of interest accumulations. |
| Face Board | An exterior trim board of a roof soffit system. |
| Face Brick | A brick selected on the basis of appearance and durability for use in the exposed surface of a wall. |
| face fabric | The principal fabric of curtains or draperies, facing the interior of the room. |
| Face Frame | In cabinetwork, the front framework from which the doors are hung and drawers are inserted. |
| Face Layer | The outer layer of gypsum board in multilayer applications. |
| Face Mounted Tile | Tile assembled into units or sheets and bonded together to facilitate handling. |
| Face nail | To install nails into the vertical face of a bearing header or beam. |
| Face of Weld | The exposed surface of a weld made by an arc or gas welding process on the side from which the welding was done. |
| Face Reinforcement | Reinforcement of weld at the side of the joint from which welding was done. |
| Face Seam | A carpet seam, either sewed or cemented, that is made without turning the entire carpet over or face-down; made during installation where it is not possible to make a back seam. |
| Face Shell | The side wall of a hollow concrete masonry or clay masonry unit. |
| Face-Mounted Tile | Tile with paper applied to the face of the tile and removed with water prior to grouting. |
| Face-Nailing | To nail perpendicular to the surface or to the junction of the pieces joined; also called Direct Nailing. |
| Faced concrete | To finish the front and all vertical sides of a concrete porch, step(s), or patio. Normally the "face" is broom finished. |
| Faced Wall | A wall in which the masonry facing and the backing are of different materials and are so bonded as to act together under load. |
| Facet | A small flat surface. |
| Facework | Pipe valves and manifold fittings connecting the filter to the circulation lines. |
| Facia | See Fascia. |
| Facia or fascia | A flat board, band, or face, used sometimes by itself but usually in combination with moldings, often located at the outer face of the cornice. |
| Facial Defect | That portion of the facial surface of the tile which is readily observed to be nonconforming and which will detract from the aesthetic appearance or serviceability of the installed tile. |
| Facilities Planning | Planning for the long-term use of a building, which may include furnishings, equipment, operations, maintenance, renovation, expansion, and life- cycle planning. |
| Facility | A property or building that is built, installed, or established to perform a particular function, such as a factory, university, or airport. |
| Facility Design | The architectural and engineering design of a facility. |
| Facility Management | The management, maintenance, and operation of a facility. |
| Facility Requirements | The operational needs of a facility. |
| Facility Services | The operational requirements of a facility including capital, personnel, materials, transportation, and public utilities. |
| Facing | Any masonry forming an integral part of a wall used as a finished surface; compare with Veneer. |
| Facing brick | The brick used and exposed on the outside of a wall. Usually these have a finished texture. |
| Facing Tile Institute (FTI) | Box 8880, Canton, Ohio 44711, (216) 488-1211. |
| Factor of Safety | The ratio of ultimate strength to the working stress of a material. |
| Factored Load | The load imposed on a member multiplied by appropriate factors, used to design reinforced concrete members. |
| Factory | A building or buildings containing plant or equipment for manufacturing of machinery or goods. |
| Factory and Shop Lumber | Lumber intended to be cut up for use in further manufacture. |
| Factory Edge | See Edge, 5. |
| Factory Finished Flooring | Flooring that has been manufactured in a factory and is ready to be installed without any further work needed on its surface. |
| Factory Floor | See Industrial Wood Floor. |
| Factory Mutual | An agency of the insurance industry that sets standards for fire safety in buildings, of which compliance is a prerequisite for fire insurance. 1151 Boston-Providence Turnpike, Norwood, Massachusetts 02062, (617) 762-4300. |
| Factory Square | 108 square feet (10 square meters) of roofing material. |
| Fade-O-Meter | Mechanism used to artificially reproduce effect of sunlight on paint. |
| Fading | Reduction in brightness of color. |
| FAF | Forced air furnace |
| Fahrenheit | A scale for registering temperature where freezing is 32° above zero and boiling is 212°. |
| FAIA | Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. |
| Faience Mosaic | Faience tile that are less than 6 in. by 2 in. facial area, commonly 5/16 to 3/8 in. (8 to 9.5 mm) thick, and usually pre-mounted to facilitate installation. |
| Faience Tile | Glazed or unglazed tile, generally made by the plastic process, showing characteristic variations in the face, edges, and glaze that give a hand-crafted, non-mechanical, decorative effect. |
| Fail-Safe Control | Device which opens a circuit when sensing element loses its pressure. |
| Failure | 1. Lack of success. 2. Bankruptcy of an individual or business. 3. Unsuccessful use of a material or process. 4. Deterioration, decay, or breaking down of a material at the end of its useful life. 5. The collapse of a building or structure. |
| Fall | 1. The slope of land. 2. The amount of slope given to horizontal runs of pipe to provide gravity flow in the line. |
| Fallback | A reduction of the bitumen softening point; sometimes caused by mixing asphalt with coal-tar pitch or overheating the bitumen. |
| Fallout | Spray gun overspray. |
| False Body | Thixotropic; characteristic of paint which becomes viscous on standing but thins down on stirring. |
| False Set | The rapid development of rigidity in a mixed portland cement paste, mortar or concrete without the evolution of much heat; this rigidity can be dispelled and plasticity regained by further mixing without addition of water; also called Premature Stiffening |
| Falsework | Shoring and formwork for concrete that is removed after the concrete beams, slabs, and columns are cured. |
| Fan | 1. Radial or axial flow device used for moving or producing flow of gases. 2. Spacing tile joints to widen certain areas so they will conform to a section that is not parallel; also called Fanning. |
| Fan Coil Unit (FCU) | A packaged unit consisting of a heating/cooling coil, fan, and filter, without ductwork, used to serve a space or a group of small spaces. |
| Fan Light | A decorative curve topped window above the transom over an entrance door or window. |
| Fan Pattern | In using spray gun, the geometry or shape of spray pattern. |
| Fan Truss | A standard peaked roof truss configuration. |
| Fan, Exhaust | See Exhaust Fan. |
| Far Face | Face of a wall farthest from the viewer; may be the outside or inside face depending on whether one is inside looking out or outside looking in. |
| Farad | The SI unit of capacitance, such that one coulomb of charge causes a potential difference of one volt. |
| Faraday Experiment | Silver chloride absorbs ammonia when cool and releases it when heated; this is the basis on which some absorption refrigerators operate. |
| Fascia | A flat, vertical face member or band at the surface of a building or the edge beam of a bridge, or exposed eaves of a building; also spelled Facia; a flat member of a cornice or other finish; generally the board of the cornice to which the gutter is faste |
| Fascia, Plaster | See Plaster Fascia. |
| Fast Pin Hinge | One in which the pin is fastened permanently in place; non-rising pin. See Quick Set, 2. |
| Fast Track | Compression of a construction schedule by over lapping some activities that otherwise would be performed sequentially. |
| Fastener | Generic term for welds, bolts, rivets, screws, and other connecting devices. |
| Fastener, Insulation | See Insulation Fastener. |
| Fastener, Pneumatically Driven | See Pneumatically Driven Fastener. |
| Fastener, Powder-Actuated | See Powder-Actuated Fastener. |
| Fat | 1. Material accumulated on the trowel during the finishing operation; often used to fill in small imperfections. 2. Describes working characteristics of a mortar containing a high proportion of cementitious material. 3. Describes working characteristics o |
| Fat Mortar | Mortar containing a high percentage of cementitious components; mortar which usually does not have a sufficient amount of sand; a sticky mortar which adheres to a trowel. |
| Fat Mud | Mortar containing lime. |
| Fat Paint | Paint with too much oil. |
| Fathom | A unit of length for measuring the depth of water, equal to 6 feet. |
| Fatigue | A structural failure which occurs as the result of a load being applied and removed, or reversed, repeatedly over a long period of time, or a large number of cycles. |
| Fatigue Resistance | The ability of asphalt pavement to withstand repeated flexing or slight bending caused by the passage of wheel loads; generally, the higher the asphalt content, the greater the fatigue resistance. |
| Fatty Acid | Acid which is present in oils or fats in combination with glycerine. |
| Fatty Surface | Designated by areas where the bitumen has bled to the surface. See also bleeding. Can become soft in hot weather. |
| Faucet | A valve for drawing liquid. |
| Fault | A break in the continuity of a rock formation which is caused by the shifting of the earth's crust. |
| Fault Zone | Instead of being a single clear fracture, a zone may be hundreds or thousands of feet wide, consisting of numerous interlacing small faults. |
| Fault, Lateral Slip | See Lateral Slip Fault. |
| Fault, Normal | See Normal Fault. |
| Fault, Oblique Slip | See Oblique Slip Fault. |
| Fault, Reverse Thrust | See Reverse Thrust. |
| Fault, Strike Slip | See Strike Slip Fault. |
| Fault, Thrust | See Thrust Fault. |
| Faulting | In geology, the movement which produces relative displacement of adjacent rock masses along a fracture. |
| faux finishes | Decorative paint finishes to represent marble, wood-graining, stone, etc. |
| Faux Marble | Fake marble; marble simulated by painting marble graining on a painted background on wood, plaster, or metal. |
| Feasibility Study | An analysis performed to determine the financial, economic, technical, or other advisability of a proposed project. |
| Feather | See Spline. |
| Feather Edge | 1. A wood or metal tool having a beveled edge used to straighten re-entrant angles in finish plaster coat. 2. The edge of a concrete, plaster, or mortar placement such as a patch or topping that is beveled at an acute angle. 3. A tapered edge. |
| Feathered Edge | 1. The skived edge of joint tape. |
| Featheredging Tile | A method of mitering tile by chipping away the body from beneath a facial edge of a tile in order to form a miter. |
| Feathering | A term used to describe the sanding or rubbing down of a surface to a feathery edge. where coating material gradually becomes thinner around the edge until it finally disappears. |
| Feature Strip | A narrow strip of decorated liner tile that has a contrasting color, texture, or design. |
| Featured Edge | A configuration of the paper-bound edge of gypsum boards which provides special design or performance features. |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) | 500 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646-4600 |
| Federal Housing Administration (FHA) | A federal government agency that administers and regulates FHA insured real estate loans. |
| Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) | A quasi-governmental corporation that issues debentures to create a secondary market to purchase FHA and VA loans at market prices. |
| Federal Specifications | Government specifications for products, components, and performance. |
| Federal Specifications (FS) | Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20234. |
| Fee Simple | An absolute and total interest in real property. |
| Fee, Professional | See Professional Fee. |
| Feeder | A conductor of a wiring system between the service equipment, or the generator switchboard of an isolated plant, and the branch circuit overcurrent device. |
| Feeder Duct | An enclosure for a group of electrical conductors that runs power from a central, large source to one or more secondary distribution centers. |
| Feel | The painter's term for the working qualities of a paint. |
| Feeler Gauge | A set of thin flat strips of metal of known thickness that may be used to measure small distances between surfaces. |
| Feldspar | A mineral aggregate consisting chiefly of microcline, albite or anorthite. |
| Felt | Roofing ply sheets, consisting of a mat of organic or inorganic fibers, unsaturated, saturated, or coated with coal tar pitch or asphalt. |
