| Term | Definition |
| P and L | Profit and Loss. |
| P trap | Curved, "U" section of drain pipe that holds a water seal to prevent sewer gasses from entering the home through a fixtures water drain. |
| P-Trap | A P-shaped drain trap that prevents sewer gas from escaping from a plumbing fixture. |
| P-Trap, ABS | A P-trap used mostly at sinks and lavatories; manufactured of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a rigid plastic pipe. |
| P-Trap, No-Hub | A P-trap used mostly at sinks and lavatories; made to join with no-hub cast iron drain piping. |
| P-Wave | The primary or fastest wave traveling away from a seismic event through the earth's crust, and consisting of a train of compressions and dilations of the material; see Seismic Wave. |
| Package Deal | An offering of design, construction, financing, and sometimes the land, for one all-inclusive price. |
| Package Dyeing | Placing spun and wound yarn on large perforated forms and forcing the dye through the perforations. |
| Package Units | Complete refrigerating system including compressor, condenser and evaporator located in the refrigerated space. |
| Packaged Chiller | A factory assembled piece of equipment that utilizes a refrigeration cycle to produce chilled water for circulation to a desired location or use. |
| Packaged Heater | A factory assembled piece of equipment that supplies heat producing units for circulation to a desired location or use. |
| Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner (PTAC) | A self contained unit, operated in the direct expansion method, located in the space served. |
| Packing | Sealing device consisting of soft material or one or more mating soft elements; reshaped by manually adjustable compression to obtain or maintain a leak-proof seal. |
| Packing House Tile | Similar to quarry tile but usually of greater thickness. |
| Pad Eyes | Metal rings mounted vertically on a plate for tying small vessels. |
| Pad out, pack out | To shim out or add strips of wood to a wall or ceiling in order that the finished ceiling/wall will appear correct. |
| Pad, Bearing | See Bearing Pad. |
| Pad, Equipment | See Equipment Pad. |
| Pad, Transformer | See Transformer Pad. |
| padded edge | Leading edge of a curtain or drapery containing a roll of padding to create a distinctive and luxurious effect. |
| Padding | A material installed under carpet to add foot comfort, isolate sound, and to prolong carpet life. |
| Padding, Carpet | See Carpet Padding. |
| Pagoda | A multi tiered tower of India and the Far East erected as a temple or memorial. |
| Paint | A combination of pigments with suitable thinners or oils to provide decorative and protective coatings. Can be oil based or latex water based. |
| Paint | A mixture of pigment, binder, and solvent as a suitable liquid to form a thin closely adherent coating when spread on a surface in a thin coat to decorate or adorn by applying lines and color. |
| Paint Brush | A painter's implement composed of bristles set into a handle, used for applying paint and other coatings to a surface. |
| Paint Coating | Paint in position on a surface. |
| Paint Gauge | An instrument used to measure the thickness of paint coatings. |
| Paint Heater | Device for lowering viscosity of paint by heating. |
| Paint Preparation | The act or process of preparing a building or structure for painting, including filling, scraping, sanding, and mixing of paint. |
| Paint Project | Single paint job. |
| Paint Remover | A mixture of active solvents used to remove paint and varnish coatings. |
| Paint Shop | An area in a building being painted where the painter stores, mixes, cleans tools, and prepares painting materials and equipment. |
| Paint Spray Booth | A room or enclosed space that provides a dust-free environment and ventilation for the application of paints. |
| Paint System | The complete number and type of coats comprising a paint job, including surface preparation, pretreatments, dry film thickness, and manner of application. |
| Paint, Asphaltic | See Asphaltic Paint. |
| Paint, Door | See Door Paint. |
| Painter | A craft worker skilled in the application of paints, stains, and other decorative and protective treatments. |
| Painting | The work done by painters. |
| Painting Preparation | The act or process preparing a building or structure for painting, including scraping, filling, sanding, and mixing of paint. |
| Paisley | Fine woolen cloth printed with intricate scroll or pine designs, which have become a classic motif. |
| Palisade | A barrier |
| Palladian | In the neo-classical style of Andrea Palladio. |
| Palladian window | A window with a high, round-topped central section and two lower, square-topped side sections. Also called Venetian window and arch-top. |
| Pallet | A portable platform for storing, moving, and handling goods and materials as in a warehouse. |
| Pan | Metal or plastic prefabricated form unit used in construction of concrete floor joist systems. |
| Pan, Metal Stair | See Metal Stair Pan. |
| Pane | A panel of glass. |
| Panel | 1. A distinct, usually rectangular, section of the surface of a door, cabinet, wall, ceiling or roof. 2. A board containing instruments, controls, dials, and switches. 3. A group of people, usually three, forming an arbitration tribunal. 4. A large, thin |
| Panel Circuit Directory | A systematic listing of all of the circuits in an electric panel. |
| Panel Cladding | Metal sheathing panels used to provide durability, weathering and corrosion, or impact resistance. |
| Panel Edge Clip | H-shaped clip used to prevent differential deflection of plywood roof or floor sheathing. |
| Panel Hoist | A device to raise sheetrock into place while it is being nailed or screwed. |
| Panel Rated Siding | Panel siding made of APA proprietary siding product. |
| Panel Siding | Large sheets of plywood or hardboard which may serve as both sheathing and siding. |
| Panel, Acoustical | See Acoustical Panel. |
| Panel, Hardboard Siding | See Hardboard Panel Siding. |
| Panel, Limestone | See Limestone Panel. |
| Panel, Sandwich | See Sandwich Panel. |
| Panelboard | A single panelboard or group of panel units designed for assembly in the form of a single panel including buses and with or without switches or automatic overcurrent protective devices, or both, for the control of light, heat, or power in a cabinet or enc |
| Paneling | 1. Panels joined in a continuous surface. 2. Decorative wood panels. |
| Panelized Roof | A modular roof framing system so dimensioned that the sheathing and rafters can be prefabricated as a unit for efficient installation on the purlins or beams. |
| Panic Device | A mechanical device that opens a door automatically if pressure is exerted against the device from the interior of the building; a horizontal bar mounted across the full width of a door or a sort of large push-plate, acting as a latching system and operat |
| Panic Hardware | See Panic Device. |
| Pantry | A room for storing food and for serving to the table. |
| Paper and Wire | Asphalt impregnated paper and wire mesh, or metal lath, that are used as a backing for the installation of tile. |
| Paper Backed Insulation | Insulation that comes with paper facing on one side which serves as a vapor retarder. |
| Paper Mounted Mosaics | Ceramic mosaic tiles mounted on paper applied to face of tile; available in sheets approximately 12 by 24 inches. |
| Paper Rollers | Curlings of paper torn from the surface of the gypsum board; usually occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to high humidity and sliding one board across the surface of another. |
| Paper, building | A general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings without reference to their properties or uses. Generally comes in long rolls. |
| Paper, Curing | See Curing Paper. |
| Paper-Base Laminate | (See Laminate, Paper-Base). |
| Paperboard | The distinction between paper and paperboard is not sharp, but broadly speaking, the thicker (over 0.012 inch), heavier, and more rigid grades of paper are called paperboard. |
| Papreg | Any of various paper products made by impregnating sheets of specially manufactured high-strength paper with synthetic resin and laminating the sheets to form a dense, moisture-resistant product. |
| Para Red | Pigment which is coal tar product; brilliant, opaque, non-fading, but has tendency to bleed. |
| Parabola | An open plane curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to its side. |
| Parabolic Troffer | A channel-like enclosure for light sources with a reflector shaped to control the light in a narrow beam. |
| Paraffin Oil | Light gravity mineral oil used as a lubricant in wood finishing. |
| Parallel | Lines side by side, equidistant, and never meeting. |
| Parallel Application | The long dimension of the gypsum board applied in the same direction as the framing members; also called Vertical Application or With Framing. |
| Parallel Bar | A pair of bars on a support adjustable in height and spacing that are parallel to each other and are used for gymnastic exercises. |
| Parallel Circuit | Arrangement of electrical devices in which the current divides and travels through two or more paths and then returns through a common path. |
| Parallel Rule | A device mounted on a drawing board to enable a drafter to produce parallel horizontal lines, and with triangles, to produce parallel vertical or sloping lines. |
| Parapet | The region of an exterior wall that projects above the level of the roof. |
| Parapet Wall | That portion of any exterior wall, party wall, or fire wall which extends above the roof line. |
| Parcel | A tract or plot of land under one legal description. |
| Parge | 1. To apply ornamental plaster to. 2. To apply waterproofing plaster to. |
| Parget | Parge. |
| Pargeting | Parging. |
| Parging | 1. Ornamental plaster. 2. Application of cement plaster as a part of a waterproofing system, as on foundation walls and rough masonry. |
| Parking Barrier | A structure either temporary or permanent, that is placed to prevent the encroachment of vehicles. |
| Parking Stall Painting | The act or process of painting border lines for the parking of individual motor vehicles. |
| Parol Evidence Rule | The meaning of a contract cannot be changed by reference to statements made by the parties to the contract before the contract was formed. |
| Parquet Floor | A floor covering laid out in a geometric design composed of small pieces of wood. |
| Partial Joint Penetration | Joint penetration which is less than complete. |
| Partial Pressures | Condition where two or more gases occupy a space and each one creates part of the total pressure. |
| Particle Size Distribution | See grading. |
| Particle-Size Distribution | The gradation in size of aggregate particles used in concrete, usually expressed in terms of cumulative percentages smaller or larger than each of a series of sieve openings or percentages between certain ranges of sieve openings. |
| Particleboard | A building panel composed of small particles of wood and resins bonded together under pressure; lat sheet material producing a durable and dimensionally stable product which is often used in dry conditions in place of plywood. |
| Particleboard Underlayment | Flat sheet material of particleboard placed over subflooring to provide a smooth and even surface to receive finish floor covering. |
| Parting Bead | A narrow vertical strip in a double-hung window frame separating the upper and lower sashes; also called Parting Stop. |
| Parting Compound | A substance applied to concrete formwork to prevent concrete from adhering. |
| Parting Stop | Parting Bead. |
| Parting stop or strip | A small wood piece used in the side and head jambs of double hung windows to separate the upper sash from the lower sash. |
| Partisan Arbitrator | An arbitrator appointed by, controlled by, or biased in favor of a party to a dispute; a Party-Appointed Arbitrator. |
| Partition | A permanent interior wall which serves to divide a building into rooms. |
| Partition | A wall that subdivides spaces within any story of a building or room. |
| Partition Closure | Method of construction used to close openings formed between flutes of deck and abutting walls or partitions; resilient foam material is often used for this purpose. |
| Partition Door | Door located in Wire Mesh Partition. |
| Partition Fabric | The wire mesh fabric component of Wire Mesh Partition. |
| Partition Framing Member | Metal framework component of Wire Mesh Partition. |
| Partition System | An assembly of materials designed to perform a special function as a wall. |
| Partition, Clay Tile | See Clay Tile Partition. |
| Partition, Toilet | See Toilet Partition. |
| Partition, Wire Mesh | See Wire Mesh Partition. |
| Partner | One of the owners of a partnership. |
| Partnering | An educational procedure for obtaining the cooperation and understanding of all concerned in a construction contract by their participation at meetings or seminars attended by owner, architect, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers to find |
| Partnership | A business relationship between two or more persons, based upon a written, oral, or implied agreement, to combine their resources and skill in a joint enterprise and to share profits and losses jointly. |
| Parts Per Million (PPM) | 1. Unit of concentration, as in solutions. 2. In swimming pools, the parts of a chemical or mineral per million parts of water by weight. |
| Party Wall | 1. A special purpose wall system used to divide compartments for different occupancies; may have requirements for fire and sound. 2. Partitions of brick or stone walls between buildings on two adjoining properties in which each of the respective owners of |
| Party-Appointed Arbitrator | An arbitrator appointed by one of the parties; see Partisan Arbitrator. |
| Pascal's Law | A law of hydrostatics that states that in a perfect fluid the pressure exerted on it anywhere is transmitted undiminished in all directions. |
| Pass | 1. In spray painting, motion of the spray gun in one direction only. 2. A single longitudinal progression of a welding operation along a joint or weld deposit; the result of a pass is a weld bead. 3. A working trip or passage of an excavating or grading m |
| Pass-Through | An opening between two rooms or in an exterior wall through which things may be passed, as in serving food or returning soiled dishes. |
| Passage Door | A door other than an exit door through which persons may traverse. |
| passementerie | Trimmings used on curtain, blinds, pelmets, bed hangings and cushions to give definition and add decorative detail. |
| Passenger Elevator | An elevator used for people. |
| Passivation | Act of making inert or unreactive. |
| Passive Pressure | The horizontal resistance of the soil to forces against the soil. |
| Passive System | A solar heating or cooling system that uses no outside mechanical power to move the collected solar heat. |
| Paste Wood Filler | A compound supplied in the form of a stiff paste for filling the open grain of hardwoods, such as oak, walnut, and mahogany. |
| Pastel | A light and subdued shade of a color. |
| Pastiche | An architectural design that imitates previous designs or styles; a stylistic imitation; a hodgepodge; see Eclectic. |
| Patch | A piece of material used to mend or cover a hole or as reinforcement. |
| Patch, Concrete | Material for the repair of small to medium holes or cracks in concrete surfaces. |
| Pate Dure | Hard paste, aFrench term designating ceramics fired at relatively high temperatures. |
| Pate Tendre | Soft Paste; a French term designating ceramics fired at relatively low temperatures. |
| Patent Ambiguity | An expression in a document that is obviously susceptible to more than one interpretation. |
| Patent Defect | A defect or shortcoming in a structure that is apparent to reasonable inspection. |
| Patent-Back Carpet | Carpet so constructed that the fabric can be cut in any direction, without raveling of edges; the edges are joined by tape and adhesives instead of being sewed. |
| Path of Travel | A passage that may consist of walks and sidewalks, curb ramps and pedestrian ramps, lobbies and corridors, elevators, other improved areas, or a necessary combination thereof, that provides free and unobstructed access to and egress from a particular area |
| Patina | A green film formed on copper or bronze over time. |
| Patio | 1. An enclosed unroofed courtyard. 2. A paved area adjacent to a home, used for recreation or outdoor dining. |
| Patio Block | Lightweight concrete paving slabs installed in lightly used foot traffic areas. |
| Pattern | A form, model, or design from which copies can be made. |
| Pattern Length | In spray painting, length of spray pattern. |
| Pattern Width | In spray painting, width of spray at vertical center. |
| Paumelle | A style of hinge embodying a single pin of the pivot type, generally of a smooth, streamlined design. |
| Pavement | The portion of the road, excluding shoulders, placed above the design subgrade level for the support of, and to form a running surface for, vehicular traffic. |
| Pavement Cutting | The process of scoring or cutting through pavement surfaces with a power saw with a specific blade for that purpose. |
| Pavement Distress | The deterioration of the pavement evidenced by visible surface defects. |
| Pavement Marking | The act or process of applying painted lines or necessary instructional signage on pavement surfaces for pedestrians or vehicle drivers. |
| Pavement Structure | A pavement structure with all its courses of asphalt-aggregate mixtures, or a combination of asphalt courses and untreated aggregate courses placed above the subgrade or improved subgrade. |
| Paver | 1. One who paves. 2. Any durable stone, brick, or tile unit suitable for construction of a pedestrian or vehicular surface. 3. A half-thickness brick used as finish flooring. 4. Unglazed porcelain or natural clay tile formed by the dust-pressed method and |
| Paver Brick | Brick units that are used in foot traffic areas; usually four inches wide, eight inches long, and 1-5/8 to 2-1/4 inches thick. |
| Paver, Granite | See Granite Paver. |
| Paver, Marble | See Marble Paver. |
| Paver, Masonry | See Masonry Paver. |
| Paver, paving | Materials—commonly masonry—laid down to make a firm, even surface. |
| Paver, Stone | See Stone Paver. |
| Paving | The surface of an outdoor area; pavement. |
| Paving Finishes | The finish coats of concrete, asphalt or coated macadam on streets, sidewalks, and parking areas. |
| Paving Unit | A precast masonry unit, usually 2-1/4 inches thick used for stepping stones; patios, veneering, and paving; also called a Cap Block. |
| Paving, Concrete | See Concrete Paving. |
| Payback Period | 1. The period required to recover the investment in an asset. 2. A method utilized by management to evaluate the profitability of alternative investment proposals. |
| Payment | Satisfaction, or partial satisfaction, of a debt. |
| Payment Bond | A guarantee by a surety that those persons who supply work and materials to a construction project will be paid for the work and materials |
| Payment schedule | A pre-agreed upon schedule of payments to a contractor usually based upon the amount of work completed. Such a schedule may include a deposit prior to the start of work. There may also be a temporary 'retainer' (5-10% of the total cost of the job) at the |
| Payne Fabrics | Fabric vendor. (1000 Fountain Parkway, Grand Prairie, TX 75050) |
| Payroll | The record of wages, salaries, and fringe benefits paid by an employer to its employees. |
| PC | 1. Portland cement. 2. Prime coat. 3. Pull chain. |
| PC Concrete | Portland Cement Concrete; concrete composed of coarse and fine aggregates, portland cement, water, and sometimes admixtures to impart special qualities to the concrete or to aid in placing or curing. |
| PCA | Portland Cement Association. |
| PCB | Polychlorinated Biphenyl. |
| PCC | Portland Cement Concrete. |
| PCF | Pounds per Cubic Foot. |
| PCI | 1. Pounds per Cubic Inch. 2. Prestressed Concrete Institute. |
| PDI | Plumbing and Drainage Institute. |
| PE | Professional Engineer. |
| Pea Gravel | That portion of concrete aggregate passing the 3/8 sieve and retained on a No. 4 sieve. |
| Peak | The top point of a roof, truss, spire, finial or any other similar structure. |
| Pearl Lacquer | Lacquer into which has been suspended guanine crystals, multi-faceted crystals found in skin attached to scales of sardine herring that thrive in cold water. |
| Peat | See Humus. |
| Peat Moss | Sphagnum. |
| Peavey | A lumber worker's tool for handling logs, consisting of a stout wood handle with a steel hooked lever at one end. |
| Pecan Veneer | A thin layer of hardwood glued over a core of sturdier less valuable solid wood, or plywood, used in flooring and furniture. |
| Peck | Pockets or areas of disintegrated wood caused by advanced stages of localized decay in the living tree; usually associated with cypress and incense-ceda; there is no further development of peck once the lumber is seasoned. |
| Peculiar Risk Doctrine | The doctrine that an owner, by employing an independent contractor, cannot escape liability to persons who may be injured during construction operations on the owner's property, since the construction operations involve a special risk of harm. |
| Pecuniary | Consisting of or measured in money. |
| Pedestal | 1.An upright compression member whose height does not exceed three times its average least lateral dimension. 2. A short compression member of reinforced concrete that is placed between a column and the footing to distribute the load to the footing. 3. A |
| Pedestal Floor | A flooring system which has short piers or legs used as a base and the flooring laid over those piers to provide a floor system; special flooring designed to prevent electrostatic buildup and sparking in a computer room; usually elevated over the existing |
| Pedestrian | A person on foot. |
| Pedestrian Barricade | An obstruction, obstacle, or barrier set up to check or control crowds of people and foot traffic. |
| Pedestrian Grade Separation | A structure erected over or under an obstacle such as a freeway, roadway, street, railroad, or stream, and intended primarily for pedestrian use. |
| Pedestrian Ramp | A sloping path of travel intended for pedestrian traffic and as differentiated from a curb ramp. |
| Pedestrian Spatial Requirements | Normally 13 square feet are required per person for comfortable motion while walking. |
| Pedestrian Way | A route by which a pedestrian may pass. |
| Pediment | The triangular front part of a building, surmounting the columns, of a classical Grecian style. |
| Peel | To convert a wood log into veneer by rotary cutting. |
| Peeler | In gypsumboard, the clean separation of surfacing papers from the core; may be due to a variety of causes, most frequently, however, from surface calcination during the drying process or insufficient binder. |
| Peeling | 1. Detachment of a paint film in relatively large pieces; paint applied to a damp or greasy, surface usually peels; sometimes it is due to moisture back of the painted surface. 2. A process in which thin flakes of matrix or mortar are broken away from con |
| Peen | The working face of a hammer opposite the flat face, usually shaped for bending, shaping, or cutting the material being struck with the peen; see Cross Peen, Ball Peen, or Straight Peen Hammers. |
| Peer Review | A quality improvement system consisting of having an architect's or engineer's professional work and office procedures reviewed by a committee of peers. |
| Pegboard | A board with holes in which pegs or fittings may be inserted to hang tools or objects. |
| Pegged Flooring | Hardwood flooring with hardwood plugs set to hide recessed screws or to simulate screw covers. |
| PEI | Porcelain Enamel Institute. |
| Pein | Variant of peen. |
| PEL | Permissible Exposure Limits; standards set by OSHA. |
| pelmet board | A horizontal board used to support a pelmet and sometimes as a base for swags and tails. |
| Peltier Effect | When direct current is passed through two adjacent metals one junction will become cooler and the other will become warmer; this principle is the basis of thermoelectric refrigeration. |
| Penal Sum | The face amount of a surety bond; this is the maximum amount of the surety's liability. |
| Penalty | A sum to be forfeited if a condition is not met. |
| Penalty and Bonus Clause | A contract provision that the contractor will pay a penalty for late completion and receive a bonus for timely or early completion. |
| Penalty clause | A provision in a contract that provides for a reduction in the amount otherwise payable under a contract to a contractor as a penalty for failure to meet deadlines or for failure of the project to meet contract specifications. |
| pencil pleats | Narrow, regular pleats in the heading of a curtain or balloon shade. They can be made by hand, but are generally formed using decorator tape. |
| Pencil Rods | Smooth mild steel reinforcing rods of 3/16, 1/4, or 3/8 inch diameter. |
| Pendentive | One of the concave triangular segments that form the transition from the supporting columns to a dome above. |
| Penetrating Stain | Stain made by dissolving oil-soluble dyes in oil or alcohol. |
| Penetrating Stain Wax | Wood finish which produces color of penetrating stain with luster of wax. |
| Penetration | The consistency of a bituminous material expressed as the distance in tenths of a millimeter (0.1mm) that a standard needle penetrates vertically a sample of the material under specified conditions of loading, time, and temperature. |
| Penetration Grading | Of asphalt cements, a classification system based on penetration in 0.1mm at 25° C (77° F); in this system, there are five standard paving grades, 40-50, 60-70, 85-100, 120-150 and 200-300. |
| Penny | As applied to nails, it originally indicated the price per hundred. The term now series as a measure of nail length and is abbreviated by the letter "d". Normally, 16d (16 "penny") nails are used for framing. |
| Pentaerythritol Resins | Resin made by reacting pentaerythritol, a high alcohol, with rosin. |
| Pentagon | A five sided plane figure. |
| Penthouse | A top story of a building that is smaller than the story below it. |
| Penthouse Louver | A louvered wall around the mechanical penthouse area of a structure, with fixed or movable flaps; this protects it from the elements and provides a visual screen around equipment. |
| People Competence | The aptitude for and fulfillment of necessary management of personnel to complete projects in a professional and timely manner. |
| Per Diem | An allowance or payment for each day. |
| Percentage | A part of a whole expressed in hundredths. |
| Percentage Humidity | The degree of possible saturation of air with water vapor multiplied by 100. |
| Percentage Lease | A lease in which the rental consideration is an agreed percentage of sales, usually with an expressed minimum rent. |
| Perched Beach | A beach retained above the otherwise normal profile level by a submerged sill. |
| Perched Water Table | Underground water lying over dry soil and sealed from it by an impervious layer. |
| Percipient Witness | A person called to testify on account of personally observing an event or being personally involved. |
| Percolate | 1. Seep or ooze. 2. To cause a liquid to pass through a permeable substance. |
| Percolation test or perc test | Tests that a soil engineer performs on earth to determine the feasibility of installing a leech field type sewer system on a lot. A test to determine if the soil on a proposed building lot is capable of absorbing the liquid affluent from a septic system. |
| Perforated PVC Pipe | Plastic pipe 4 inches in diameter with one or more rows of uniform holes along the length. Buried in the ground alongside building foundations or structures, to aid in drainage of groundwater and moisture. |
| Perforated Strap | Thin metal strips in rolls with punched holes used to hang or keep plumbing pipes in place. |
| Perforated Wall | Wall with relatively small openings as for ornamentation. |
| Performance Bond | A bond, secured by the general contractor, which guarantees that the contract will be performed; an undertaking by a surety that a contractor will perform a contract. |