| Felt Mill Ream | The mass in pounds of 480 square feet of dry, unsaturated felt; also called Point Weight. |
| FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency. |
| Female | Any part, such as a nut or fitting, into which another (male) part can be inserted. Internal threads are female. |
| Female Thread | Inside threads in a pipe or fitting. |
| Fence | 1. A barrier used to prevent escape or intrusion or to mark a boundary, usually made of posts, boards or wire. 2. In a cast plaster shop, a plaster or clay damplaced around a model before pouring material to make the mould. |
| Fence Auger | A rotating drill with a screw thread used to drill deep, straight, and narrow holes for the installation of fence posts. |
| Fence Gate | 1. An opening in a fence. 2. A hinged or sliding panel in a fence. |
| Fence Hole | A hole in the ground where the main vertical support is inserted in the construction of a fence or wall. |
| Fence Post Hole | A cylindrical hole dug in the ground, for the insertion of a fence post. |
| Fence Reuse | The act or process of reusing old fence boards and other fencing materials in a new fence application. |
| Fender Pile | Outside row of piles that protects a pier or wharf from damage by ships. |
| Fenestration | The arrangement, proportioning, and design of windows and doors in a building. |
| Feng Shui | Chinese cultural system for siting, arranging, and shaping buildings. |
| Ferroconcrete | Reinforced concrete. |
| Ferrous | Being iron or containing iron |
| Ferrous Metal | Metal alloy containing iron;ferrous pipes include wrought iron, wrought steel, rolled steel and cast iron. |
| Ferrous Sulphate | A green pigment commonly known as copperas. |
| Ferrule | 1. A metal band, ring, or cap, such as found on a tool handle to prevent splitting. 2. A cast-iron pipe fitting which, when installed in the bell of a cast-iron pipe, permits a threaded cleanout to close the opening. |
| Ferrule | Metal tubes used to keep roof gutters "open". Long nails (ferrule spikes) are driven through these tubes and hold the gutters in place along the fascia of the home. |
| Fertilizing | The act or process of adding a substance, such as manure or a chemical mixture, in order to make soil more fertile. |
| festoon | Curtain fixed at the top and drawn up in one piece on vertical cords to form a swag. Also refers to decoration representing a garland tied together with ribbons and suspended between two points so that it drapes in the middle. Widely used in classical orn |
| Festoon Lighting | An aerial span of conductors installed outdoors and supplying only weatherproof lampholders attached thereto. |
| Fetch | The area in which seas are generated by a wind having a rather constant direction and speed. |
| FG | 1. Flat Grain. 2. Foundation Grade. 3. Fuel Gas. 4. Finish Grade. |
| FGMA | Flat Glass Marketing Association. |
| FHA | Federal Housing Administration. |
| FHA strap | Metal straps that are used to repair a bearing wall "cut-out", and to "tie together" wall corners, splices, and bearing headers. Also, they are used to hang stairs and landings to bearing headers. |
| FHMS | Flat Head Machine Screw. |
| FHWS | Flat Head Wood Screw. |
| Fiber | 1. In wood, a comparatively long, narrow, tapering wood cell, closed at both ends; also called a Tracheid. 2. An additive such as glass or cellulosic fiber to improve core flexibility and gypsum board core integrity. 3. Animal hair, sisal, manila, or glas |
| Fiber Saturation Point | The stage in the drying or wetting of wood at which the cell walls are saturated and the cell cavities free from water; it applies to an individual cell or group of cells, not to whole boards; it is usually taken as approximately 30 percent moisture conte |
| Fiber-Saturation Point | The point in the drying or wetting of wood at which the cell walls are saturated but the cell cavities are free from water; it is usually taken as approximately 23 to 30% moisture content, based on weight when oven-dry. |
| Fiberboard | A prefabricated sheet of compressed wood or plant fibers used for building; a homogeneous panel made from wood or cane fibers; bonding agents and other materials may be added to increase strength, resistance to moisture, fire, or decay, or to impart some |
| Fiberboard Insulation | Insulation sheets made from wood or cane fibers. |
| Fiberboard Panel | Flat sheet material made from wood that has been reduced to fibers and bonded through either a wet or dry process to obtain a specific density. |
| Fiberboard Sheathing | Exterior sheathing manufactured from wood or cane fibers. |
| Fiberboard Wall Sheathing | Flat sheet material of fiberboard secured to exterior side of exterior wall studs used to create rigidity in building superstructure and serve as base to receive siding or veneer construction. |
| Fibered Plaster | Basecoat plaster containing animal, vegetable, or glass fiber. |
| Fiberglass | 1. Glass in fibrous form used in making textiles and thermal and acoustical insulation and used for reinforcing plastics. 2. The name for products made of or with glass fibers ranging from 5 to 600 hundred-thousandths inch in diameter. |
| Fiberglass Insulation | A type of insulation made from glass fibers having the consistency of wool. |
| Fiberglass Reinforced Pipe | A pipe for liquid or gas, fabricated from glass fibers and resins for strength and durability. |
| Fiberglass Tank | A large container for the holding of liquids, constructed of fiberglass-reinforced plastic. |
| Fibrous Concrete | A light concrete made from a fibrous aggregate, like sawdust or asbestos, for increased tensile strength and making it easy to nail. |
| Fiddleback-Grained Woods | Wood grain figure produced by a type of fine wavy grain found, for example, in species of maple, such wood being traditionally used for the backs of violins. |
| Fiduciary | A person in a relationship or position of trust; a trusted overseer. |
| Fiduciary Relationship | A relationship of trust and confidence between principal and agent. |
| Field 1 | The construction site, as contrasted to offices, factories, and work shops. 2. The surface area of a single piece of gypsum board. 3. In brick masonry, the expanse or area of wall between openings and corners, composed for the most part of stretcher units |
| Field Concrete | Concrete delivered or mixed, placed, and cured on the job site. |
| Field Engineer | An engineer who works primarily at the jobsite as opposed to the home office; commonly represents the owner or agency and often empowered to make small engineering changes at the site to facilitate construction. |
| Field House | A building for athletic activities. |
| Field measure | To take measurements (cabinets, countertops, stairs, shower doors, etc.) in the home itself instead of using the blueprints. |
| Field Painting | Painting at the job site. |
| Field Pole | Part of stator of motor which concentrates magnetic field of field winding. |
| Field Primed | The first coat of paint applied on the construction site rather than in the fabrication shop. |
| Field Tile | An area of tile covering a wall or floor; the field is bordered by tile trim. |
| Field Welded Truss | A truss fabricated and welded at a jobsite. |
| Fiery Finish | Wood finish in which hard portion of grain stands out in relief; produced by using blowtorch and stiff bristled brush. |
| Fifty-Fifty | A dry or dampened mixture of one part portland cement and one part extra-fine sand; this mix is used as a filler in the joints of mounted ceramic mosaic tiles to keep them evenly spaced during installation. |
| Figure | The pattern produced in a wood surface by annual growth rings, rays, knots, irregular coloration, and deviations from regular grain such as interlocked and wavy grain. |
| figured weave | Patterned by the weave structure, as in figured silks or velvets. |
| Filament | A conducting wire with a high melting point in an electric bulb made incandescent by an electric current. |
| File | A rasp-type device which is used on either wood or metal to remove burrs and rough edges or to shape the object. |
| Filigree | 1. Ornamental work of gold, silver, or copper as fine wire formed into delicate tracery; fine metal openwork. 2. Anything resembling this. |
| Fill | 1. To raise the level of land by adding earth moved in from another place or obtained by cutting. 2. An earth or broken rock structure or embankment. 3. Soil or loose rock used to raise a grade. 4. Soil that has no value except bulk. 5. Sand, gravel or ot |
| Fill material | Soil, rock, gravel or other matter that is placed at a specified location to bring the ground surface up to a desired elevation. |
| Fill, Gypsum | Troweled on plaster material to make depressions level. |
| Filler | A fine material, the majority of which passes a 0.075mm sieve, derived from aggregate or other similar granular material and commonly used in slurry sealing and asphalt. |
| Filler (wood) | A heavily pigmented preparation used for fining and leveling off the pores in open-pored woods. |
| Filler Block | Concrete masonry unit for use in conjunction with concrete joists for concrete floor or roof construction. |
| Filler Metal | The metal to be added in making a welded, brazed, or soldered joint. |
| Filler, Joint | See Joint Filler. |
| Filler, Wood | See Wood Filler. |
| Fillet Weld | A weld at the inside intersection of two metal surfaces that meet at right angles. |
| Fillet Weld | A weld of approximately triangular cross section joining two surfaces approximately at right angles to each other in a lap joint, tee joint, or corner joint. |
| Filling | In carpet making, yarns, usually of cotton, jute, or kraftcord, running across the fabric and used with the chain yarns to bind the pile tufts to the backing yarns; see Weft. |
| Filling In | Laying the brick or other masonry unit in the center of a wall between the face and the back. |
| Film Build | In painting, dry thickness characteristics per coat. |
| Film Former | Substance which forms skin or membrane when dried from liquid state. |
| Film Integrity | In paint, degree of continuity of film. |
| Film Thickness Gauge | In painting, device for measuring film thickness above substrates; dry or wet film thickness gauges are available. |
| Filmogens | In paint, film-forming materials such as linseed oil and varnish resins. |
| Filter | 1. Strainer; purifier. 2. A device for straining suspended particles from pool water. 3. An adjunct to air cleaning device available to serve four purposes. (1) Commercial filter - used to remove visible particles of dust, dirt, and debris, (2) Electrosta |
| Filter | Layer of fabric, sand, gravel, or graded rock placed between the bank revetment or channel lining and soil for one or more of three purposes: to prevent the soil from moving through the revetment; to prevent the revetment from sinking into the soil; and t |
| Filter Aid | A powderlike substance such as diatomaceous earth or volcanic ash used to coat a septum-type filter; also refers to alum as an aid to sand filtration. |
| Filter Block | A hollow, vitrified clay masonry unit, sometimes salt-glazed designed for trickling filter floors in sewage disposal plants. |
| Filter Cycle | The time of filter operation between backwash procedures; also called Filter Run. |
| Filter Glass | A glass, usually colored, used in goggles, helmets, and hand shields to exclude harmful light rays. |
| Filter Media | Fine-grain material that entraps suspended materials as they pass through the material. |
| Filter Rate | The rate of water flow through a filter during the filtering cycle, expressed in gallons per minute per square foot of effective filter area. |
| Filter Rock | Graded, rounded rock, or gravel not subject to degradation by common pool chemical used to support filter media. |
| Filter Run | See Filter Cycle. |
| Filter Sand | A type of pool filter media composed of hard sharp silica, quartz, or similar particles with proper grading for size and uniformity. |
| Filter Septum | Part of a filter on which diatomaceous earth or similar filter media is deposited. |
| Filter Waste Discharge Piping | Piping that conducts waste water from a filter to a drainage system; connection to drainage system is made through an air gap or other approved methods. |
| Filter, Sand | See Sand Filter. |
| Filtration | A method of separating a mixture made of solid particles in a liquid; after passing through a filter, the filtrate is separated from the residue. |
| Final Set | See Set,4. |
| Final Setting Time | The time required for a freshly mixed cement paste, mortar, or concrete to achieve final set. |