| Performance Code | A building code that prescribes the objectives sought rather than the specific methods and materials that must be used; compare with Specification Code. |
| Performance Indicator | The bottom line showing profit or loss on an income and expense statement is the important indicator of the performance of a business. |
| Performance Specification | A building specification that prescribes the objectives sought rather than the specific methods and materials that must be used. |
| Pergola | An arbor or covered walk formed of growing plants trained over trellis work supported on parallel rows of columns. |
| Perilla Oil | Drying oil obtained from seeds of brush called Perilla Ocymoide, grown largely in China and Japan. |
| Perimeter | The length of the circumference or outline of a figure. |
| Perimeter drain | 3" or 4" perforated plastic pipe that goes around the perimeter (either inside or outside) of a foundation wall (before backfill) and collects and diverts ground water away from the foundation. Generally, it is "daylighted" into a sump pit inside the home |
| Perimeter Heating | A method of installing central heating systems so that the registers are placed on the outside walls under windows. |
| Perimeter Overflow System | A continuous channel formed into the sidewall entirely around the perimeter of the pool, unless interrupted by steps, into which surface pool water is continuously drawn during normal operation to provide a skimming action. |
| Perimeter Relief | 1. Construction detail which allows for building movement. 2. Gasketing materials which relieve stresses at the intersections of wall and ceiling surfaces. |
| Perineal Bath | A small shallow bathtub in which one bathes in a sitting position; a Sitz bath. |
| Period | The time for a wave crest to traverse a distance equal to one wave length or the time for two successive wave crests to pass a fixed point. |
| Periodic | Periodic duty is a type of intermittent duty in which the electrical load conditions are regularly recurrent. |
| Perjury | Wilfully lying while under oath. |
| Perlite | Expanded siliceous volcanic rock, expanded by heat, used as a lightweight aggregate in concrete and plaster, and as an insulating fill. |
| Perlite Institute (PI) | 600 South Federal Street, Chicago, Illinois 60605, (718) 351-5723. |
| Perlite Insulation | An insulation made from volcanic glass, expanded by heat. |
| Perlite Roof Insulation | Insulation for a roof system made from volcanic glass, expanded by heat. |
| Perm | A measure of water vapor movement through a material, such as a vapor barrier; one perm equals one grain of vapor transmission per square foot, per hour, for each inch of mercury difference in vapor pressure. |
| Permafrost | Subsoil which remains frozen throughout the year, as in the polar regions. |
| Permanence | The property of a plastic which describes its resistance to appreciable changes in characteristics with time and environment. |
| Permanent Loan | A long term real estate loan that replaces the construction loan (Interim Loan) upon completion of the construction; also called Takeout Loan. |
| Permanent Magnet | 1. Material which has its molecules aligned and has its own magnetic field. 2. A bar of metal which has been permanently magnetized. |
| Permeability | The property of a material to permit a fluid (or gas) to pass through it; in construction, commonly refers to water vapor permeability of a sheet material or assembly and is defined as Water Vapor Permeance per unit thickness. Metric unit of measurement, |
| Permeable | Capable of being penetrated; having pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass through. |
| Permeance | A material's resistance to water vapor transmission; the ratio of the rate of water vapor transmission through a material or assembly between its two parallel surfaces to the vapor pressure differential between the surfaces; see Water Vapor Transmission ( |
| Permit | A document granting permission to do something. A Corps of Engineer's permit is a document issued by the Department of the Army expressing the assent of the Federal Government so far as concerns the public rights of navigation and the general public inter |
| Permutation | An ordered arrangement or grouping of a set of numbers or things; any one of the range of possible groupings. |
| Perpend Bond | In masonry, a header brick or large stone extending through a wall so that one end appears on each side of the wall and acts as a binder. |
| Perpendicular | Standing at right angles to the plane of the horizon; vertical. |
| Perpends | The vertical joints in the face of a wall with all joints directly over one another. |
| Perpetual | Lasting forever. |
| Personal Air Samples | An air sample taken with a sampling pump directly attached to the worker with the collecting filter and cassette placed in the worker's breathing zone; these samples are required by the OSHA asbestos standards and the EPA Worker Protection Rule. |
| Personal Ownership | The ownership of the business by one person; sole ownership or sole proprietor. |
| Personal Property | Any property that is not real property; also called Chattel. |
| Personnel | The body of people employed in a business or on a project. |
| Personnel Lift | An elevator for use by persons at a job site, a building, or structure. |
| Perspective | A drawing on a plane surface that represents an object as it appears to the eye; it cannot be scaled as the lines are foreshortened. |
| PERT | Program Evaluation Review Technique. |
| Pest Control | The act or process of the placement of devices or spraying of chemicals or powders to control the spread of insects and pests. |
| Petcock | A small valve for draining or letting out air. |
| Petty Cash Fund | A fund of cash that is established to make minor disbursements and avoid writing checks for small amounts. |
| Pew | Bench-like seating in a church. |
| PH | Measurement of the free hydrogen ion concentration in an aqueous solution. |
| pH Value | Measure of acidity or alkalinity; pH 7 is neutral; the pH values of acids are less than 7 and of alkalis (bases) greater than 7. |
| Pharmacy | A room or building devoted to the sale and dispensing of drugs, medical supplies, and related goods. |
| Phase | Distinct functional operation during a cycle. |
| Phased Application | The system of applying the felt plies of a built-up roofing membrane in two or more steps, separated by a delay normally of at least one day. |
| Phenol | A caustic poisonous derivative of benzene present in coal tar and wood tar used in dilute form as an antiseptic and disinfectant. |
| Phenol-Adelhyde Resins | Resins produced from phenols and formaldehyde. |
| Phenol-Red | A dye which is yellow at a pH of 6.8 and turns a progressively deeper red color as the pH increases to 8.4. This is the most commonly used test reagent for pH in swimming pools. |
| Phenolic Resins | Resin based essentially on reaction between phenol and formaldehyde. |
| Phenolic-Resin Primer Sealer | Finish well suited for fir and other softwoods, which penetrates into pores of wood, dries and equalizes density of hard and soft grains. |
| Phenomena 3 | A triple celled honeycomb Duette shade by Hunter Douglas. |
| Phial | The sensing element on a thermostatic expansion valve. |
| Phillips Screwdriver | A cross-tipped screwdriver for installing screws. |
| Phloem | In a tree, the tissues of the inner bark, characterized by the presence of sieve tubes and serving for the transport of elaborate foodstuffs. |
| Phon | A unit of loudness for an average listener of a sound; equal to the sound level being zero at faintest, and 1000 at loudest. |
| Phosphatize | Form a thin inert phosphate coating on surface usually by treatment with H3PO4, phosphoric acid. |
| Phosphorescent Paint | Luminous paint which emits light after the white light has been turned off; no phosphorus is used. |
| Photo Equipment | Materials and devices used for photography and the processing of photographs. |
| Photo Processor | A piece of equipment used to develop photographs from negatives. |
| Photo-Oxidation | Oxidation caused by solar rays. |
| Photoelectric Sensor | A device that responds to light and transmits a resulting impulse. |
| Photoelectricity | Physical action wherein an electrical flow is generated by light waves. |
| Photogrammetry | The science of reliable measuring of aerial photographs to produce topographic maps. |
| Photographs | Pictures taken before a job commences to provide an accurate representation of what the site was like before construction. |
| Photometrics | The science of measuring the intensity of light. |
| Photovoltaic | A process of conversion of sunlight into electricity. |
| Photovoltaic Cells | Semiconductor devices that convert solar energy into electrical power. |
| Phthalic Anhydride | A white crystalline material used in making synthetic resins. |
| Phthalic Resins | A particular group of film formers; alkyd resins. |
| Phthalocyanine Blue | Organic blue pigment developed synthetically; outstanding in fade resistance. |
| Phthalocyanine Green | Complex copper compound pigment with bluish-green cast. |
| Physical Inventory | A listing of merchandise on hand, determined by actual count, weight, or measurement and the pricing or value thereof. |
| Physical Resources | The building activity, management and labor personnel and expertise in the operating area of the business as well as scrap materials and equipment held for resale and other assets not listed on a balance sheet. |
| Physical Therapy | The treatment of an injury or illness by physical and mechanical means, such as massage or heat. |
| Pi | Designated by the Greek letter P; the symbol of the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter; the value of P is approximately 3.14159265; P = C/D |
| PI | Perlite Institute. |
| Piano Hinge | A Continuous Hinge. |
| piano nobile | the principal floor of a large house, with higher ceilings than the ground floor/basement or floor(s) above, and containing the main reception rooms. Based on Italian Renaissance ideas, and meaning ìnoble floor.î |
| Pick | A heavy hand implement with two pointed ends used in digging and loosening earth. |
| Pick and Dip | A method of laying brick whereby the bricklayer simultaneously picks up a brick with one hand and, with the other, enough mortar on a trowel to lay the brick; also called the Eastern or New England method. |
| Pick Tong | A blacksmith's tool used to handle hot metal. |
| Pick Up Sags | When a too-heavy coating of paint has been applied and starts to sag or run down the surface, the painter brushes up through the sagging paint to level it off. |
| Pickling | A dipping process for cleaning steel and other metals; the pickling agent is usually an acid. |
| Pickup Truck | A light truck having an open body with low sides and tailboard. |
| picot braid | A woven cotton braid of various widths with a bobble edging. |
| Picture Framing | A rectangular pattern of ridges in a membrane over insulation or deck joints. |
| Picture Molding | A molding shaped to form a support for picture hooks, often placed at some distance from the ceiling upon the wall to form the lower edge of the frieze. |
| Picture Window | A large, often fixed, window, usually of plate or insulating glass, designed to frame an exterior view. |
| Piece Dyeing | Immersing an entire carpet in a dye bath to produce single- or multi-color pattern effects; see also Resist Printing. |
| Pier | 1. Timber, concrete, or masonry supports for girders, posts, or arches. 2. An isolated column or mass of masonry units 3. Intermediate supports for a bridge span. 4. Structure extending outward from shore into water used as a dock for ships. |
| Piezometer | An instrument for measuring pressure or compressibility. |
| Pigment | 1. The coloring matter in paint or other materials. 2. Material in the form of fine powders insoluble in oils, varnishes, lacquers, thinners and the like; used to impart color, opacity, certain consistency characteristics, and other effects. |
| Pigment | A powdered solid used in paint or enamel to give it a color. |
| Pigment Grind | Dispersion of pigment in a liquid vehicle. |
| Pigment Oil Stain | Consists of finely ground insoluble color pigments such as used in paints, in solution with linseed oil, varnish, mineral spirits, etc. according to formula being used; also called Wiping Stain. |
| Pigment Volume Concentration (PVC) | Percent by volume occupied by pigment in dried film. |
| Pigtails, electrical | The electric cord that the electrician provides and installs on an appliance such as a garbage disposal, dishwasher, or range hood. |
| Pilaster | A projecting square column forming part of a wall. |
| Pilaster Block | A concrete masonry unit that allows construction of a pilaster in a concrete block wall. |
| Pile | 1. Long steel, wood, or concrete member penetrating deep into the soil to support grade-beam foundation walls or columns. 2. The raised yarn tufts of woven, tufted and knitted carpets which provide the wearing surface and desired color, design or texture; |
| Pile | A long, heavy timber, pipe, or section of concrete or metal to be driven or jetted into the earth or seabed to serve as a support for a bulkhead. |
| Pile Butt | Thelarge end of a pile; the small end is called the Tip. |
| Pile Cap | A thick slab of reinforced concrete poured across the top of a pile group to cause the group to act as a unit in supporting a column. |
| Pile Cap Formwork | Formwork for a concrete pile cap. |
| Pile Cap Reinforcing | Steel reinforcing bars in a concrete pile cap. |
| Pile Cap, Concrete | A concrete footing resting on a group of piles. |
| Pile Crushing | Of carpet, the bending of pile due to foot traffic or the pressure of furniture. |
| Pile Group | Several driven or poured piles in a cluster and tied together at their tops by a single poured concrete pile cap. |
| Pile Height | Of carpet, the height of pile measured from the top surface of the backing to the top surface of the pile; also referred to as Pile Wire Height. |
| Pile Rot | The rotting of wood pile caused by being exposed to the weather. |
| Pile Setting | Of carpet, brushing after shampooing to restore the damp pile to its original height. |
| Pile Spall | A chip or piece broken from a pile by a blow from the driving hammer or by action of the elements. |
| Pile Testing | The act or process of measuring the resistance of a driven test pile to a pre-determined design load. |
| Pile Tip | Thesmall end of a pile; the large end is called the Butt. |
| Pile Warp | Lengthwise pile yarns in Wilton carpets which form part of the backing. |
| Pile Wire Height | See Pile Height. |
| Pile Yarn | Of carpet, the yarn used to form the loops or tufts of a pile fabric. |
| Pile Yarn Density | Of carpet, the weight of pile yarn per unit of volume in carpet, usually stated in ounces. per cubic. yard. |
| Pile, sheet | A pile with a slender flat cross section to be driven into the ground or seabed and meshed or interlocked with similar sheets to form a bulkhead. May be aluminum, fiberglass, steel, vinyl, wood or other suitable materials. |
| Pillar | A column or post supporting a roof or for ornamentation. |
| Pilling | Appearance defect associated with some staple fibers where balls of tangled fibers are formed on the carpet surface which are not removed readily by vacuuming or foot traffic; pills can be removed by periodic clipping. |
| Pilot Circuit | Secondary circuit used to control a main circuit or a device in the main circuit. |
| Pilot hole | A small-diameter, pre-drilled hole that guides a nail or screw. |
| Pilot Light | 1. A small light to indicate when a switch or other electrical device is on or in the on position. 2. A relatively small flame which may be automatic or may burn continuously; its purpose is to ignite the main supply of gas when a gas-fired heating or coo |
| Pin Joint | A hinge in a structure; a structural joint that will not transmit moment. |
| Pin Knot | A knot that is not more than 1/2-inch in diameter. |
| Pin Tumblers | Small sliding pins in a lock cylinder working against coil springs which prevent the cylinder plug from rotating until the pins are raised to alignment by bitting of the proper key. |
| Pin, Clevis | See Clevis Pin. |
| pinch pleats | Regularly spaced triple pleats, used for curtain, drapery, or valance headings. They can be formed by hand or using a decorator tape that either pulls up with cords or has pockets for special pleater hooks. See French pleats. |
| Pindler & Pindler | Fabric vendor. (11910 Poindexter Ave., Moorpark, CA 93021) |
| Pinhole | 1. Any small hole. 2. A small perforation in the gypsum board paper or paper joint tape. 3. A small hole appearing in a cast when the water-stucco ratio has not been accurately measured; excess water causes pinholes. |
| Pinion Gear | 1. A small gear in a set of gear wheels. 2. The smaller gear of two or the smallest of three or more. |
| Pinnacle | A small ornamental turret usually ending in a pyramid or cone, crowning a buttress or roof. |
| pinoleums | Very narrow wooden slatted blinds. |
| Pinstripes | Fine stripes. |
| Pipe | 1. A long tube or hollow body for conducting a liquid, gas, or finely divided solid. 2. A structural column or strut. |
| Pipe Bollard | Short pipe length, placed vertically in the ground and filled with concrete to prevent vehicular access or to protect property from damage by vehicular encroachment. |
| Pipe Cleanout | See Cleanout Plug. |
| Pipe Flange | Projecting ring, ridge or collar placed on pipe to strengthen, prevent sliding, or to accommodate attachments. |
| Pipe Handrail | A metal pipe used as a handrail. |
| Pipe Insulation | Insulation that covers pipes to help in the reduction of heat loss or gain. |
| Pipe Jacking | Forcing pipe through the ground in a tunnel created by the pipe itself; the pipe is generally jacked horizontally in short lengths. |
| Pipe Joint Compound | Putty-like material used to seal threaded pipe joints. |
| Pipe Painting | The act or process of painting piping to prevent rust and corrosion and also provide an identifying system in buildings and process piping plants. |
| Pipe Railing | A metal railing made of pipe. |
| Pipe Sleeve | Cylindrical insert cast into concrete wall or floor to provide for later passage or anchorage of pipe. |
| Pipe Wrench | A wrench with serrated jaws to grip pipe and turn it in one direction only. |
| Pipe, ABS | A plastic pipe made in various diameters; used for stacks and main drains in plumbing systems. |
| Pipe, Aluminum | A pipe for liquid or gas. |
| Pipe, Clay | Pipe used for drainage systems and sanitary sewers made of earthenware and glazed to eliminate porosity. |
| Pipe, Copper | Rigid pipe used for exterior and interior water systems, it is light and durable, resists moisture, and can be used with either mechanical or soldered connections. |
| Pipe, CPVC | Rigid plastic pipe used for hot and cold water supply lines. |
| Pipe, Fiberglass | A pipe for liquid or gas, fabricated from layers of glass fibers and resins. |
| Pipe, Galvanized | Zinc coated steel pipe. |
| Pipe, Glass | Glass and glass-lined pipe used in process piping. |
| Pipe, No-Hub | Pipe manufactured in cast iron, which is fabricated without hubs for coupling. |
| Pipe, Polyethylene | Pipe manufactured from a thermoplastic compound. |
| Pipe, Polypropylene | A tough plastic pipe with resistance to chemicals and heat. |
| Pipe, PVC | Polyvinyl chloride pipe used mainly for drain lines, particularly resistant to chemicals. |
| Pipe, Stainless | Pipe or tubing constructed of stainless steel which has a high resistance to corrosion. |
| Pipe, Structural | Pipe used in a structure to transfer imposed loads to the ground. |
| Piping | Any system of pipes in a building. |
| PIR Detector | Passive Infra-Red detector. A part of a burglar alarm system. |
| Piscina | A basin with a drain, usually to a soak pit, near the altar in a church for disposing of water from liturgical ablutions. |
| Piston | Close-fitting part or plug which moves up and down in a cylinder. |
| Piston Displacement | Volume displaced by piston as it travels the full length of its stroke; volume obtained by multiplying area of cylinder bore by length of piston stroke. |
| Pit | A hole, shaft, or cavity in the earth. |
| Pitch | 1. Resin obtained from various conifers. 2. A black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in distilling tar or oil from bones; it also occurs in natural form as asphalt. 3. The slope of a stairway, in degrees. 4. The slope of a roof. 5. Degree o |
| Pitch | The incline slope of a roof or the ratio of the total rise to the total width of a house, i.e., a 6-foot rise and 24-foot width is a one-fourth pitch roof. Roof slope is expressed in the inches of rise, per foot of horizontal run. |
| Pitch Board | See Bevel Board. |
| Pitch Pine | Any of the pines that yield pitch; the heartwood is brownish red and resinous; the sapwood is thick and light yellow; used for lumber, fuel, and pulpwood. |
| Pitch Pocket | 1. An opening between growth rings of a tree which usually contains resin, bark, or both. 2. In roof construction, a flanged metal container placed around a roof penetration at roof level to receive hot bitumen or caulking and provide a roof seal; commonl |
| Pitch Streak | A well-defined accumulation of pitch in a more or less regular streak in the wood of certain conifers. |
| Pith | The small, soft core occurring near the center of a tree trunk, branch, twig, or log. |
| PITI | Principal, interest, taxes and insurance (the four major components of monthly housing payments). |
| Pitot Tube | Tube used to measure air velocities. |
| Pits | See Pops. |
| Pitting | Formation of small, usually shallow depressions or cavities in the surface of a material. |
| Pivot | A shaft, axis, or pin on which something turns or oscillates. |
| Place | Synonym for construct; for example, to say that "a rip rap revetment was placed on the streambank" is the same as saying "a rip rap blanket was constructed on the streambank." |
| Placement | Process of placing and consolidating concrete; also called Pour. |
| Plain Bar | Steel reinforcing bar without deformations. |
| Plain Concrete | Concrete that is either unreinforced or contains less reinforcement than the minimum amount specified in the code for reinforced concrete. |
| Plain Reinforcement | See Plain Bar. |
| Plainsawed Lumber | 1. Flat-grained lumber. 2. Lumber sawed regardless of the grain, the log is simply squared and sawed to the desired thickness; also called Slash Sawed or Bastard Sawed. |
| Plan | A drawing or diagram made by projection on a horizontal plane; a floor plan is a horizontal section through a building. |
| Plan view | Drawing of a structure with the view from overhead, looking down. |
| Planar | Of or in a plane or level surface, two dimensional |
| Plancher | See Plancier. |
| Plancier | 1. A soffit under a cornice or any projecting member; also called Plancher. 2. A plank floor or platform. |
| Plane | 1. A level surface; a flat surface on which a straight line joining any two points on it would wholly lie. 2. A tool for smoothing or shaping a wood surface. |
| Plane of Weakness | The plane along which a structure under stress will tend to fracture; may exist because of the nature of the structure and its loading, by accident or by design. |
| Planing Mill Products | Products worked to pattern, such as flooring, ceiling, and siding. |
| Plank | A wide piece of sawed timber, usually 1-1/2 to 4-1/2 inches thick and 6 inches or more wide. |
| Plank Floor | See Random Width Flooring. |
| Planned Unit Development | A cluster development that includes more land uses in the built up area (industrial, commercial) than the residential cluster system. |
| Planning | The process of carrying out plans for development of land or buildings. |
| Plant | 1. To set or place plants or seeds in the ground. 2. The trees, shrubs, or seeds to be planted. 3. The land, buildings, and equipment used for processing or manufacturing. |
| Plant Bed Preparation | The mixing of earth with fertilizer and other soil enriching products, to create an area for the future introduction of vegetation. |
| Plant Screens | In a concrete batching plant, screens located between the dryer and hot bins which separate the heated aggregates into the proper hot bin sizes. |
| Planter | A container in which plants are grown. |
| Planting | 1. A plantation. 2. A method of placing spools of different colors of surface yarn in frames back of Jacquard Wilton looms so that more colors will appear in the design than are supplied in the full solid colors used; these extra planted colors are usuall |
| Plantroom | Operational pool equipment location. |
| Plaque | 1. A commemorative or identifying inscribed tablet. 2. A localized abnormal patch on a surface. |
| Plaster | A cementitious material, usually based on gypsum or portland cement, which is applied to lath or masonry in paste form, to harden into a finished surface; a mixture of lime, hair, and sand, or of lime, cement, and sand, used to cover exterior or interior |
| Plaster Accessory | Hardware or tool needed for plaster work. |
| Plaster Base | The lath or backing to which plaster is applied. |
| Plaster Bead | Built-in edging usually metal, to strengthen a plaster angle. |
| Plaster Bond | The state of adherence between plaster coats or between plaster and a plaster base, produced by adhesive or mechanical interlock of plaster with base or special supplementary materials. |
| Plaster Fascia | The exposed vertical face of a wall cornice in an interior location, finished in plaster. |
| Plaster of Paris | A fine white gypsum plaster used for casting and molding; pure calcined gypsum. |
| Plaster Patch | Plaster mixed or pre-mixed to fill cracks and damaged areas. |
| Plaster Ring | A guide with a metal collar attached to a base to apply plaster to a certain thickness or provide a fastener for trim. |
| Plaster Screed | 1. A strip of wood or metal to regulate the thickness of plaster and furnish an edge trim. 2. A spot or strip of plaster to regulate plaster thickness. |
| Plaster Work | The finished product of plasterers. |
| Plaster, Masonry | See Masonry Plaster. |
| Plasterboard | A board used in large sheets as a backing or as a substitute for plaster in walls and consisting of fiberboard, paper, or felt, bonded to a hardened gypsum plaster core; see Gypsumboard. |
| Plastering | The work produced by plasterers. |
| Plastering Machine | A mechanical device by which plaster mortar is conveyed through a flexible hose to deposit the plaster in place; also known as a plaster pump or plastering gun; distinct from Gunite machines in which the plaster or concrete is conveyed, dry, through the f |
| Plastic | 1. Capable of being molded; pliant; supple. 2. Any of a number of synthetic polymeric substances that can be given any required shape. 3. In stress analysis, refers to stress/strain behavior beyond the elastic range; plastic deformation usually implies so |
| Plastic Cement | 1. A plastic mixture of bitumen and asbestos reinforcing fibers with a solvent; see Flashing Cement. 2. Portland cement to which small amounts of plastizing agents, not more than 12% by volume, have been added at the mill. |
| Plastic Coated Conduit | A type of conduit for electrical wiring that is used around moist areas and highly corrosive fumes. |
| Plastic Consistency | Condition in which concrete, mortar, or cement paste will sustain deformation continuously in any direction without rupture. |
| Plastic Design | Method of structural analysis of continuous steel structures (beams and frames) based on calculating the loading which will cause collapse of the system. |
| Plastic Hinge | The point at which a structural member such as a beam or part of a frame is bent so that a section is stressed beyond the elastic range. |
| Plastic Laminate | Sheet material manufactured of multiple layers of paper with top layer of plastic usually 1/16 inch (1.59 mm) thick with decorative finish; may be used in flat sheets or heat formed, bent, and adhered to single curved base material; commonly referred to b |
| Plastic Laminate Backing Sheet | Sheet material placed on concealed side of the panel material similar to sheet material on exposed side of panel to balance the construction of the panel and give dimensional stability by minimizing moisture absorption. |