| Financial Analysis | Three types are common. (1) comparison of current financial data with prior years, (2) comparing current financial data with that of other business in the same industry, (3) ratio analysis. |
| Financial Leverage | The use of borrowed money to increase the return on the investment of the owners. |
| Financial Statement | A balance sheet, statement of income and expense, or any other presentation of financial data. |
| Fine Aggregate | A general term for aggregate of such size that it substantially passes a sieve of specified size, commonly 4.75 mm. |
| Fine Aggregate | Concrete aggregate smaller than 1/4-inch diameter; sand. |
| Fine Mineral Surfacing | A water-insoluble, inorganic material, more than 50% of which passes through the No. 35 sieve, that may be used on the surface of roofing material. |
| Fine particles (or Fines) | Silt and clay particles. |
| Fine Textured Wood | Wood with small and closely spaced pores. |
| Fine-Graded Aggregate | One having a continuous grading in sizes of particles from coarse through fine with a predominance of fine sizes. |
| Fine-Grained Wood | See Close-Grained Wood. |
| Fineness Modulus | An abstract number used to compare different particles or gradations of aggregate; fineness modulus is computed by adding the cumulative percentages retained on the six standard screens (#4, #8, #16, #30, #50 and #100) and dividing the sum by 100. |
| Fineness Modulus | An empirical factor obtained by adding the total percentages of a sample of the aggregate retained on each of a specified series of sieves and dividing the sum by 100. |
| Fineness of Grind | Measure of particle size or roughness of liquid paint; degree of dispersion of pigment in the binder. |
| Fines | Term usually pertaining to small aggregate particles capable of passing through a #200 sieve. |
| Finger joint | A manufacturing process of interlocking two shorter pieces of wood end to end to create a longer piece of dimensional lumber or molding. Often used in jambs and casings and are normally painted (instead of stained). |
| Finger Joint | An end joint made up of several meshing wedges or fingers of wood bonded together with an adhesive; fingers are sloped and may be cut parallel to either the wide or narrow face of the piece. |
| Fingers | In airless spraying, a broken spray pattern. |
| Finial | An architectural ornament finishing off the top of a roof, gable, tower, canopy, or cupola. |
| finial | Decorative end of a curtain pole which also prevents rings and curtains from sliding off. |
| Finish | 1. Wood products to be used in joinery, such as doors and stairs, and other fine work required to complete a building, especially the interior. 2. The process of adding stains, filler, and other materials to protect and beautify the surface of wood. |
| Finish Carpentry | Installation of wood finish and materials, such as doors, moldings, and window trim to a building. |
| Finish Coat | The final layer of any finish type material. |
| Finish Coat Floating | In plastering, the act of bringing the aggregate to the surface to produce a uniform texture. |
| Finish Grade | The final earth grade required by specifications. |
| Finish Paving | Finish coats of concrete, asphalt, or coated macadam on streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. |
| Finish Plaster | The final layer of plaster coating. |
| Finish Plywood | The finest grade of plywood. |
| Finish Shotcrete | The final coat of air-blown mortar. |
| finished length | The length from top edge to base edge of a finished curtain, drapery, shade, valance, or cornice. |
| finished width | The width of the finished heading, after pleating or gathering. |
| Finisher | A craftsman with skill in the finishing of gypsum board joints. |
| Finishing Brushes | In plastering, brushes used to apply water to a smooth lime finish coat during final troweling. |
| Finishing Sheetrock | The taping and sanding of sheetrock seams to make ready for painting or finish. |
| Finishing Tools | Trowels, knives, and other special equipment required for the finishing of gypsum board joints. |
| Fink Truss | A three triangle symmetrical truss, commonly used in supporting large, sloping roofs. |
| Fir Decking | Softwood sheathing material for a deck or floor that is two inches or thicker. |
| Fir Floor | A flooring system constructed of a softwood. |
| Fir Siding | Exterior wall covering boards made from a softwood. |
| Fire Alarm | An warning apparatus that can be activated to warn of fire danger. |
| Fire Alarm Cable | A specific electrical system cable which carries electric current to a pull station, warning horn, light, or bell in the event of a fire or other catastrophe. |
| Fire Alarm Cable | A specific electrical system cable which carries electric current to a warning horn or bell for use in the event of a fire or other catastrophe. |
| Fire block | Short horizontal members sometimes nailed between studs, usually about halfway up a wall. See also 'Fire stop'. |
| Fire Blocking | Intermittent solid cross-framing to retard the spread of flame within the framing cavity. |
| Fire Box | The interior of a fireplace or furnace, serving as combustion space. |
| Fire Brick | Brick made of refractory ceramic material which will resist high temperatures. |
| Fire brick | Brick made of refractory ceramic material which will resist high temperatures. Used in a fireplace and boiler. |
| Fire Brick | Brick that has been tested for fire-resistance and then graded for specific construction uses; brick whose composition and characteristics make it suitable to use for masonry fireplace fire-boxes and fire chambers. |
| Fire Clay | An earthy or stony mineral aggregate which has as the essential constituent hydrous silicates of aluminum with or without free silica, plastic when sufficiently pulverized and wetted, rigid when subsequently dried, and suitable for use in commercial refra |
| Fire Damper | A damper that automatically closes a duct or opening upon detection of fire. |
| Fire Decorating | The process of firing ceramic or metallic decorations on the surface of glazed ceramic ware. |
| Fire Detection Annunciator | A mechanical device which audibly announces a warning in case of a fire. |
| Fire Division Wall | Any wall which subdivides a building so as to resist the spread of fire, but is not necessarily continuous through all stories to and above the roof. |
| Fire Division Wall | Any wall which subdivides a building so as to resist the spread of fire. |
| Fire Door | A door which has been manufactured with specific materials and rated, designed to help hold back the spread of fire. |
| Fire Endurance | The ability of an assembly to perform to certain fire test criteria. |
| Fire Escape | Continuous unobstructed route of escape from building in case of fire, usually located on exterior of building and composed of stairs, ladders, and landings. |
| Fire Extinguisher | A small, portable apparatus which ejects fire-extinguishing chemicals to put out small fires. |
| Fire Hydrant | A discharge fitting or apparatus with a valve and spout at which water may be drawn from the mains of waterworks; used primarily in fire-fighting, also used to service water mains and systems; also called Fire Plug. |
| Fire Lines | The complete wet standpipe system of buildings, including the water service, standpipe, roof manifold, Siamese connections, and pumps. |
| Fire Plug | Fire Hydrant. |
| Fire Rated Brick | Brick that has been tested for fire-resistance and then graded for specific construction uses. |
| Fire Rated Door | A door which has been given a rating of how long in time it can withstand fire before failure. |
| Fire Rated Frame | A door frame which has been given a rating on how long in time it can withstand fire before failure. |
| Fire Rated Panel | A panel which has been given a rating in time on how long it can withstand fire before failure. |
| Fire Resistance | The ability of an assembly to maintain structural stability and act as an effective barrier to the transmission of heat for a specified period of time. |
| Fire Resistance Rating | The time, in hours, or fractions of an hour, that a material or assembly will resist fire exposure. |
| Fire Resistant | Incombustible or slow to be damaged by fire; forming a barrier to the passage of fire. |
| Fire Resistant Sheetrock | Sheetrock which has been manufactured with fire-resistant chemicals. |
| Fire Retardant | A chemical treatment to reduce the ignitability of the treated material; a material or treatment which effects a reduction in flammability and in spread of fire. |
| Fire retardant chemical | A chemical or preparation of chemicals used to reduce flammability or to retard spread of flame. |
| Fire retardant chemical | A chemical or preparation of chemicals used to reduce the flammability of a material or to retard the spread of flame. |
| Fire Retardant Chemical | A chemical preparation used to reduce flammability or to retard the spread of flame. |
| Fire Retardant Paint | Paint containing substance which slows down rate of combustion of flammable material or renders material incapable of supporting flame. |
| Fire Retardant Roof | Roofing material which has been manufactured with fire retardant chemicals. |
| Fire Retardant Treated Lumber | Lumber with applied or pressurized chemical treatment of lumber to retard combustion. |
| Fire Retardant Treated Plywood | Plywood with applied or pressurized chemical treatment to retard combustion. |
| Fire Separation Wall | A wall required under the building code to divide two parts of a building as a deterrent to the spread of fire; a fire wall. |
| Fire Sprinkler Detector | A water pressure actuated switch that will signal when a sprinkler head has been activated. |
| Fire Sprinkler Head | The water spray device that is part of a fire sprinkler system. |
| Fire Sprinkler System | An arrangement of water pipes under continuous pressure that will release a water spray through spaced heads that are activated by increased temperature. |
| Fire Standpipe | Lines and connections within buildings that provide water source for fire fighting. |
| Fire Station | A building housing fire-fighting apparatus, and usually fire-fighters. |
| Fire Stop | 1. A projection of brickwork from walls between the joists to prevent fire from traveling between the plaster and the brick wall. 2. Material or member that seals open construction to inhibit spread of fire. |
| Fire stop | A solid, tight closure of a concealed space, placed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through such a space. In a frame wall, this will usually consist of 2 by 4 cross blocking between studs. |
| Fire stop | A solid, tight closure of a concealed space, placed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through such a space. In a frame wall, this will usually consist of 2 by 4 cross blocking between studs. Work performed to slow the spread of fire and smoke in the |
| Fire Stopping | The sealing of contiguous framing cavities or areas to reduce the opportunity for rapid spread of fire and smoke; see Fire Blocking. |
| Fire Tapping | The taping of gypsumboard joints without subsequent finishing coats. A treatment method used in attic, plenum or mechanical areas where esthetics are not important. |
| Fire, Bisque | See Bisque Fire. |
| Fire, Glost | See Glost Fire. |
| Fire, Single | See Single Fire. |
| Fire-resistive | In the absence of a specific ruling by the authority having jurisdiction, applies to materials for construction not combustible in the temperatures of ordinary fires and that will withstand such fires without serious impairment of their usefulness for at |
| Fire-resistive or Fire rated | Applies to materials that are not combustible in the temperatures of ordinary fires and will withstand such fires for at least 1 hour. Drywall used in the garage and party walls are to be fire rated, 5/8", Type X. |
| Fire-Trap | A building without proper provision for escape in case of fire. |
| Firebox | The portion of a fireplace that contains the fire. |
| Firebrick | Brick that resist high temperatures and chemical disintegration, used for lining furnaces, fireboxes, and chimneys. |
| Firecut | A sloping end cut on a wood beam or joist where it enters a masonry wall, to allow the wood member to rotate out of the wall without prying the wall apart, if the floor or roof structure should burn through in a fire. |
| Fireplace | A masonry chamber within a building, to facilitate an open fire, with a flue to carry off smoke and fumes. |
| Fireplace chase flashing pan | A large sheet of metal that is installed around and perpendicular to the fireplace flue pipe. It's purpose is to confine and limit the spread of fire and smoke to a small area. |