| Plastic Laminate Casework | Assembled plastic laminate cabinets. |
| Plastic Laminate Countertop | Countertop with plastic laminate finish covering substrate, usually plywood or particleboard. |
| Plastic Pipe | Pipe manufactured from hard plastic to resist corrosion and rust. |
| Plastic Pipe and Fitting Association (PPFA) | 800 Roosevelt Road, Building C, #20, Glen Ellyn, Illinois 61037-5833, (708) 858-6540. |
| Plastic Pipe Institute(PPI) | 1275 K Street, NW, #400, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 371-5200. |
| Plastic Sheet | Plastic in which thickness is very small in relation to length or width. |
| Plastic Skylight | A transparent or translucent plastic molded unit that is set in a frame and mounted on a roof for use as a skylight. |
| Plastic Soil | A soil that can be rolled into 1/8" diameter strings without crumbling; a soft rubbery soil. |
| Plasticity | 1. Property of a material to deform under load and to retain the deformation after the load is removed. 2. A material's ability to be shaped and worked. 3. That property of plaster mortar that permits continuous and permanent deformation in any direction. |
| Plasticizer | 1. A substance added to plastics, resins, and rubbers to impart improved properties such as flexibility, workability, or stretchability. 2. A material that increases the workability or consistency of a concrete mixture, mortar or cement paste. 3. A produc |
| Plasticizing Agent | A product used to increase the flow and/or workability of plaster. |
| Plasticizing Wood | Softening wood by hot water, steam, or chemical treatment to make it easier to mold. |
| Plastisol | Film former containing resin and plasticizer with no solvents. |
| Plat | 1. A small piece or ground; a plot of land. 2. A drawing or map showing a plot of land. |
| Plate | Normally a 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 that lays horizontally within a framed structure. |
| Plate Cut | The cut at the bottom end of a rafter to allow it to fit upon the plate; the cut in a rafter which rests upon the plate; also called the Seat Cut. |
| Plate Girder | A large beam made up of steel plates, sometimes in combination with steel angles, welded, bolted or riveted together. |
| Plate Glass | Glass of high optical quality produced by grinding and polishing both faces of a glass sheet. |
| Plate Mirror | Thick mirror glass manufactured to a high-quality standard. |
| Plate Tectonics | The theory and study of plate formation, movement, and interaction; the theory which explains seismicity in terms of plate movement. |
| Plate Toe | See Toe Plate. |
| Plate, Armor | See Armor Plate. |
| Plate, Duplex | See Duplex Plate. |
| Plate, Switch | See Switch Plate. |
| Plate, Ultrasonic Examined | Steel plate ultrasonically examined for structural defects. |
| Platform | Horizontal landing in stair either at the end of a flight or between flights, either at floor level or between floors. |
| Platform Frame | A wooden building frame composed of closely spaced members nominally 2 inches in thickness, in which the wall members do not run past the floor framing members; typical wood stud wall framing in which the studs are one level in height and the floor framin |
| Plating | A thin coating of metal deposited on a surface, usually by electrolysis. |
| Player Bench | A long seat, with or without seat back, on which athletes can sit when they are not playing. |
| Playground Equipment | Devices such as slides and swings, that children play on or upon in a park or playground. |
| Pleadings | Formal written documents, filed with a court, accusing a party of wrongdoing, or defending a party against such an accusation. |
| pleat | A fold or crease, either pressed or stitched in place. |
| Pleated Shade | Economical single layer fabric shade which when lowered folds like an accordion. Also see Honeycomb shade. |
| pleater hooks | Pronged hooks used with pleater tape to make pinch pleats. When the prongs are slotted into the pockets in the tape and pinched together, they form a pleat. |
| pleater tape | A decorator tape used with pleater hooks to create pinch pleats. |
| Plenum | 1. An enclosed chamber such as the space between a suspended finished ceiling and the floor above. 2. Chamber attached directly to a furnace which receives heated air; from this largest chamber, ducts carry the air to the various registers. |
| Plenum Chamber | Chamber or container for moving air or other gas under a slight positive pressure. |
| Plenum, Ceiling | See Ceiling Plenum. |
| Plexiglass | A plastic resilient material comparable to glass in use, usually manufactured in sheets. |
| Pliers | A hand tool used to grip objects. |
| Plinth | 1. The lower square slab at the base of a column. 2. The block of wood at the corner of a doorway where the baseboard and architrave meet. |
| Plot plan | An overhead view plan that shows the location of the home on the lot. Includes all easements, property lines, set backs, and legal descriptions of the home. Provided by the surveyor. |
| Plough | See Plow. |
| Plough, plow | To cut a lengthwise groove in a board or plank. An exterior handrail normally has a ploughed groove for hand gripping purposes |
| Plow | To cut a groove running in the same direction as the grain of the wood; also spelled Plough. |
| Plug | A pipe fitting with external threads and squared head that is used for closing the opening in another fitting. |
| Plug Valve | See Core Cock. |
| Plug Weld | A circular weld made by either arc or gas welding through one member of a lap or tee joint joining that member to the other; the weld may or may not be made through a hole in the first member; if a hole is used, the walls may or may not be parallel and th |
| Plug, Conduit | See Conduit Plug. |
| Plug, Grounding | See Grounding Plug. |
| Plug, Lock | See Lock Plug. |
| Plumb | Exactly vertical and perpendicular. |
| Plumb | Vertical, or perfectly straight up-and-down; at right angles to horizontal. |
| Plumb bob | A lead weight attached to a string. It is the tool used in determining plumb. |
| Plumb Bond | In brick laying, an all stretcher bond with all joints directly over one another. |
| Plumb Cut | Any cut made in a vertical plane; the vertical cut at the top end of a rafter. |
| Plumb Rule | A narrow board having a plumb line and bob on one end, or more commonly having a bubble in a tube; it is used for establishing vertical lines and horizontal lines. |
| Plumber | A craft worker skilled in the installation, repair, and maintenance of water and waste systems in buildings. |
| Plumber's Friend | A tool consisting of a large rubber like cup and handle, it is used under water to force blockage through sewer lines. |
| Plumber's Snake | See Snake. |
| Plumber’s Furnace | A heating source used to melt lead, heat soldering irons, or melt solder. |
| Plumber’s Soil | A mixture of glue and lampblack used in lead work to prevent lead from sticking to selected metal parts of lead pipe and fittings. |
| Plumbing | 1. The act or process of installing in a building or structure the pipes, fixtures, or other apparatus for supplying potable water and removing liquid and water-borne wastes. 2. The installed fixtures and piping of a building or structure. 3. The gas pipi |
| Plumbing Access Door | A door in a floor, wall, or ceiling giving access to plumbing fittings, drains, or valves. |
| Plumbing and Drainage Institute (PDI) | 1106 West 77th Street, South Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana 46260-3318, (317) 251-6970. |
| Plumbing boots | Metal saddles used to strengthen a bearing wall/vertical stud(s) where a plumbing drain line has been cut through and installed. |
| Plumbing Fixture | Plumbing equipment, usually installed last, such as sinks, water closets, bidets, and shower/bath units; devices which receive water and discharge it and/or water-borne waste into the DWV system. |
| Plumbing ground | The plumbing drain and waste lines that are installed beneath a basement floor. |
| Plumbing jacks | Sleeves that fit around drain and waste vent pipes at, and are nailed to, the roof sheeting. |
| Plumbing rough | Work performed by the plumbing contractor after the Rough Heat is installed. This work includes installing all plastic ABS drain and waste lines, copper water lines, bath tubs, shower pans, and gas piping to furnaces and fireplaces. Lead solder should not |
| Plumbing stack | A plumbing vent pipe that penetrates the roof. |
| Plumbing trim | Work performed by the plumbing contractor to get the home ready for a final plumbing inspection. Includes installing all toilets (water closets), hot water heaters, sinks, connecting all gas pipe to appliances, disposal, dishwasher, and all plumbing items |
| Plumbing waste line | Plastic pipe used to collect and drain sewage waste. |
| Plunge | A swimming pool. |
| Plunge Router | A router in which the cutting bit enters the work from the surface of the board. |
| Plunger | See Plumber's Friend. |
| Plus Pressure | See Positive Pressure, 2. |
| plush | Old-fashioned form of velvet, with a deeper but sparser pile. Favored by the Victorians, it was made from wool or mohair and sometimes cotton. The modern equivalent is man-made. |
| Ply | 1. A layer or thickness, as of building or roofing paper. 2. A layer of wood in plywood. 3. A layer of felt in a built-up roofing membrane; a four-ply membrane would have at least four plies of felt at any vertical cross section cut through the membrane; |
| Ply Sheet | A glass fiber felt sheet coated on both sides with asphalt. |
| Plywood | A panel (normally 4' X 8') of wood made of three or more layers of veneer, compressed and joined with glue, and usually laid with the grain of adjoining plies at right angles to give the sheet strength. |
| Plywood | A wood product made by bonding together layers of veneer or a combination of veneer layers and a lumber core; the layers are joined with an adhesive; adjoining plies are usually laid with grains at right angles to each other, and almost always an odd numb |
| Plywood Countertop | Plywood panel used as the substrate for the exposed finish surface of a countertop. |
| Plywood Diaphragm | Plywood sheathing on floors, roofs, or walls which provides shear strength to resist wind and earthquake loads. |
| Plywood Roof Sheathing | Plywood sheets secured to exterior side of roof rafters or trusses used to create rigidity in building superstructure and serve as base to receive roofing. |
| Plywood Shear Wall | Wall constructed of studs and plywood sheathing that in its own plane resists shear forces resulting from applied wind, earthquake or other transverse loads or provides frame stability. |
| Plywood Sheathing | Wall, roof, or floor sheathing of plywood. |
| Plywood Shelving | Horizontal mounted plywood surfaces upon which objects may be stored, supported, or displayed. OBV |
| Plywood Siding | Plywood sheeting material forming the exterior surface of outside walls of frame buildings. |
| Plywood Soffit | Plywood finish material installed horizontally covering the underside of an assembly such as roof eaves. |
| Plywood Subfloor | Plywood sheets secured to the top side of floor joists. |
| Plywood Subfloor-Underlayment | Plywood sheets secured to top side of floor joists used to create rigidity in building superstructure and also to provide smooth and even surface to receive finish floor covering. |
| Plywood Underlayment | Flat sheet material of plywood placed over subflooring to provide smooth and even surface to receive finish floor covering. |
| Plywood Wall Sheathing | Plywood material secured to exterior side of exterior wall studs used to create rigidity in building superstructure and serve as base to receive siding. |
| Plywood, Finish | See Finish Plywood. |
| Plywood, Structural | A grade of plywood that has been tested and graded for its structural characteristics. |
| PM | Preventive Maintenance. |
| PMI | Private Mortgage Insurance. |
| Pneumatic Concrete | Concrete that is delivered by equipment powered by compressed air. |
| Pneumatic Hoist | A hoisting system powered by compressed air. |
| Pneumatic System | Mechanical devices powered by compressed air. |
| Pneumatic Tool | A tool powered by compressed air. |
| Pneumatic Tube System | An arrangement of tubes within a building or building complex for sending message capsules by compressed air. |
| Pneumatically Driven Fastener | Driven pin or threaded stud which is driven into material by use of compressed air. |
| Pneumatics | Study of compressible air and gases, their properties and reaction in containment. |
| POA Valve | See Pressure-Operated Altitude Valve. |
| Poché | A drafting technique in which parts of drawings are shaded in for increased readability, such as the walls on floor plans or shadows on elevations. |
| Pock Marks | 1. Pits; craters. 2. In gypsum board, surface imperfections appearing as a multitude of small depressions; often caused by dirt or small gravel which indented the paper surface. |
| Pocket, Pitch | See Pitch Pocket. |
| Point | 1. A geometric element without dimension. 2. A sharpened tip as of a tool. 3. In carpet, one tuft of pile. |
| Point bar | The bank in a bend that has built up due to sediment deposition. |
| Point load | A point where a bearing/structural weight is concentrated and transferred to the foundation. |
| Point of Inflection | The point in a structural member where the bending moment changes from positive to negative. |
| Point Weight | See Felt Mill Ream. |
| Pointing | 1. Troweling mortar into a joint after masonry units are laid. 2. The process of inserting mortar into the joints or brickwork or any other masonry units to fill open pockets or voids left when the work was originally done. |
| Pointing Trowel | A mason's tool used to point brick, stone, and block. |
| Poise | A centimeter-gram-second unit of absolute viscosity, equal to the viscosity of a fluid in which a stress of one dyne per square centimeter is required to maintain a difference of velocity of one centimeter per second between two parallel planes in the flu |
| Polarity | 1. The condition of having two poles with contrary qualities. 2. The positive or negative electrical condition. |