| Fireproof Vault | An enclosure or room for the storing of valuables that has been constructed to withstand fire and heat. |
| Fireproofing | Material applied to a building element to insulate it against excessive temperatures in case of fire. |
| Firewall | A wall constructed to prevent or slow down the spread of fire. |
| Firewall, Brick | See Brick Firewall. |
| Firing | The controlled heat treatment of ceramics in a kiln or furnace, during the process of manufacture, to develop the desired properties. |
| Firing Range | 1. The range of firing temperature within which a ceramic composition develops properties which render it commercially useful. 2. A place where one practices the shooting of weapons. |
| First Aid Kit | A packet of medical supplies for emergency use. |
| Fiscal Year | Financial year; an accounting period of 12 months. |
| Fish Eyes | A term used to describe small blemishes occasionally found in lime finish coats; approximately 1/4 inch in diameter, they are caused by lumpy lime. |
| Fish Oil | The only animal oil used to any extent in the paint industry; extracted from fish such as sardine, menhaden, and pilchard. |
| Fish tape | A long strip of spring steel used for fishing cables and for pulling wires through conduit. |
| Fish Tape | A steel tape used by electricians to push through an electrical conduit and pull back the conductors being installed. |
| Fished | A means of installing electrical wiring in existing inaccessible hollow spaces of buildings with a minimum damage to the building finish. |
| Fished Joint | An end butt splice strengthened by pieces nailed on the sides. |
| Fishmouth | An opening at the exposed edge of a roofing ply sheet where the asphalt bond is lacking or the felt is wrinkled. |
| Fishplate | A wood or plywood piece used to fasten the ends of two members together at a butt joint with nails or bolts. Sometimes used at the junction of opposite rafters near the ridge line. |
| Fishplate (gusset) | A wood or plywood piece used to fasten the ends of two members together at a butt joint with nails or bolts. Sometimes used at the junction of opposite rafters near the ridge line. Sometimes called a gang nail plate. |
| Fissure | A narrow crack, usually long and deep, caused by breaking or parting |
| fitted bedcover | Cover with flat top panel, box strip corresponding to depth of mattress and skirt which can be straight with inverted pleats at each corner, box pleated, or gathered. |
| Fitting | 1. A device used for connecting pipes together. 2. An accessory such as a locknut, bushing or other part of a wiring system which is intended primarily to perform a mechanical rather than an electrical function. |
| Fitting Gain | The space inside a fitting required by a pipe. |
| Fixative | A protective coating applied to drawings in crayons, pastel, charcoal, and pencil, usually by spraying, to prevent colors from rubbing off. |
| Fixed | Attached or fastened in place by nails, screws, bolts, conduit, piping systems, or other means. |
| Fixed Assets | Assets of a more or less permanent nature whose useful life is more than one year, such as fixtures, equipment, real estate, and trucks. |
| Fixed Displacement Pump | A pump in which the displacement per cycle cannot be varied. |
| Fixed Door | A door, of a pair, that is normally kept in the closed position. |
| Fixed End Beam | A beam fixed upon a support which prevents its rotation. |
| Fixed Fee | A stipulated lump sum fee. |
| Fixed Liabilities | Liabilities that are carried for over a one year period, such as mortgage, and equipment payments. |
| Fixed price contract | A contract with a set price for the work. See Time and Materials Contract. |
| Fixed rate | A loan where the initial payments are based on a certain interest rate for a stated period . The rate payable will not change during this period regardless of changes in the lender's standard variable rate. |
| Fixed Rate Mortgage | A mortgage with an interest rate that remains the same over the years. |
| Fixed Window | Sash or glass that is immovably mounted in a wall. |
| Fixture Branch | A pipe connecting several fixtures with the water supply. |
| Fixture Carrier | A mounting frame built into a wall to support a plumbing fixture. |
| Fixture Carrier | A wall mounted frame for mounting and support of a plumbing fixture. |
| Fixture Drain | The drain pipe from the trap of a fixture to where the pipe joins with any other drain pipe. |
| Fixture Unit | A design factor to determine the load-producing value from a given fixture so that the drainage piping is large enough to carry the liquids and wastes; for instance, the unit flow rate from fixtures is assumed to be one cubic foot or 7.5 gallons of liquid |
| Fixture, Lighting | See Lighting Fixture. |
| Fixture, Plumbing | See Plumbing Fixture. |
| Flag | 1. See Flagstone. 2. End of hog brush bristle which divides into two or more branches like a tree; flagging provides brush with ability to hold paint. |
| Flagging | 1. Flagstone paving. 2. See Flag, 2. |
| Flagpole | A pole used for raising and displaying flags. |
| Flagpole Outrigger | A projecting pole run out from a structure to provide a flagpole. |
| Flagstone | A hard flat, usually rectangular, stone slab used for paving; also called a flag. |
| Flagstone (flagging or flags) | Flat stones (1 to 4 inches thick) used for walks, steps, floors, and vertical veneer (in lieu of brick). |
| Flagstone (flagging or flags) | Flat stones, from 1 to 4 inches thick, used for rustic walks, steps, floors, and the like. |
| Flake | A small flat wood particle of predetermined dimensions, uniform thickness, with fiber direction essentially in the plane of the flake; in overall character resembling a small piece of veneer; produced by special equipment for use in the manufacture of fla |
| Flakeboard | A manufactured wood panel made out of 1"- 2" wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitute for plywood in the exterior wall and roof sheathing. Also called OSB or wafer board. |
| Flakeboard | A type of particleboard composed of flakes bonded together with a synthetic resin of other suitable binder. |
| Flaked | Irregularities left on the edge of the tile mainly due to the use of machine cutting tools. |
| Flaking | Detachment of small pieces of paint film. |
| Flame retention burner | An oil burner, designed to hold the flame near the nozzle surface. Generally the most efficient type for residential use. |
| Flame Spread | The propagation of a flame away from the source of ignition across the surface of a liquid or a solid, or throughout the volume of a gaseous mixture. |
| Flame Spread Classification | A standard measurement of the relative surface burning characteristics of a building material when tested. |
| Flame Spread Rating | A measure of the rapidity with which fire will spread across the surface of a material. |
| Flame Test for Leaks | Tool which is principally a torch; when a halogen mixture is fed to the flame, this flame will change color in the presence of heated copper. |
| Flameproof Tile | Tile that has been made resistant to flame. |
| Flameproofing | An act or process of making an object resistant to the action of flame. |
| Flammable | Capable of being easily ignited; same as inflammable; the opposite is nonflammable. |
| Flammable Liquids | Liquids having a flash point below 140° F. (60° C.) and a vapor pressure not exceeding 40 psia (2.81 kg/cm2) at 100° F. (38° C.). |
| Flange | A rib or rim on an object for strength, for guiding, or for attachment to another object. |
| Flanged Pipe | A pipe that has been fitted with a projecting ring, ridge or collar, to strengthen, prevent sliding, or accommodate attachments. |
| Flanking | Streamflow between a structure and the bank, possibly occurring because the structure was not properly tied into the bank. See Wingwall |
| Flanking Paths | Paths by which sound travels around an element that is intended to impede it. |
| Flapper Valves | Thin metal valve used in refrigeration compressors which allows gaseous refrigerants to flow in only one direction. |
| Flare | An enlargement at the end of a piece of flexible tubing by which the tubing is connected to a fitting or another piece of tubing; this enlargement is made at about a 45 degree angle; fittings grip it firmly to make the joint leakproof and strong. |
| Flare Header | 1. A brick burned on one end to a darker color than the face. 2. A header of darker color than the field of the wall |
| Flare Nut | Fitting used to clamp tubing flare against another fitting. |
| Flash Cove | A detail in which a sheet of resilient flooring is turned up at the edge and finished against the wall to create an integral baseboard. |
| Flash Gas | Instantaneous evaporation of some liquid refrigerant in evaporator which cools remaining liquid refrigerant to desired evaporation temperature. |
| Flash Point | The temperature at which the material gives off flammable vapor in sufficient quantity to ignite momentarily on the application of a flame under specified conditions. |
| Flash Set | The rapid development of rigidity in a mixed portland cement paste, mortar, or concrete usually with the evolution of considerable heat, which rigidity cannot be dispelled nor can the plasticity be regained by further mixing without addition of water; als |
| Flash Weld | Resistance type weld in which mating parts are brought together under considerable pressure while a heavy electrical current is passed through the joint to be welded. |
| Flashback | In welding. a recession of the flame into or back of the mixing chamber of the torch. |
| Flashing | 1. A thin, continuous sheet of impervious material such as metal, plastic, rubber, or waterproof paper used to prevent the passage of water through a joint in a wall, roof, or at a chimney; the material used and the process of making watertight the roof i |
| Flashing | Sheet metal or other material used in roof and wall construction to protect a building from water seepage. |
| Flashing Block | In masonry, metal flashing used to block a parapet wall and prevent roof leaks around such a wall. |
| Flashing Cement | A plastic mixture of cutback bitumen and mineral stabilizers, asbestos fibers or other inorganic fibers, used for reinforcing, mixed with a solvent and used as an adhesive. |
| Flashing, Roof | See Roof Flashing. |
| Flashing, Step | See Step Flashing. |
| Flashing, Through-Wall | See Through-Wall Flashing. |
| Flat Arch | An arch or span constructed with a flat top and bottom; steel angle iron is usually used to help support this arch. |
| Flat Asphalt | A roofing asphalt that has a softening point of approximately l70° F. (77° C). |
| flat curtain rod | A curtain rod not operated by a cord and pulley as a traverse rod is. |
| Flat Finish | Dull finish, no gloss. |
| Flat Glass Marketing Association (FGMA) | 3310 SW Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas 66611, (913) 266-7013, FAX (913) 266-0272. |
| Flat Head Screwdriver | See Slotted Screwdriver. |
| Flat Head Wood Screw (FHWS) | A wood screw with a countersunk head flush with the surface, driven with a screwdriver. |
| Flat Mill | A kind of grinding mill used to grind paint pigments; the mill consists of two stones, a lower stone which revolves and an upper stone which is stationary. |
| Flat mold | Thin wood strips installed over the butt seam of cabinet skins. |
| Flat paint | An interior paint that contains a high proportion of pigment and dries to a flat or lusterless finish. |
| Flat Paint | An interior paint with a high proportion of pigment; it dries to a flat, or lusterless, finish. |
| Flat Position Weld | The position of welding wherein welding is performed from the upper side of the joint and the face of the weld is approximately horizontal. |
| Flat Seam | A sheet metal roofing seam that is formed flat against the surface of the roof. |
| Flat Slab | A reinforced concrete slab that is designed to span, without any beams or girders, in two directions to supporting columns; a 2-way slab supported at its corners only. |
| Flat Stretcher Course | A brick course of stretchers that are set on edge and expose their flat sides on the surface or face of the wall. |
| Flat Trowel | The flat trowel is used in conjunction with the hawk for the transferring of mortar from the mortarboard to the wall or to other vertical surfaces; frequently used for spreading pure cement on the finished floor coat; also used for spreading mortar on flo |
| Flat Varnish | Varnish which dries with reduced gloss, made by adding such materials as silica, wax, or metallic soaps to the varnish. |
| Flat Wall Paint | A type of interior paint which is designed to produce a flat or lusterless finish. |
| Flat Washer | A washer which goes under a bolt head or a nut to spread the load, prevent loosening, and protect the surface. |
| Flat-Grained Wood | Lumber that has been sawed parallel to the pith and approximately tangent to the growth rings; lumber is considered flat-grain when the annual growth rings make an angle of less than 45 degrees with the surface of the piece. |
| Flatplate Collector | The most common and often-used collector in a solar system; the most visible portion of a solar system appearing on the roof or in the yard; device in which sunlight is converted to heat on a plane surface usually made of metal or plastic; a heat transfer |
| Flattening Agent | An ingredient, usually a metallic soap, such as calcium, aluminum or zinc stearate, used in lacquers and varnishes to reduce the gloss or to give a rubbed appearance; also called Flatting Agent. |
| Flattening Oil | A varnish-like composition, made of thickened oil dissolved in a thinner, used to reduce paste paint to a flat paint; also called Flatting Oil. |
| Flatting | Loss of gloss in coating film. |
| Flatting Agent | See Flattening Agent. |
| Flatting Oil | See Flattening Oil. |
| Flatwork | Common word for concrete floors, driveways, basements, and sidewalks. |
| Flatwork | Concrete slabs on grade. |
| Flecks | See Wood Rays. |
| Flemish Bond | A brick bond consisting of headers and stretchers alternating in every course, so laid as always to break joints, each header being placed in the middle of the stretchers in courses above and below. |
| Flemish Cross Bond | A brick bond that has alternate courses of Flemish headers and stretcher courses. The headers are directly over each other and the alternate stretcher courses are crossed over each other. |
| Flemish Garden Bond | A brick bond where bricks are laid so that each course has a header to every 3 or 4 stretchers. |
| Flex | Flexible electrical conduit. |
| Flexibility | 1. The ability to bend or conform to new conditions. 2. The ability of an asphalt pavement structure to conform to settlement of the foundation; generally, flexibility of the asphalt paving mixture is enhanced by high asphalt content. |
| Flexible | Limber, bendable; not stiff; the opposite of rigid. |
| Flexible Conduit | Electrical conduit made of a spirally wound metallic strip. |
| Flexible Cord | A flexible insulated electrical cable having a plug at one or both ends used to connect an appliance or other fixture to a receptacle, manufactured to resist tangling. |
| Flexible Coupling | A mechanical connection that adapts to misalignment between moving parts. |
| Flexible Ductwork | Flexible ductwork manufactured in various diameters, made from spiral wire covered in plastic and commonly insulated, for use in the transfer of air in heating, cooling and ventilating systems. |
| Flexible Pavement | A Pavement which obtains its load spreading properties mainly by intergranular pressure, mechanical interlock and cohesion between the particles of the pavement material. In the case of an asphalt pavement, this further depends on the adhesions between th |
| Flexible Wiring | Electrical wiring that permits movement from expansion, contraction, vibration, or rotation. |
| Flexural Strength | 1. A property of a material or structural member that indicates its ability to resist failure in bending. 2. The resistance of a specified sample size of a gypsum board to failure caused by a transverse load. |
| Flexure Formula | A formula for determining values for the design of members or elements subjected to bending. |
| Flint Paper | Abrasive paper which is grayish-white in color; inexpensive but has short working life. |
| Flitch | A portion of a log sawn on two or more faces, commonly on opposite faces leaving two waney edges; when intended for resawing into lumber, it is resawn parallel to its original wide faces; or, it may be sliced or sawn into veneer, in which case the resulti |
| Flitch-Sliced Veneer | A thin sheet of wood cut by passing a block of wood vertically against a long, sharp knife. |
| Float | 1. A tool or apparatus for smoothing a surface, used by plasterers and concrete masons. 2. A sum of money in excess of daily needs. 3. See Slack, 1. |
| Float Coat | The final mortar coat over which the neat coat, pure coat, or skim coat is applied. |
| Float Finish | A finish coat that is rough from aggregate material found in the plaster mortar. |
| Float Glass | Glass sheet manufactured by cooling a layer of liquid glass on a bath of molten tin. |
| Float Strip | A strip of wood about 1/4 inch thick and 1-1/4 inch wide, used as a guide to align mortar surfaces. |
| Float Switch | An electrical switch that is actuated by the rising or falling of a float in liquid. |
| Float Trap | A floating device in a plumbing fixture which opens or closes a valve to prevent sewer air gases from escaping back through the fixture. |
| Float Valve | Type of valve which is operated by sphere or pan which floats on liquid surface and controls level of liquid. |
| Floating | 1.Separation or layering of pigment in mixture of pigment. 2. A method of using a straightedge to align mortar with the float strips or screeds; this technique also is called dragging, pulling, rodding, or rodding off. 3. The rising of a swimming pool out |
| Floating | The next-to-last stage in concrete work, when you smooth off the job and bring water to the surface by using a hand float or bull float. |
| Floating Angle | A method of applying gypsumboard designed to allow structural movement at interior corners. |
| Floating Edge | In gypsumboard installation, an actory edge applied in such a manner that the edge does not lie directly over a framing member and is unsupported. |
| Floating Joint | In gypsum board installation, a condition where the butt joint does not lie directly over a framing member; floating joints should be back-blocked. |
| Floating wall | A non-bearing wall built on a concrete floor. It is constructed so that the bottom two horizontal plates can compress or pull apart if the concrete floor moves up or down. Normally built on basements and garage slabs. |
| Floc | Gel-like substance formed when coagulant, usually alum, combines with suspended alkaline matter in pool water and precipitates out. |
| Flocculate | Agglomeration of undispersed pigment particles. |
| Flocculating Agent | Compound that coalesces finely suspended particles. |
| Flocculent | A compound, usually some type of alum, used with sand-type filters to form a thin layer of gelatinous substance on the top of the sand; aids in trapping fine suspended particles which might pass through the floc. |
| Flock Finish | Finish obtained by spraying or sifting flock (short fibers of wool, silk, rayon) onto a surface to which the flock fibers will adhere. |
| Flocked Carpet | Single-level velvety pile carpet composed of short fibers embedded on an adhesive-coated backing. |
| Flocked Paper | Wallpaper covered with flocking. |
| Flocking | Very short or pulverized fiber used to form a velvety pattern or design on a surface. |
| Flococoating | Process of finishing by flowing finishing material on article by means of hose, allowing excess to drain into tank. |
| Flood | An overwhelming volume of water by overflowing of a body of water; a deluge. |
| Flood Coat | The top layer of bitumen of a built-up roofing membrane; usually it is aggregate surfaced; if the flood coat is applied correctly it is poured, not mopped, to a weight of 60 pounds per square for asphalt and to a weight of 75 pounds per square for coal-ta |
| Flood Lamp | A strong source of artificial illumination which projects a broad beam. |
| Flood Level Rim | See Flood Rim. |
| Flood Rim | The highest point that water can reach within a plumbing fixture without overflowing; also called Flood Level Rim. |
| Flooded System | Type of refrigerating system in which liquid refrigerant fills most of the evaporator. |
| Flooded System, High-Side Float | Refrigeration system which has a float operated by the level of the high-side liquid refrigerant. |
| Flooded System, Low-Side Float | Refrigerating system which has a low-side float refrigerant control. |
| Flooding | Act of allowing a liquid to flow into a part of a system. |
| Flooding | Same as floating. |
| Floodlight | Artificial lighting in a broad beam. |
| Floodplain | Level land that may be submerged by floodwaters. |
| Floor | The lower interior surface of a room in a building. |
| Floor Box | A metal electrical rough-in box fed by conduits in or under the floor to provide for a floor outlet. |
| Floor Brick | Smooth dense brick, highly resistant to abrasion, used as finished floor surfaces. |
| Floor Closer | A closing device installed in the floor under a door. |
| Floor Deck | Sheet steel formed to fluted or ribbed profile to span between supports (usually joists or beams) to support floor system (usually concrete slab) and live loads. |
| Floor Drain | 1. A drain in a floor which connects to the plumbing system and removes unwanted water from an area or room. 2. An opening or receptacle located in a concrete floor, connected to a trap to receive the discharge from indirect waste. |
| Floor Finish | The stain, paint, wax, or polish on a floor. |
| Floor Finishing | The act or process of the final sanding, coloring, and sealing of a wooden floor system. |
| Floor Grating | Open grid of metal bars structurally formed. |
| Floor Hardener | A chemical applied to concrete floors to protect them from wear. |
| Floor Hinge | A combined pivot hinge and closing device set either in the floor or in the bottom of the door; it may be spring type only or may be combined with liquid control. |
| Floor Joist | A support beam, commonly installed in parallel with other beams to create a structural floor system, after which floor sheathing is fastened. |
| Floor Level | The elevation of any floor in a building. |
| Floor Masonry | Shaped or molded masonry units such as, stone, ceramic brick, tile or concrete used for finished flooring. |
| Floor Mat | A piece of coarse woven or plaited fabric used as a floor covering. |
| Floor Mat Frame | A frame, usually metal, to contain a floor mat and provide a means to anchor the mat to the floor. |
| Floor Molding | A piece of trim at the juncture of the wall and floor. |
| Floor Mounted Bench | A work surface that has its support legs mounted to the floor. |
| Floor Mounted Transformer | A transformer that has its supports mounted to the floor to prevent vibration and movement. |
| Floor Mud | Mortar which does not contain lime, used to float horizontal surfaces; also called Deck Mud. |
| Floor Patch | Material used to repair damage to a floor. |
| Floor Pedestal | A member, such as a short pier, used as a base for a floor system. |
| Floor Plate | Steel or aluminum plate with a non-skid design formed on one side for use in constructing industrial floors, platforms, landings, and stairs. |
| Floor Price | The least amount that an informed seller would accept for leasing or selling property. |
| Floor Removal | The act or process of the tearing up and carrying away an old floor system. |
| Floor Safe | A place or receptacle to keep valuables, installed in a floor. |
| Floor Sink | A small sink, typically 12" x 12", set in the floor to receive drainage such as condensation water. |
| Floor Slab | A reinforced concrete slab on grade or elevated, used as a floor. |
| Floor Tile, Clay | See Clay Floor Tile. |
| Floor Varnish | A varnish made specifically for application to floors. |
| Floor Wax | A substance spread onto flooring that seals, protects, and can be polished to a shine. |
| Floor, Access | See Access Floor. |
| Floor, Gym | See Gym Floor. |
| Floor, Industrial Wood | See Industrial Wood Floor. |
| Floor, Level | See Level Floor. |
| Floor, Terrazzo | See Terrazzo Floor. |
| Floor, Tile | See Tile Floor. |
| Floorboard | One of various types of boards used for flooring. |
| Flooring | The material with which a floor is surfaced, such as carpeting, wood strips, wood parquet, linoleum, or sheet vinyl. |
| Flooring, Marble | See Marble Flooring. |
| Flow | A measure of self leveling. |
| Flow After Suction | Flow of mortar measured after subjecting it to a vacuum produced by a head of two inches of mercury; the suction apparatus and its use is described in Sections 27 and 28 of ASTM C 91. |
| Flow Gradient | A drainageway slope determined by the elevation and distance of the inlet and outlet and by required volume and velocity. |
| Flow Meter | Instrument used to measure velocity or volume of fluid movement. |