| Polarized Plug | An electric plug with a configuration of prongs that prevent plugging in improperly. |
| Polarizing | This is the method of identifying electrical wires by colors. It is to make sure that hot wires will be connected only to hot wires and that neutral wires will run in continuous circuits without interruption back to the ground terminals. |
| Polder | A low lying area of land that has been reclaimed from the sea. |
| Pole | 1. One of the two terminals of an electric cell, battery or dynamo. 2. Either extremity of the axis of a sphere. 3. The vertex of an angle coordinate. 4. A point of guidance. 5. A stake. |
| Pole, Closet | See Closet Pole. |
| Pole, Electric | See Electric Pole. |
| Pole, Utility | See Utility Pole. |
| Pole-Gun | Spray gun equipped with an extension tube. |
| Police Equipment | Any of assorted devices necessary for law enforcement personnel to carry out their duties. |
| Police Power | The inherent power of the state to regulate its citizens and property in the interest of general security, morals, health, and welfare. |
| Police Station | A building housing the police and their activities in a locality. |
| Polish | 1.To make smooth and shiny by rubbing. 2. To make plaster finish coat smooth and glossy by troweling. |
| Polished Aggregate Friction Value (PAFV) | A measure, on a scale of 0 to 100, of the resistance of an aggregate to polishing under the action of traffic as determined in standard laboratory tests. |
| Polished Plate Glass | Glass 1/4-inch or thicker that is made by a process where both sides are ground and polished. |
| Polished Stone Value (PSV) | A measure, similar to PAFV, but based on a British Standard. |
| Polishing | Said of wall paints where shiny spots or surfaces have resulted from washing or wiping. |
| Pollution | Contamination of materials or the environment by harmful substances. |
| polonaise | A bed set lengthwise against the wall, sometimes in an alcove, surmounted by a small dome and elaborately dressed. Usually has high ends. Also refers to style of 18th century dress. |
| Polyamide | Product used in making dripless paint; see thixotropic paint. |
| Polybutylene Plastics | Plastics based on polymers made with butenas essentially the sole monomer. |
| Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) | Compound used in electrical transformers that is a poisonous environmental pollutant. |
| Polychromatic | Multi-colored. |
| Polychrome Finish | Finish obtained by blending together a number of colors. |
| Polyester Floor | Flooring material that has adhesive properties, high strength, and good chemical resistance, manufactured from a synthetic resin that polymerizes during curing. |
| Polyethylene | A polymer of ethylene, a thermoplastic used in packaging and insulation; plastic sheeting. |
| Polyethylene Pipe | Pipe manufactured from a thermoplastic, high-molecular-weight, organic compound. |
| Polyethylene Vapor Barrier | A sheet form thermoplastic membrane, high molecular weight, organic compound, used as a protective cover to prevent the passage of air or moisture. |
| Polyethylene Wrap | A sheet form thermoplastic high-molecular-weight organic compound used to protect concrete during curing or as a temporary enclosure for construction operations. |
| Polygon | A plane figure with 3 or more sides. |
| Polymer | A compound composed of one or more large molecules that are formed from repeated units of smaller molecules. |
| Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) | A binder consisting of polymeric materials dispersed in bitumen with enhanced binder performance for particular applications. |
| Polymeric | Composed of repeating chemical units; all plastics and polymers are polymeric. |
| Polymerization | A chemical reaction in which two or more small molecules combine to form larger molecules that contain repeating structural units of the original molecules; when two or more monomers are involved, the process is called copolymerization or heteropolymeriza |
| Polyolefin Plastics | Plastics based on polymers made with an olefin as essentially the sole monomer. |
| Polyphase Motor | Electrical motor designed to be used with a three or four-phase electrical circuit. |
| Polypropylene | See Olefin. |
| Polypropylene Pipe | A tough plastic pipe with resistance to chemicals and heat. |
| Polypropylene Plastics | Plastics based on polymers made with propylene as essentially the sole monomer. |
| Polystyrene | A plastic based on a resin made by polymerization of styrene as the sole monomer; polystyrene may contain minor proportions of lubricants, stabilizers, fillers, pigments and dyes; a plastic foam board used for insulation. |
| Polyurethane | 1. Any polymer containing urethane, used in plastics, adhesives, paints, foams, and rubbers. 2. Various polymers that are used in flexible and rigid foams, elastomers, and resins. |
| Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA) | 1. A synthetic resin used extensively in emulsion (water) paints; produced by the polymerization of vinyl acetate. 2. White glue used in woodworking. |
| Polyvinyl Acetate Latex (PVA Latex) | Latex composed primarily of vinyl acetate. |
| Polyvinyl Butyral | Plastic film used as an interlayer in laminated glass. |
| Polyvinyl Chloride | 1. A tough transparent solid polymer, easily colored, used for pipes, fittings, flooring, and a wide variety of other plastic products. 2. A synthetic resin used in solvent type coatings and fluid bed coatings, produced by the polymerization of vinyl chlo |
| Polyvinyl Chloride Plastics (PVC) | Plastics made by combining polyvinyl chloride with clorants, fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, lubricants, other polymers, and other compounding ingredients; not all of these modifiers are used in pipe compounds. |
| Polyvinyl Resin Emulsion Glue | White glue; wood adhesive intended for interiors; made from polyvinyl acetates which are thermoplastic and not suited for temperatures over 165° F. |
| Pond | 1. A small lake. 2. A roof surface which is incompletely drained. |
| Ponded Roof | Flat roof designed to hold a quantity of water which acts as a cooling device. |
| Ponding | 1. Water puddles standing on a roof due usually to improper drainage or deck deflection; also called Birdbaths. 2. Water puddles on concrete paving or asphaltic concrete paving due to insufficient sloping or imperfect finishing. |
| Pool | A body of water; or bath, hydro, hot tub, lido, pond, spa, splasher, and thermae, or covered balneum, bath house, leisure centre, natatorium, poolarium, pool enclosure, pool hall, and pool house. |
| Pool Depths | The distance between the floor of pool and the maximum operating water level. |
| Pool Equipment | Implements and devices used for pool maintenance and operation. |
| Pool Ladder | A ladder used for climbing in and out of a swimming pool. |
| Pool Light | A light mounted in the wall of a pool for night use. |
| Pool Liner | Waterproof membrane for pool; usually flexible vinyl. |
| Pool Plumbing | All chemical, circulation, filter waste discharge piping, deck drainage and water filling system. |
| Pool Shell | Pool floor and walling structure; also called Pool Tank. |
| Pool Tank | See Pool Shell. |
| Pop Rivet | Metal fastener for joining sheetmetal pieces, installed by a hand operated compressed air-assisted or spring-loaded gun; unique in that installation may be from one side of the work. |
| Pop-Off Valve | A safety valve which opens automatically when pressure exceeds a predetermined limit. |
| Pop-Up Drain | The part of a sink drain assembly that is operated by a linkage to open or close the drain. |
| Pop-Up Head | In a lawn irrigation system, a watering head that retracts when not in use, and becomes flush with the ground. |
| poplin | Light-to-medium-weight cotton or rayon fabric which has a fine rib and slight sheen. It is inexpensive and drapes well. The heavier, ribbed fabric can even be used for loose covers. |
| Pops | Ruptures in finished plaster or cement surfaces which may be caused by expansion of improperly slaked particles of lime or by foreign substances; also called Pits. |
| Porcelain | Ceramic china-like coating applied to steel or cast iron surfaces; when used as a finish for metal fixtures it is called vitreous enamel. |
| Porcelain Cleat | A ceramic electrical insulator. |
| Porcelain Enamel | Vitreous Enamel. |
| Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) | 1911 North Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22209, (703) 527-5257. |
| Porcelain Mullite | A vitreous ceramic whiteware for technical application in which mullite (3Al2O32SiO2) is the essential crystalline phase. |
| Porcelain Receptacle | A simple electrical lighting fixture consisting of a bulb holder, with or without a pull chain switch. |
| Porcelain Sink | A wash basin made from nonporous hard white glazed ceramic coated steel or cast iron. |
| Porch | 1. An ornamental entrance way to a house. 2. A landing before a door. |
| Pores | Openings on the surface of a piece of wood; these openings result when vessels in the wood are severed during sawing; see also Vessels. |
| Porosity | 1. Being permeable to liquids. 2. Degree of integrity or continuity. 3. Gas pockets or voids in metal. 4. The ratio of the volume of voids in the material to the total volume of the material, including the voids, usually expressed as a percentage. |
| Porous Fill | Soil that allows relatively free passage of water. |
| Porous Woods | Hardwoods having vessels or pores large enough to be seen readily without magnification. |
| Porphyry | A hard igneous rock quarried in ancient Egypt, composed of crystals of white or red feldspar in a red matrix. |
| Portable Bleacher | An uncovered stand of tiered planks that can be moved from one event to another. |
| Portable Stage | A movable raised platform usually used for entertainment and speaking purposes. |
| Portal | An elaborate or imposing door or entrance. |
| Portal Frame | A rigid frame; two columns and a beam attached with moment connections. |
| Portcullis | A strong heavy grating of iron or iron-bound wood sliding up and down in vertical grooves to block a gateway in a fortress. |
| Porte Cochere | A roofed structure adjacent to a building entrance covering a driveway, to allow shelter to automobile passengers. |
| Portico | A roofed colonnade adjoining a building |
| portire | Curtain that hangs behind a door to cover it completely and keep out drafts. |
| Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement | The product obtained by intimately ingrinding or intimately and uniformly blending a mixture of granulated blast furnace slag and portland cement clinker. |
| Portland Cement | A hydraulic cement produced by pulverizing clinker consisting essentially of hydraulic calcium silicates, and usually containing one or more of the forms of calcium sulfate as an interground addition; the most common type of cement used in construction; t |
| Portland Cement Association (PCA) | 5204 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, Illinois 60077, (708) 966-6200. |
| Portland Cement Grout | Portland cement added to fine aggregates and water and pumped or forced into joints, cracks, and spaces as an adhesive sealer or structural fill. |
| Portland Cement Mortar | Mortar where the cementing agent is portland cement. |
| Portland Cement Plaster | A binder of portland cement mixed with plaster and used on exterior surfaces or in damp areas. |
| Portland Cement-Lime Plaster | Portland cement and lime (either Type S hydrated lime or properly aged lime putty) combined in suitable proportions. |
| Portland Pozzolan Cement | The product obtained by intimately intergrinding a mixture of portland cement clinker and pozzolan, or an intimate and uniform blend of portland cement and fine pozzolan. |
| Positioned Weld | A weld made in a joint which has been so placed as to facilitate making the weld. |
| Positioner | Wire device designed to hold reinforcing steel in designated position in a masonry wall. |
| Positive Drainage | In roof construction, the drainage condition in which consideration has been made for all loading deflections of the deck and additional roof slope has been provided to ensure complete drainage of the roof area within 24 hours of rainfall precipitation. |
| Positive Moment | A result of bending moment in a beam in which the upper part is in compression and the lower part is in tension; compare with Negative Moment. |
| Positive Pressure | 1. Condition that exists when more air is supplied to a space than is exhausted, so the air pressure within that space is greater than that in surrounding areas. 2. A pressure within the sanitary drainage or vent piping system that is greater than atmosph |
| Post | A timber set on end to support a wall, girder, or other member of the structure. |
| Post | A vertical framing member usually designed to carry a beam. Often a 4" x 4", a 6" x 6", or a metal pipe with a flat plate on top and bottom. |
| Post Cap | 1. A metal connection from a wooden post to a girder. 2. A prefabricated fitting which tops a wooden post and protects it from the elements. |
| Post Hole | A dug out hole in the ground for the installation of a fence or gate post. |
| Post Light | A lighting fixture mounted on a post. |
| Post Line | The line which marks the outside face of a foundation, the location line of fence posts or the line of piers for a deck. |
| Post, Corner | See Corner Post. |
| Post, Treated | See Treated Post. |
| Post-and-beam | A basic building method that uses just a few hefty posts and beams to support an entire structure. Contrasts with stud framing. |
| Post-Tensioning | A method by which concrete is compressed after it has been cast by stressing the steel reinforcing; the compressing of the concrete in a structural member by means of tensioning high-strength steel tendons against it after the concrete has cured. |
| Postal Accessories | Implements and devices used to weigh, sort, package, price, and handle mail. |
| Postformed Plywood | The product formed when flat plywood is reshaped into a curve configuration by steaming or plasticizing agents. |
| Pot Hole | A small steep-sided hole usually with underground drainage. |
| Pot Life | See Working Life. |
| Potable Water | Water that is suitable for drinking. |
| Potassium Alum | Used as flocculent in sand filter operation. |
| Potential Energy | A body's ability to do work by virtue of its position relative to others, or by the arrangement of parts. |
| Potential Relay | Electrical switch which opens on high voltage and closes on low voltage. |
| Potential, Electrical | See Electrical Potential. |
| Potentiometer | Instrument for measuring or controlling by sensing small changes in electrical resistance. |
| Pouch | See Nail Apron. |
| poufed heading | The stand-up part of the fabric above a gathered heading or a rod-pocket heading, which is teased out to form a fat ruffle. |
| Pound | 1. A unit of weight equal to 16 ounces avoirdupois or 0.4536 kilograms. 2. Crush or beat with repeated heavy blows. |
| Poundal | A unit of force equal to the force that would give a free mass of one pound an acceleration of one foot per second per second. |
| Pounds per Square Inch Absolute (PSIA) | Absolute Pressure. |
| Pounds per Square Inch Gauge (PSIG) | Gauge Pressure. |
| Pour | To place concrete; a continuous increment of concrete casting carried out without interruption. |
| Pour Coat | The top coating of bitumen on a built up roof. |
| Pour Point | Lowest temperature at which a liquid will pour or flow. |
| Poured in Place | Concrete that is poured and cured on site in its final position. |
| Powder | 1. A substance in the form of fine dry particles. 2. Gunpowder. |
| Powder Room | A guest bathroom, usually containing a toilet and a lavatory; usually located near the front entry hall to be convenient to guests. |
| Powder Stains | Stains in form of powder which are mixed with solvents to produce wood stains. |
| Powder-Actuated Fastener | Driven pin or threaded stud made of special heat-treated steel to provide hard ductile fastener which is driven into material by impact of discharge of an explosive cartridge; used to fasten materials to concrete and structural steel. |
| Power | 1. A source or means of supplying energy, such as electricity. 2. Time rate at which work is done or energy emitted. |
| Power Driven Fastener | A fastener attached to steel, concrete or masonry by a power charge cartridge or by manual impact. |
| Power Element | Sensitive element of a temperature-operated control. |
| Power Factor | 1. The ratio of the true power to the apparent power. 2. Correction coefficient for the changing current and voltage values of a-c power. |
| Power of Attorney | A legal instrument that authorizes one to act as the agent of another; the agent is called an attorney in fact, but does not have to be a licensed attorney. |
| Power Stretcher | A carpet layer's tool; an extension-type version of the knee kicker, with larger teeth arranged in a patent head which can be adjusted for depth of bite, used to stretch larger areas of carpet than can be handled by the knee kicker. |
| Power Tool | An apparatus or device used in construction, powered by electric current. |
| Power Trowel | See Mechanical Trowel. |
| Power vent | A vent that includes a fan to speed up air flow. Often installed on roofs. |
| Power-Assisted Door | A door used for human passage with a mechanism that helps to open the door, or relieves the opening resistance of a door, upon the activation of a switch or a continued force applied to the door itself. |
| PowerRise | A battery powered remote controlled mechanism used to raise or lower Duettes and Silhouettes. Made by Hunter Douglas. |
| Pozzolan | Hydraulic cement obtained by grinding a mixture of fused natural material, such as volcanic ash or trass with hydrated lime; can be used to replace some of the portland cement to lower cost and in some cases improve the concrete; also spelled puzzolan. |
| PPFA | Plastic Pipe and Fitting Association. |
| PPG | Polished Plate Glass. |
| PPI | Plastic Pipe Institute. |
| PPM | Parts Per Million. |
| Pratt Truss | A standard peaked roof truss configuration where the vertical web members and the top chord are in compression while the sloping web members and the bottom chord are in tension. |
| Praxis | The practice of a skill, art, trade, or profession. |
| pre-corded track | Curtain track bought with an integral cording system for closing and opening curtains. |
| Pre-fill | An application method used in the preparation of tapered/beveled gypsum board to receive tape and joint treatment; aids in reducing the possibility of ridging and beading. |
| Pre-Function Area | An anteroom in a hotel or conference center leading to a large dining room, used for receptions prior to dinners or meetings. |
| Pre-Mixed Plaster | See Gypsum Ready Mixed Plaster. |
| Precast | A concrete component or member cast and cured in other than its final position. |
| Precast Beam | A concrete horizontal structural member that is cast and cured in other than its final position, on- or off-site. |
| Precast Column | A concrete column that has been cast and cured in other than its final position. |
| Precast Concrete | Concrete parts that are cast on- or off-site and, after curing and hardening, are installed in their final position of use. |
| Precast Lintel | A horizontal concrete beam placed over an opening that has been cast and cured in other than its final position. |
| Precast Manhole | An underground enclosed structure that has been cast and cured in other than its final position, usually cast in sections. |
| Precast Panel | A concrete member, cast and cured in other than its final position and relatively thin with respect to other dimensions. |
| Precast Septic Tank | A sewage system underground tank that has been cast and cured in other than its final position. |
| Precast Slab | A flat, horizontal, molded layer of reinforced concrete, cast and cured in other than its final position, sometimes referred to as precast planks, often containing hollow cores. |
| Precast Specialty | Special shapes or ornamental objects of precast masonry or concrete. |
| Precast Terrazzo | Marble aggregate concrete that is cast and cured in other than its final position, and ground smooth for decorative purposes. |
| Precast Wall | A wall that has been cast and cured in other than its final position. |
| Precipitate | 1. A substance separated from a solution by chemical action or by application of heat or cold. 2. Insoluble compound formed when chlorine or alum added to pool water reacts with other chemicals or minerals. |
| Precipitation | Rain, hail, or snow falling to the ground. |
| Precoat | The initial coating of filter aid on the septum of a diatomaceous earth filter. |
| Precoating | The coating of aggregate with a liquid to improve adhesion with the bituminous binder and the aggregate. |
| Preconstruction Jobsite Conference | A conference on the jobsite, before start of construction, attended by owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and subcontractors for the purpose of coordination and cooperation. |
| Predecorated Wallboard | A gypsumboard with a finished surface applied before installation; gypsumboard may be predecorated with paint, texture, vinyl film, or printed paper coverings in a variety of patterns, styles, and colors. |
| Prefabricated | Constructed and assembled in a workshop and later brought to the jobsite for incorporation into the building. |
| Prefabricated Lined Stack | Chimney or vent fabricated in a shop into sections with multiple components to provide thermal insulation and allow for low clearance to wooden or combustible elements. |
| Prefinished Gypsumboard | Gypsumboard finished at the factory with a decorative layer of paint, paper, or plastic. |
| Preheating | The application of heat to the base metal prior to a welding or cutting operation. |
| Prehung Door | A door that is hinged to its frame in a factory or shop. |
| Preliminary Drawings | Drawings prepared in a preliminary stage of a project. |
| Preliminary Notice | A notice sent to the owner, general contractor, and lender by subcontractors or materialmen within 20 days of first supplying labor, services or materials to a project informing them of what is being supplied or performed and establishing lien or stop-not |
| Premature Stiffening | See False Set. |
| Premium | Amount payable on a loan. |
| PreMix | Refer Cold Mix. |
| Prepacked Concrete | Concrete manufactured by placing clean, graded coarse aggregate in a form and later injecting a portland cement sand grout, under pressure, to fill the voids. |
| Prepaid Expenses | Materials or services that a company buys and pays for before use, such as insurance premiums, or office supplies. |
| Preparation, Painting | See Painting Preparation. |
| Prepayment Penalty | A monetary penalty for paying off a note prior to its due date. |
| Present Value | The value now of a sum of money to be paid or received in the future, calculated by discounting future cash flows by an appropriate discount rate. |
| Preservation | 1. The process of treating materials to prolong their useful life. 2. Conservation. |
| Preservative | 1. A substance for preserving. 2. In wood, any substance that, for a reasonable length of time, is effective in preventing the development and action of wood-rotting fungi, borers of various kinds, and harmful insects that deteriorate wood. |
| Preservative | Any substance that, for a reasonable length of time, will prevent the action of wood-destroying fungi, borers of various kinds, and similar destructive agents when the wood has been properly coated or impregnated with it. |
| Preservative Treated | Applied or pressurized chemical treatment of wood or plywood to make it resistant to deterioration from moisture and insects. |
| Press | A machine for punching, notching, and shearing steel. |
| Pressed Bricks | Bricks that are pressed out in a mold before they are baked or burned. |
| Presser, Clothing | See Clothing Presser. |
| Pressure | Energy impact on a unit area; force or thrust on a surface. |
| Pressure Balance | In spray painting, relationship of pot pressure to atomizing air pressure. |
| Pressure Connector | An electrical connecting device which squeezes two or more conductors together. |
| Pressure Connector, Solderless | See Solderless Pressure Connector. |
| Pressure Differential | Pressure difference across hydraulic system. |
| Pressure Drop | 1. Loss in pressure due usually to length or diameter of line or hose. 2. Pressure difference at two ends of a circuit, or part of a circuit, the two sides of a filter. |
| Pressure Feed | In spray painting equipment, fluid flow caused by application of air or hydraulic pressure to paint. |
| Pressure Feed Paint Tank | In spray painting equipment, fluid container in which fluid flow is caused by air pressure; also called Pressure Pot. |
| Pressure Gauge | 1. A gauge for measuring the pressure exerted by a liquid or a gas. 2. A device to measure the pressure of an explosive. |
| Pressure Head | Force caused by the weight of a column or body of fluids; expressed in feet, inches or psi. |
| Pressure Limiter | Device which remains closed until a certain pressure is reached and then opens and releases fluid to another part of system or breaks an electric circuit. |
| Pressure Motor Control | High or low-pressure control connected into the electrical circuit and used to start and stop motor; it is activated by demand for refrigeration or for safety. |
| Pressure Pot | See Pressure Feed Paint Tank. |
| Pressure Reducing Valve | A valve which maintains fluid pressure uniformly on its outlet side as long as pressure on the inlet side is at or above a design pressure. |
| Pressure Regulator | Automatic valve located between a compressor and evaporator outlet that is responsive to its own inlet pressure or to the evaporator or refrigerator temperature; it throttles the vapor flow when necessary to prevent the evaporator pressure from falling be |
| Pressure Regulator, Evaporator | See Evaporator Pressure Regulator. |
| Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) | A device mounted on a hot water heater or boiler which is designed to release any high steam pressure in the tank to prevent tank explosions. |
| Pressure Switch | An electric switch that is activated by a rise or drop in air or fluid pressure. |
| Pressure Water Valve | Device used to control water flow; it is responsive to head pressure of refrigerating system. |
| Pressure, Absolute | See Absolute Pressure. |
| Pressure, Atmospheric | See Atmospheric Pressure. |
| Pressure, Back | See Back Pressure. |
| Pressure, Gauge | See Gauge Pressure. |
| Pressure, Operating | Pressure at which a system is operating. |
| Pressure, Suction | Pressure in low-pressure side of a refrigerating system. |
| Pressure-Heat Diagram | Graph of refrigerant pressure, heat, and temperature properties; see Mollier's diagram. |
| Pressure-Operated Altitude Valve (POA Valve) | Device which maintains a constant low-side pressure independent of altitude of operation. |
| Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive | An adhesive that will adhere to a surface at room temperature by briefly applied pressure alone. |
| Pressure-Treated Lumber | Lumber that has been impregnated with chemicals under pressure, for the purpose of retarding either decay or fire. |
| Pressure-treated wood | Lumber that has been saturated with a preservative. |
| Prestressed Beam | A horizontal structural member which has had a load applied to it to increase its effectiveness in resisting working loads. |
| Prestressed Concrete | Concrete in which the steel is stretched and anchored to compress the concrete. |
| Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) | 175 West Jackson Boulevard., Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 786-0300. |
| Prestressing | Applying compressive stress to a concrete structural member to increase its strength. |
| Pretax Income | Net income or profit shown on income and expense statement before deduction for Federal Taxes. |
| Pretensioning | A method by which the design tensile force is applied to the steel reinforcing before the concrete is set. |
| Pretreatment | Chemical alteration of the surface to make it suitable for painting. |