| Flow of Mortar | Measure of mortar consistency, sometimes termed the Initial Flow, determined on the flow table described in ASTM C 230; use of the flow table and method of calculating the flow is described in Section 9 of ASTM C 109. |
| Flowing Varnish | A varnish which has been designed to produce a smooth lustrous surface without rubbing or polishing. |
| Flue | A passage for smoke and combustion products from a furnace, stove, water heater or fireplace; the opening in a chimney through which smoke passes. |
| Flue | Large pipe through which fumes escape from a gas water heater, furnace, or fireplace. Normally these flue pipes are double walled, galvanized sheet metal pipe and sometimes referred to as a "B Vent". Fireplace flue pipes are normally triple walled. In add |
| Flue | The space or passage in a chimney through which smoke, gas, or fumes ascend. Each passage is called a flue, which together with any others and the surrounding masonry make up the chimney. |
| Flue collar | Round metal ring which fits around the heat flue pipe after the pipe passes out of the roof. |
| Flue damper | An automatic door located in the flue that closes it off when the burner turns off; purpose is to reduce heat loss up the flue from the still-warm furnace or boiler. |
| Flue Liner | Heat-resistant firebrick or other fire clay materials that make up the lining of a chimney. |
| Flue lining | 2-foot lengths, fire clay or terra-cotta pipe (round or square) and usually madein all ordinary flue sizes. Used for the inner lining of chimneys with the brick or masonry work done around the outside. Flue linings in chimneys runs from one foot below the |
| Flue lining | Fire clay or terra-cotta pipe, round or square, usually made in all ordinary flue sizes and in 2-foot lengths, used for the inner lining of chimneys with the brick or masonry work around the outside. Flue lining in chimneys runs from about a foot below th |
| Fluffing | Lint and fuzz that appears on newly installed carpet, which is merely the factory-sheared pile ends working their way to the surface, not the tufts or pile yarns themselves; this condition disappears as the carpet is used; also called Shedding. |
| Fluid | Substance in either a liquid or gaseous state; substance containing particles which move and change position without separation of the mass. |
| Fluid Adjusting Screw | A screw on a spray gun which controls the amount of fluid entering the gun. |
| Fluid Applied Elastomer | An elastomeric material, which is fluid at ambient temperature, that dries or cures after application to form a continuous membrane. |
| Fluid Applied Roof | A roof coated with an asphalt-based liquid. |
| Fluid Applied Roof Membrane | A roof membrane applied in one or more coats of a liquid that cure to form an impervious sheet. |
| Fluid Flow | A measure of flow through a spray gun with atomizing air shut off. |
| Fluid Hose | Specially designed hose for paint materials; usually black. |
| Fluid Nozzle | Spray gun fluid tip with orifice; the needle and tip combination. |
| Fluorescent Fixture | An illuminating device which uses a tubular electric lamp which has a coating of fluorescent material on its inner surface and contains mercury vapor. |
| Fluorescent Lamp Starter | See Ballast. |
| Fluorescent lighting | A fluorescent lamp is a gas-filled glass tube with a phosphur coating on the inside. Gas inside the tube is ionized by electricity which causes the phosphur coating to glow. Normally with two pins that extend from each end. |
| Fluorescent Paint | Luminous paint which glows only during activation by ultraviolet or black light. |
| Fluorite | Fluorspar, CaF2, an inorganic mineral of the isometric form, used as a source of fluorine for fluxing of glasses and glazes. |
| Flush | 1. Adjacent surfaces even, or in the same plane. 2. Operation to remove any material or fluids from refrigeration system parts by purging them to the atmosphere using refrigerant or other fluids. 3. To operate a water closet or urinal valve. |
| Flush Bolt | A door bolt so designed that when applied it is flush with the face or edge of the door. |
| Flush Bushing, Copper | A threaded pipe fitting used to connect two pipes with different diameters together and create a continuous smooth surface, made of copper. |
| Flush Cabinet Construction | A method of building cabinets where the fronts of the doors and drawers are flush with the face frame. |
| Flush Door | A door with a smooth surface and no protrusions. |
| Flush Molding | A piece of trim which is fastened flat onto or flush with a wall and sometimes is used as a divider or chair rail. |
| Flush Tank | The water tank or cistern on a toilet to supply flushing water. |
| Flush Valve | A regulated water valve at a toilet or urinal to supply flushing water directly from a high pressure water line. |
| Flushed Seal | A seal in which the bitumen has bled to the surface. See also Bleeding and Fatty Surface. |
| Flushing | Of asphalt paving, see Bleeding, 1. |
| Flushometer | A high pressure flush valve for a toilet or urinal. |
| Fluted Column | Column with vertical decorative, semi-circular channeled shafts. |
| Flux | 1. A substance that promotes fusion in a given ceramic mixture. 2. A chemical used when soldering, brazing, or welding to prevent oxides from forming when heated. 3. Fusible material used in welding or oxygen cutting to dissolve and facilitate removal of |
| Flux | A liquid, normally diesel or oil, added to bitumen to give a long term reduction in viscosity. |
| Fly Ash | Extremely fine ash from the burning of pulverized coal; when it has over 90 percent silica content it may be used as a pozzolan in concrete; it can improve the concrete by increasing the volume of cement paste. |
| Fly Gallery | The space above a theater stage where the scenery is suspended. |
| Fly rafters | End rafters of the gable overhang supported by roof sheathing and lookouts. |
| Flying Buttress | A masonry buttress springing from a separate column, forming an arch with the wall it supports |
| Flying Formwork | Large sections of slab formwork that are moved by crane. |
| FM | Factory Mutual. |
| FNMA | Federal National Mortgage Association. |
| Foam Concrete | See Cellular Concrete. |
| Foam Extinguisher | A extinguisher which releases chemical foam to put out fires. |
| Foam Gasket | Joint sealing material made of rubber or plastic foam strips. |
| Foam Leak Detector | System of soap bubbles or special foaming liquids brushed over joints and connections to locate leaks. |
| Foam Plaster Base | A rigid type foamed backing which acts as a plaster base. |
| Foamed Bitumen | Hot bitumen greatly expanded in volume by the introduction of steam and water. Can be used for spray sealing in situ stabilisation (Foamstab) and for production of Foam mixed aggregate products (Foamix). |
| Foamed Concrete | Concrete made very light and cellular by the addition of a prepared foam or by generation of gas within the unhardened mixture. |
| Foamglass Insulation | A thermal insulation made by foaming glass with hydrogen sulfide; it is manufactured in the form of block or board and has a low fire hazard rating. |
| Foaming | 1. Frothing. 2. Formation of a foam in an oil-refrigerant mixture due to rapid evaporation of refrigerant dissolved in the oil; this is most likely to occur when the compressor starts and the pressure is suddenly reduced. |
| FOB | Free On Board; without charge for delivery to and placing on board a carrier at a specified point; FOB Jobsite means material cost includes cost of delivery to jobsite. |
| Focal Depth | Depth of the earthquake focus (or hypocenter) below the ground surface. |
| Focus | The point of origin of an earthquake; the point at which the rupture occurs; synonymous with the hypocenter. |
| Fog Curing | 1. Storage of concrete in a moist room in which the desired high humidity is achieved by the atomization of fresh water. 2. Application of atomized fresh water to concrete, stucco, mortar, or plaster. |
| Fog Seal | Refer Enrichment Seal. |
| Fogging | Misting. |
| Foil | 1. Metal hammered into a thin sheet. 2. A cusped element in Gothic tracery. |
| Foil Back | See Foil Backed Gypsum Board. |
| Foil Backed Gypsumboard | Gypsumboard with aluminum foil laminated to its back surface as a vapor retardant and thermal insulator. Also called Foil Back. |
| Folded Plate | A roof structure in which strength and stiffness derive from a pleated or folded geometry; special class of shell structure formed by joining flat, thin slabs along their edges so as to create a three dimensional spatial structure. |
| Folding Door | A door with hinged leaves, often provided with a ceiling or floor track. |
| Folding Stair | A hinged stair, attached to and concealed within the ceiling, which can be raised and lowered. |
| Folio | A page number referring to the disposition of source of an entry or posting in the books of the business. |
| Font | A receptacle in a church for baptismal water or holy water. |
| Food Preparation | The action or process of making food ready for cooking and consumption. |
| Food Service Equipment | Appliances, fixtures, and materials used in the cooking and serving of food in large quantities. |
| Foot | A unit of length equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimeters. |
| Foot Grille | Metal grating usually located in floor near building entrance to allow for scraping of dirt, ice, and snow from footwear before proceeding to building interior. |
| Foot-Candle | The illumination produced by one lumen of luminous flux spread uniformly over an area of one square foot. |
| Foot-Pound | A unit of work equal to the work done by a force of one pound acting through a distance of one foot in the direction of the force. |
| Foot-Poundal | An absolute unit of work that is equal to the work done by a force of 1 poundal in moving a body through a distance of 1 foot, equivalent to about 0.04 joules. |
| Footer, footing | Continuous 8" or 10" thick concrete pad installed before and supports the foundation wall or monopost. |
| Footing | A masonry section, usually concrete, in a rectangular form wider than the bottom of the foundation wall or pier it supports. |
| Footing Drain | 1. Drain around the perimeter of a building, at the footings, to drain groundwater or rainwater away from the building. 2. Drain at the footing of a retaining wall to prevent accumulation of hydrostatic pressure that could collapse the wall. |
| Footing Excavation | The temporary removal of earth for installing a footing. |
| Footing Form | A wooden or steel structure, placed around the footing that will hold the concrete to the desired shape and size; also called Footing Formwork. |
| Footing Formwork | See Footing Form. |
| Footing Reinforcing | The placing of metal or steel bars in a freshly poured or placed concrete footing to strengthen it. |
| Footprint | The outline of a building on the ground, used in site planning and in judging compliance with planning and zoning laws. |
| Foots | Dregs; settlings in vegetable oils. |
| Force | Energy exerted on an element tending to cause motion; magnitude, direction and point of application are all used to describe a force. |
| Force Account | Construction work on a time and material basis. |
| Force Majeure | An overwhelming, but unanticipated event. |
| Force-Feed Oiling | Lubrication system which uses a pump to force oil to surfaces of moving parts. |
| Forced Air | Air blown by a fan from a furnace or air conditioner. |
| Forced Air Furnace | An appliance, with a heat exchanger and ventilating fan, that supplies hot air for space heating. |
| Forced air heating | A common form of heating with natural gas, propane, oil or electricity as a fuel. Air is heated in the furnace and distributed through a set of metal ducts to various areas of the house. |
| Forced Convection | Movement of fluid by mechanical force such as fans or pumps. |
| Forced Draft | In a boiler, combustion air forced by a blower in the burner section through the boiler and up the stack. |
| Forced Drying | Acceleration of drying by increasing the temperature above ambient temperature using an oven, infrared lamp, or other heat source. |
| Foreclosure | A legal procedure for selling a mortgaged property in default to satisfy the debt. |
| Forehand Welding | A gas-welding technique wherein the flame is directed toward the progress of welding. |
| Foreman | An experienced worker who works with and usually leads a crew or gang. |
| Forensic Architecture | A science and practice that deals with application of architecture and construction facts and scientific methods to construction and legal problems. |
| Forensic Engineering | A science and practice that deals with application of engineering and construction facts and scientific methods to construction and legal problems. |
| Foreshore | The part of the shore lying between the crest of the berm (or upper limit of wave wash at high tide) and the ordinary low-water mark, that is ordinarily traversed by the uprush and backrush of the waves as the tides rise and fall. |
| Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) | Forest Service,U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Madison, Wisconsin 53705. |
| Forge | 1. A furnace or hearth for melting or refining metal. 2. A furnace where metal is heated and wrought. |
| Forged | Formed by heating and hammering. |
| Forged Eyebolt | A heavy metal bolt which contains an eye at its end which may be used as a fastening device. |
| Forged Steel | Wrought steel. |
| Fork Lift | A vehicle with a horizontal fork in front for lifting and moving loads; a fork lift truck. |
| Form | Temporary structure built to contain concrete while it sets; also called Formwork. |
| Form | Temporary structure erected to contain concrete during placing and initial hardening. |
| Form Deck | Thin, corrugated steel decking that serves as permanent formwork for a reinforced concrete deck. |
| Form Fabric | Welded-wire fabric used to reinforce concrete while it is setting and gaining sufficient strength to be self-supporting. |
| Form Lacquer | Thin lacquer or varnish used to coat concrete forms to prevent concrete from adhering to the forms. |
| Form Oil | Oil applied to the interior surface of formwork to promote easy release from the concrete when forms are removed. |
| Form Release | A substance applied to concrete forms to make stripping after pouring easier. |
| Form Tie | A steel rod with fasteners on each end, used to hold together the formwork for a concrete wall. |
| Form, Slab | See Slab Form. |
| Form-Fit Area | See Free Form. |
| Formica | Brand name and trademark for any of the various laminated plastic products, usually used for surface finish on cabinets or millwork. |
| Formica Partition | A dividing wall finished with a layer of Formica. |
| Forming | 1. The act of installing wooden forms to accept reinforcing steel and concrete. 2. The shaping or molding of ceramic ware. |
| Formwork | See Form. |
| Forsterite Porcelain | A vitreous ceramic whiteware for technical applications in which forsterite, Mg2SiO4, is the essential crystalline phase. |
| Fossil Fuel | A natural fuel such as coal, gas, or petroleum formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms. |
| Fossil Resin | Any of the natural or earth type resins, such as kauri and the Congo copals, which derive their characteristics through aging in the ground. |
| Foundation | The portion of a building that has the sole purpose of transmitting structural loads from the building into the earth. That part of a building or wall which supports the superstructure. |
| Foundation | The supporting portion of a structure below the first floor construction, or below grade, including the footings. |
| Foundation Backfill | Earth or earthen material displaced during excavation and replaced around the constructed foundation. |
| Foundation Block | Masonry block used for foundation work, commonly denser than regular block. |
| Foundation Investigation | See Geotechnical Investigation. |
| Foundation Mat | A grid of reinforcement steel for concrete foundations. |
| Foundation Reinforcing | The placing of metal or steel bars in a freshly poured or placed concrete foundation to strengthen it. |
| Foundation Resin | Piping around the base of a building to collect water and convey to the drainage system. |
| Foundation Soil | See Subgrade. |
| Foundation ties | Metal wires that hold the foundation wall panels and rebar in place during the concrete pour. |
| Foundation Vent | Screened opening below the floor line to provide natural ventilation to the foundation crawl spaces. |
| Foundation Wall | That portion of a load-bearing wall below the level of the adjacent grade, or below the first tier of floor beams or joists, which transmits the superimposed load to the footing. |
| Foundation waterproofing | High-quality below-grade moisture protection. Used for below-grade exterior concrete and masonry wall damp-proofing to seal out moisture and prevent corrosion. Normally looks like black tar. |
| Foundry | A workshop for casting metals. |
| Fountain | 1. A jet or jets of water made to spout for ornamental purposes or for drinking and the structure for this purpose. 2. A natural spring of water. |
| Fountain, Wash | See Wash Fountain. |
| Four Dimensional | Involving four dimensions, consisting of elements requiring four coordinates to determine them; the space-time continuum. |
| Four Pole Motor | 1800 rpm, 60 Hz electric synchronous speed motor. |
| four-poster | Bed framework supporting a valanced ceiling and four curtains. There have been many possible variations on the theme. Also called full tester. |
| Fourth Dimension | Time, in addition to height, width, and depth. |
| Foyer | An anteroom, lobby, entrance hallway, or vestibule. |
| FPL | Forest Products Laboratory. |
| Fraction | 1. A numerical quantity that is not a whole number, as in 1/2 or 0.5; a number expressed as one number divided by another, as in 2/3 or 4/5; the upper number is the numerator and the bottom number is the denominator. 2. A portion of a mixture separated by |
| Fracture | 1. A break, usually resulting in actual separation of the material; in structures, the characteristic result of tension failure. 2. See Crack, 1. |
| Fracture | See Crack. |
| Frame | 1. An enclosing border as in a picture frame. 2. The surrounding or enclosing woodwork, as around windows or doors. 3. The skeleton of a building; that is, the rough structure of a building, including interior and exterior walls, floor, roof, and ceilings |
| Frame High | To construct the brickwork up to the top of the door or window frame; the lintel is then laid across the opening and rests upon the brickwork on each side of the frame. |
| Frame Inspection | The act of inspecting the home's structural integrity and it's complianceto local municipal codes. |
| Frame, Balloon | See Balloon Frame. |
| Frame, Braced | See Braced Frame. |
| Frame, Door | See Door Frame. |
| Frame, Ductile Moment Resisting Space | See Ductile Moment Resisting Space Frame. |
| Frame, Moment Resisting | See Moment Resisting Frame. |
| Frame, Platform | See Platform Frame. |
| Framed Connection | 1. One that is capable of resisting moments. 2. A shear connection between steel members made by means of steel angles or plates connecting to the web of the beam or girder. |
| Framer | 1. A carpenter who constructs wood framing. 2. A carpentry contractor. 3. One who frames pictures and makes their frames. |
| Framer | The carpenter contractor that installs the lumber and erects the frame, flooring system, interior walls, backing, trusses, rafters, decking, installs all beams, stairs, soffits and all work related to the wood structure of the home. The framer builds the |
| Frames | Racks at the back of a Jacquard loom, each holding a different color of pile yarn; in Wilton carpets, 2 to 6 frames may be used and the number is a measure of quality as well as an indication of the number of colors in the pattern, unless some of the yarn |
| Framing | Lumber used for the structural members of a building, such as studs, joists, and rafters. |
| Framing | The rough wooden structural skeleton of a building, including interior and exterior walls, floor, roof, and ceilings. |
| Framing Lumber | Wood members of framing systems which are manufactured by sawing, resawing, passing lengthwise through standard planing machine, crosscutting to length, and matching, but without further manufacturing. |
| Framing Member | The stud, plate, joist, or furring component to which the exterior and interior surfacing materials are attached; normally made of wood or metal. |
| Framing, balloon | A system of framing a building in which all vertical structural elements of the bearing walls and partitions consist of single pieces extending from the top of the foundation sin plate to the roofplate and to which all floor joists are fastened. |
| Framing, Ceiling | See Ceiling Framing. |
| Framing, Door | See Door Framing. |
| Framing, platform | A system of framing a building in which floor joists of each story rest on the top plates of the story below or on the foundation sill for the first story, and the bearing walls and partitions rest on the subfloor of each story. |
| Framing, Roof | See Roof Framing. |
| Framing, Timber | See Timber Framing. |
| Framing, Wall | See Wall Framing. |
| Franchise Tax Board | In California, a department of state government that collects taxes from individuals and businesses. |
| Fraud | A false statement of fact that is designed to deceive. |
| Free and Clear | Real property that has no liens or encumbrances. |
| Free Body Diagram | A diagram, or drawing, in which on element of structure is isolated from its surroundings, and the effect of its surroundings is shown only as forces; see Vector, 1. |
| Free Form | A floor area, usually in a department store or salon, not bounded by walls and of nonrectangular shape; sometimes called Form-Fit Area. |
| Free Water | All water contained by gypsum board, concrete, mortar, or plaster in excess of that chemically held as water of crystallization; |
| Freeboard | Distance between poolwater surface level and deck level. |
| Freeform | Freely adapted poolshape. |
| Freehand Floating | The application of wall mortar without the use of guide screeds; this technique is used by specialists when they are setting glass mosaic murals. |
| Freestone | Fine-grained sedimentary rock that has no planes of cleavage or sedimentation along which it is likely to split. |
| Freeway | See Expressway. |
| Freeze-Up | 1. Formation of ice in the refrigerant control device which may stop the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator. 2. Frost formation on an evaporator which may stop the airflow through the evaporator. |
| Freeze-Up | See Frozen, 2. |
| Freezer Alarm | A bell or buzzer used in many freezers which sounds an alarm when freezer temperature rises above safe limit. |
| Freezer Burn | Condition applied to food which has not been properly wrapped and that has become hard, dry, and discolored. |
| Freezing | Change of state from liquid to solid. |
| Freezing Point | Temperature at which a liquid will solidify upon removal of heat. The freezing temperature for water is 32° F. (O° C.) at atmospheric pressure. |
| Freight Elevator | A hoisting device to raise or lower cargo. |
| Freight-In | A merchandising account that records the transportation costs on purchases paid by the buyer. |
| Freize Carpet | A rough, nubby-textured carpet using tightly twisted yarns; a carpet with pile of uncut loops or a combination of cut and uncut loops. |
| Freize Yarn | A tightly twisted yarn that gives a rough, nubby appearance to the pile; in addition to use in plain colors, it is employed to form designs against plain grounds and thus gives an engraved effect. |
| French Curve | A transparent plastic drafter's tool for drawing miscellaneous curves. |
| French Door | A door with rectangular glass panes extending the full length. |
| french doors | A pair of doors with glass panes for most or all of their length. |
| French Drain | A trench filled with gravel, often with a perforated pipe on the bottom, to carry off intercepted subterranean drainage. |
| French pleats | Hand-sewn triple pleats separated by flat areas on a curtain heading. Also called pinch pleats. |
| French Polishing | High-grade wood finish obtained by applying shellac or French varnish with a cloth pad and linseed oil as a lubricant to prevent the pad from sticking. |
| French Process Zinc Oxide | Zinc oxide pigment made from metallic zinc; sometimes called indirect process; see American Process Zinc Oxide. |
| French Window | A pair of casement windows that reaches to the floor. |
| Freon | Trade name for a family of synthetic chemical refrigerants manufactured by E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co., Inc. |
| Freon-12 | Dichlorodifluoromethane. |
| Frequency | 1. Commonness of occurrence. 2. The rate of recurrence of a vibration, oscillation, or cycle; the number of repetitions in a given time, such as per second; one vibration per second is one hertz. |
| Frequency Meter | A device used to measure vibrations in cycles per second. |
| Fresco | The art of painting on fresh plaster with water-based pigments. |
| Fresh Water | Those waters having a specific conductivity less than a solution containing six thousand (6,000) parts per million of sodium chloride. |
| Fret | A decorative pattern of interlaced designs. |
| Fretsaw | A finetoothed saw with its narrow blade held under tension, used for sawing curves. |
| Fretwork | 1. Ornamental openwork designs in woodwork cut by a fretsaw. 2. In masonry, any ornamental openwork or work in relief. |
| Friable Asbestos | Any materials that contain greater than one percent asbestos, and which can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure; this may also include previously non-friable material which becomes broken or damaged by mechanical force. |
| Friction | 1. The rubbing of one material against another. 2. The tangential surface resistance between two bodies in contact which move or tend to move with respect to each other. |
| Friction Catch | Any catch which, when engaged in a strike, is held in the engaged position by friction. |
| Friction Connection | Two or more structural steel members clamped together by high-strength bolts with sufficient force that the loads on the members are transmitted between them by friction along their mating surfaces. |
| Friction Course | A specialised wearing course constructed of Open Graded Asphalt. |
| Friction Hinge | A hinge designed to hold a door at any desired degree of opening by means of friction control incorporated in the knuckle of the hinge. |
| Friction Loss | Loss in efficiency due to friction. |
| Friction Pile | A pile calculated to carry all of its load by skin friction, neglecting any contribution of direct bearing on its point. |
| Frictional Soil | A soil, such as sand, in which there is little or no attraction between its particles, and which derives its strength from geometric interlocking of the particles; a non-cohesive soil. |
| Frieze | 1. A horizontal, often decorative, member of a cornice, set flat against a wall. 2. More broadly, any sculptured or ornamental band on a house, in a room, or on furniture. |
| Frieze | In house construction a horizontal member connecting the top of the siding with the soffit of the cornice. |
| Frigidarium | The room containing the cold bath in Roman baths. |
| Fringe Benefits | Benefits paid for by an employer for an employee in addition to basic wages; includes such benefits as vacations, sick time, health care, retirement, and disability insurance. |
| Frit | 1. The wholly or partly fused materials of which glass is made. 2. Ground-up glass used as a basis for glaze or enamel. |
| Fritted Glass | Float glass with crushed glass melted onto its surface, for the purpose of screening out glare, limiting solar gain, and providing various levels of opacity and color. |
| Fritted Glaze | A glaze in which a part or all of the fluxing constituents are pre-fused. |
| Froe | A cleaving tool consisting of a wedge-shaped blade mounted at right angles to the blade; used for splitting blocks of wood into shingles or barrel staves. |
| Frog | 1. A loop on a belt to carry a tool. 2. A mechanical device that allows the train wheels on one track to cross over an intersecting track. 3. See Panel, 8. |
| Front Door Lock | A lock assembly mounted in a front door. |
| Front End Loader | A tractor or bulldozer with a bucket which operates from the front of the vehicle. |
| Front End Loading | The fraudulent practice of a contractor's distorting the schedule of values so that work done early in the contract will have higher values than work done later, for the purpose of obtaining payment before it is earned; also called Unbalancing the Schedul |
| Front Money | The cash needed to pay all the property development costs before financing can be put in place. |
| Front Yard | The space between a building and the front property line. |
| Frost | 1. A covering of minute ice crystals that form on a cold surface. 2. Frozen soil. |
| Frost Back | Condition in which liquid refrigerant flows from the evaporator into the suction line; usually indicated by sweating or frosting of the suction line. |
| Frost Control Semiautomatic | See Semiautomatic Frost Control. |
| Frost Control, Automatic | See Automatic Frost Control. |
| Frost Control, Manual | See Manual Frost Control. |
| Frost Free Refrigerator | Refrigerated cabinet which operates with an automatic defrost during each cycle. |
| Frost lid | Round metal lid that is installed on a water meter pit. |
| Frost line | The depth of frost penetration in soil and/or the depth at which the earth will freeze and swell. This depth varies in different parts of the country. |
| Frost Line | The greatest depth to which ground may be expected to freeze. |
| Frost Proof Tile | Tile produced for use where freezing and thawing conditions occur. |
| Frosting Type Evaporator | Refrigerating system which maintains the evaporator at frosting temperatures during all phases of cycle. |
| Frostline | The depth of frost penetration in soil. This depth varies in different parts of the country. Footings should be placed below this depth to prevent movement. |
| Frostline | The depth of frost penetration in soil; this depth varies in different parts of the country; footings should be placed below this depth to prevent movement. |
| Frothing | Foaming. |
| Frozen | 1. Water in its solid state. 2. Seized, as in machine parts, due to lack of lubrication; the term Freeze-Up is often applied to this situation. |
| Frozen Food Case | A storage unit that freezes or maintains foods at freezing temperatures. |
| FRP | Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic. |
| Fryer, Kitchen | See Kitchen Fryer. |
| FS | Federal Specifications. |
| FTI | Facing Tile Institute. |
| Fuel | A substance burned to provide heat. |
| Fuel Oil | 1. Any oil that is used for fuel in engines or furnaces. 2. Kerosene or any hydrocarbon oil having a flash point not less than 100° F. (38° C.). |
| Fugitive Colors | Colors which are not permanent; subject to fading. |
| Fulcrum | A fixed point of support about which a lever is pivoted. |
| Full Depth Asphalt Pavement | A pavement in which asphalt is used for all courses above the subgrade or improved subgrade. |
| Full Fillet Weld | A fillet weld whose size is equal to the thickness of the thinner member joined. |
| Full Floating | Mechanism construction in which a shaft is free to turn in all the parts in which it is inserted. |
| Full Frame | In cabinet construction, amortised-and-tenoned frame, in which every joint is mortised and tenoned. |
| Full Header | A brick course composed of all headers. |
| Full Load Torque | In an electric motor, the maximum torque delivered without overheating. |
| Full Mopping | In roofing, a mopping layer that completely coats the surface with hot bitumen. |
| full tester | See four-poster. |
| Full-Cell Process | A process for impregnating wood with preservatives or chemicals; in this process a vacuum is formed to remove air from the wood before adding the preservative. |
| Full-Depth Asphalt Pavement | The term Full-Depth, registered by The Asphalt Institute with the U. S. Patent Office, certifies that the pavement is one in which asphalt mixtures are employed for all courses above the subgrade or improved subgrade; a Full- Depth asphalt pavement is lai |
| Fuller's Earth | A type of clay mineral that lacks plasticity and is used as an adsorbent and as a filter. |
| Fully Adhered | A roof membrane that is fully mopped to the substrate. |
| Fume Hood | A ventilated laboratory enclosure for disposing of fumes. |
| Functional | Designed to be practical; utilitarian. |
| Functional Obsolescence | The loss in value of real property due to outmoded features or poor design. |
| Functionalism | A philosophy of design holding that form should be adapted to use, material, and structure. |
| Fundamental Period | The time it will take for an element or structure to stop moving and return to its original vertical position when a horizontal force is exerted on it; for example, when a horizontal force is exerted on a building causing displacement. |
| Fungi | See Fungus. |
| Fungi Resistance | The ability of any material to withstand fungi growth and their metabolic products under normal conditions of service. |
| Fungi, wood | Microscopic plants that live in damp wood and cause mold, stain, and decay. |
| Fungicide | A chemical that is poisonous to fungi. |
| Fungicide | A substance that destroys fungi or inhibits their growth. |
| Fungus (pl Fungi) | Any of a major group of saprophytic and parasitic lower plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts. |
| Funnel | A utensil consisting of a tube at the small end of a hollow cone; used for pouring liquids into a container with a small opening. |
| Funny Papers | A disparaging term used on the jobsite in reference to the construction drawings and specifications |
| Furan Grout | A two-part grout system of furan resin and furan hardener used for filling joints between quarry tile and pavers where chemical resistant properties are required; also called Furan Resin Grout. |
| Furan Mortar | A two-part mortar system of furan resin and furan hardener used for bonding tile to back-up material where chemical resistance of floors is important; also called Furan Resin Mortar. |
| Furan Plastics | Plastics based on resins in which the furan ring is an integral part of the polymer chain, made by the polymerization or polycondensation of furfural, furfuryl alcohol, or other compounds containing a furan ring, or by the reaction of these furan compound |
| Furan Resin | See Furan Plastics. |
| Furan Resin Grout | See Furan Grout. |
| Furan Resin Mortar | See Furan Mortar. |
| Furnace | A unit which draws in cool air from an occupied space and passes the air through a heating chamber, combustion or electric, and then is returned to the occupied space; a heat system using air as the distribution fluid. |
| Furnace, Central Warm Air | Self-contained appliance designed to supply heated air through ducts to spaces remote from or adjacent to the appliance location. |
| Furnish | 1. To provide what is needed. 2. To supply furniture. 3. The raw materials needed for making paper pulp. |
| Furnishings | Articles, especially furniture, found in the interior of a structure, generally to increase comfort or utility. |
| Furred Ceiling | A ceiling having spacer elements, usually furring channels, round rods, or wood strips, interposed between it and the supporting structure above. |
| Furring | 1. Wood or metal strips used to build out a surface such as a studded wall. 2. Narrow strips fastened to the walls and ceilings to form a straight surface upon which to lay the lath or other finish. |
| Furring | Strips of wood or metal applied to a wall or other surface to even it and normally to serve as a fastening base for finish material. |
| Furring Channels | 3/4 inch cold or hot rolled steel channels used in plaster base construction. |
| Furring strips | Strips of wood, often 1 X 2 and used to shim out and provide a level fastening surface for a wall or ceiling. |
| Furring, Ceiling | See Ceiling Furring. |
| Furring, Channel | See Channel Furring. |
| Furring, Metal | See Metal Furring. |
| Furring, Wood | See Wood Furring. |
| Furrowing | To strike a V shaped trough in a bed of mortar. |
| Fuse | A device often found in older homes designed to prevent overloads in electrical lines. This protects against fire. See also 'circuit breakers'. |
| Fuse | An electrical safety device consisting of strip of fusible metal in circuit which melts when circuit is overloaded. |
| Fused Reducer | A pipe coupling with a larger size at one end that the other and is attached to a length of pipe by welding. |
| Fusel Oil | Oily liquid produced in small quantities when ethyl alcohol is produced by fermentation of grain. |
| Fusible Link | A safety device consisting of a metal of low melting point inserted into a machine, boiler, or linkage that will melt if the temperature rises above a certain point thereby closing or shutting off the appliance. |
| Fusible Plug | Plug or fitting made with a metal of a known low- melting temperature; used as safety device to release pressure. |
| Fusible Switch | An electric switch that has a fusible link in the wiring for an electric circuit to break the circuit by melting in the event of an overload. |
| Fusion | 1. The liquid or plastic state of a material caused by heat. 2. In welding, the process of melting to form a union; usually the result of interaction of two or more materials. |
| Fuzzing | A temporary condition on new carpet consisting of irregular fuzzing appearance caused by slack yarn twist, fibers snagging, or breaking of yarn; can be remedied by spot shearing. |
| FW Dodge | The company which logs most major construction projects in work. |