| Prevailing Wage Law | A law that establishes minimum wages for job classifications in the construction trades. |
| Prevalent Level Samples | Air samples taken under normal conditions; also called Ambient Background Samples. |
| Preventive Maintenance Painting | Periodic touch-up painting or application of full coats of paint before deterioration starts. |
| Price | The amount of money that must be paid for something. |
| Primary Branch | This is a single branch that slopes from the base of a soil or waste stack and joins the main building drain or another branch of the main building drain. |
| Primary Color | One of the colors from which all other colors may be produced by mixing; in pigments, red, yellow, and blue. |
| Primary Control | Device which directly controls operation of heating system. |
| Prime | An application of a primer to a prepared base, without cover aggregate, to provide penetration of the surface, temporary waterproofing and to obtain a bond between the pavement and the subsequent seal or asphalt. It is a preliminary treatment to a more pe |
| Prime Coat | 1.The first coating of any material placed on a surface to seal and to provide a proper base for additional finish coats. 2. The first coat of paint. |
| Prime Contractor | A general contractor who contracts with a property owner and, in turn, employs a subcontractor or subcontractors to perform some or all of the work. |
| Prime In the Spots | Apply a priming coat to those spots that have been scraped, wire brushed, shellacked, have had the old paint burned off ,or consist of newly patched plaster. |
| Prime Professional | Any professional having a contract directly with the owner. |
| Prime Rate | The rate of interest paid by the most credit-worthy customers of a bank. |
| Primed Door | A door which has received its first coat of paint prior to installation. |
| Primed Siding | Exterior siding material that has received its first coat of paint. |
| Primer | 1. A tinted base coat of paint to seal the surface and equalize suction differences. 2. A liquid composed of bituminous solvent that is applied to a surface to improve the adhesion of heavier subsequent applications of bitumen. |
| Primer Binder | A material more viscous than a primer and required to act both as a primer and binder, and used in primersealing. |
| Primer Paint | A specially mixed paint that is applied first to a surface to seal and provide a base for additional finish coats. |
| Primer Seal | An application of a primerbinder with a fine cover aggregate to a prepared base to provide penetration of the surface and retain a light cover of aggregate. It is used as a preliminary treatment to a more permanent bituminous surfacing. It is intended to |
| Principal | 1. Under a surety bond, the contractor is the principal. 2. The amount of a loan or the loan balance at any particular time. 3. In a debt repayment, the principal portion goes to reducing the debt as opposed to the interest portion. |
| Principle | 1. A fundamental truth or law as the basis of reasoning or action. 2. A general law in physics, chemistry, or engineering. 3. A law of nature forming the basis for the construction or working of a machine or mechanical device. |
| Print Dyeing | Screen printing a pattern on carpet by successive applications of premetalized dyes, which are driven into the pile construction by an electromagnetic charge. |
| Print Free | Paint sufficiently dry so that no imprint is left when something is pressed against it. |
| Prism | 1. A solid geometric figure whose two ends are similar, equal, and parallel rectilinear figures, and whose sides are parallelograms. 2. A transparent body in this form, usually triangular, with refracting surfaces at an acute angle with each other, which |
| Prism Testing of Masonry | Compression testing of a sample section of wall approximately 16 inches high and 16 inches long of the thickness and type of construction similar to the wall under construction. |
| Privacy Lock | A lockset, without a key, that can be locked from the room side only; used mainly on bedroom and bathroom doors; also called a Bathroom Lock. |
| Private Mortgage Insurance | Life insurance carried by a home buyer to pay off the mortgage in the event of buyer's death; the insured amount declines as the loan is paid off; this type of insurance is usually required by the lender when the loan to value ratio exceeds 90%. |
| Private Sewer | A sewer privately owned. |
| Privity | Persons who have contractual relationships with each other are in privity. |
| Pro Forma | As a matter of form; provided in advance to prescribe form. |
| Pro Forma Balance Sheet | A statement representing a future financial position of a business showing anticipated assets, liabilities and net worth. |
| Pro Rata | Proportionate or pro-rated. |
| Probability | The extent to which an event is likely to occur, measured by the ratio of the favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible. |
| Probate | The official court process of proving the validity of a will. |
| Procedure | Rules governing court operations. |
| Process | 1. A procedure for manufacturing products. 2. To handle or deal with a procedure. |
| Process Tube | Length of tubing fastened to hermetic unit dome, used for servicing unit. |
| Processed Lime | Pulverized quick lime. |
| Processed Quicklime | See Lime. |
| Processor, Photo | See Photo Processor. |
| Produce Case | A bin or container, usually open, that holds market produce, such as lettuce or tomatoes. |
| Product Data | Illustrations, standard schedules, performance charts, instructions, brochures, diagrams, and other information furnished by the contractor to illustrate materials or equipment for some portion of the work. |
| Product Liability | A manufacturer's legal liability for claims arising out of damages sustained by users of the product. |
| Production Rate | Measurement of surface cleaned or coated in one working day by one person, usually in units of square feet per day. |
| Products Standards Section, US Dept of Commerce (PS) | 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230. |
| Professional Engineer | A person qualified as an engineer and duly licensed by the state to practice as a civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, or other engineer. |
| Professional Fee | The amount of money charged by a person hired to perform a professional service. |
| Professional Indemnity Insurance | See Errors and Omissions Insurance. |
| Professional Liability | A professional's legal liability for claims arising out of damages sustained by others allegedly as a result of negligent acts, errors, or omissions in the performance of professional services. |
| Professional Standard of Care | The duty of an architect, engineer, or other professional to exercise such care, skill, and diligence as other professionals in the same discipline would in the same or similar circumstances. |
| Profile | 1. The outline of something. 2. A drawing of something in section. 3. Surface contour of a blast-cleaned surface as viewed from the edge. |
| Profile Depth | Average distance between top of peaks and bottom of valleys on the surface. |
| Profiler | Refer Cold Planing. |
| Profit | The excess of income over expenditure; net income. |
| Profit and Loss | A summary account used at the end of an accounting period in which income and expenditure and the resulting net profit or loss are shown. |
| Profit and Loss Statement | A financial statement showing the income and expenses of a business for the period, and profit or loss resulting therefrom. |
| Program | A detailed outline of all of the features to be included in a building. |
| Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) | An early form of critical path analysis for construction scheduling. |
| Progressive Blocking | Wood blocking between joists or rafters progressively nailed as each joist or rafter is installed. |
| Progressive Kiln | A kiln in which the total charge of lumber is not dried as a single unit but as several units, such as kiln truckloads, that move progressively through the kiln; the kiln is designed so that the temperature is lower and the relative humidity higher at the |
| Progressive Loss | An injury to person or property that occurs over a period of time, such as cracking caused by gradual settlement of soils or illness caused by inhalation of dust. |
| Project | As used in this subject matter, the planning, construction, and maintenance of a revetment or river training works placed to protect a streambank. |
| Project Delivery System | Method by which owners can contract for construction, such as design-bid-build, design/build, turnkey, or other of numerous variants. |
| Project Manual | The volume usually assembled for the work which may include the bidding requirements, sample forms, conditions of the contract, and specifications. |
| Projecting Sash | A window with sashes that swing either inward or outward. |
| Projecting Window | A window that swings either inward or outward. |
| Projector, Nonprofessional | The nonprofessional projector employs film other than 7/8 inch wide. |
| Projector, Professional | The professional projector employs a film which is more than 7/8 inch wide. |
| Promise | An undertaking that something will or will not happen in the future. |
| Promisee | A person to whom a promise is made. |
| Promisor | A person who makes a promise. |
| Promissory Estoppel | A promise that is enforceable even though it is not supported by consideration, since the promisor is estopped to withdraw it. |
| Promissory Note | A written promise to pay a sum on or before a particular date. |
| Proof of Service | Evidence that a legal document has been delivered to a specified person. |
| Propane | 1. A heavy gaseous hydrocarbon of the alkane series used as bottled fuel. 2. Low temperature application refrigerant. |
| Propeller Mixer | A type of mixing device which is inserted into a liquid, usually paint, and powered by a propeller at the end of a thin shaft. |
| Property | A tangible thing that is, or may be, possessed by a person. |
| Property Damage | Injury to tangible property. |
| Property Insurance | Insurance against damage to, or loss of, property that belongs to the insured. |
| Property survey | A survey to determine the boundaries of your property. The cost depends on the complexity of the survey. |
| Proportional Limit | The maximum unit stress for which Hooke's Law is valid. |
| Proportioning | Selection of proportions of material for concrete to make the most economical use of available materials to manufacture concrete of the required strength, placeability, and durability. |
| Proposal | The document submitted by the contractor to the owner for construction of the project; also called the Bid. |
| Propylaeum | (Pl. propylaea) An architecturally important vestibule or entrance to a building or enclosure; usually used in the plural. |
| Propylene Plastic | Plastics based on resins made by the polymerization of propylene with one or more other unsaturated compounds, the propylene being in greatest amount by weight. |
| Proration | The pro rata distribution of expenses in proportion to time of transaction, as taxes and insurance in a property sale escrow or as in shared expenses in proportion to space leased. |
| Proscenium Arch | The wall that separates the stage from the auditorium and provides the arch that frames it. |
| Protected Membrane Roof | A membrane roof assembly in which the thermal insulation lies above the waterproof membrane. |
| Protective Board | A board or sheet of material that is installed next to a waterproofing membrane and then backfilled against thus protecting the membrane from puncture or damage. |
| Protective Life | Interval of time during which a paint system protects substrate from deterioration. |
| Protector, Circuit | See Circuit Protector. |
| Proton | Particle of an atom with a positive charge. |
| Prototype | 1. An operational model of a new product. 2. An original design that is the basis of all future improvements and variations; an Archetype. |
| Protractor | A device for measuring angles on drawings or in constructing angles on drawings. |
| Provisional Remedies | Orders or proceedings that protect persons or property while legal proceedings are pending. |
| Prussian Blue | Ferric Ferrocyanide; pigment which is deep in color and has great strength; not affected by acids but easily affected by alkali. |
| Prussian Blue (Ferric Ferrocyanide) | Pigment which is deep in color and has great strength. Not affected by acids; easily affected by alkali. |
| Prybar | An iron or steel bar used for prying, such as a crowbar. |
| PS | Products Standards Section, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. |
| PSF | Pounds per square foot. |
| PSI | Pounds per square inch. |
| PSIA | Pounds per Square Inch Absolute. |
| PSIG | Pounds per Square Inch Gauge. |
| Psychological Factors | Psychological, organizational, and personal stresses that could produce symptoms similar to poor indoor air quality. |
| Psychrometer | See Hygrometer. |
| Psychrometric Chart | Chart that shows relationship between the temperature, pressure, and moisture content of the air. |
| Psychrometric Measurement | Measurement of temperature, pressure, and humidity using a psychrometric chart. |
| Psychrometrics | A branch of physics dealing with the study of atmospheric conditions, specifically the relationships between moisture and air. |
| Public Sewer | A sewer that is publicly owned. |
| Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act | A law requiring public utility companies to buy on-site generated electricity from private power producers. |
| Public Works | Construction and projects undertaken on behalf of governmental entities. |
| Publication | The process of making writings or drawings available for distribution to or inspection by the public. |
| Puckering | A condition in a carpet seam, due to poor layout or unequal stretching, wherein the carpet on one side of the seam is longer or shorter than that on the other side, causing the long side to wrinkle or develop a pleated effect. |
| PUD | Planned Unit Development. |
| Puddle | To compact loose soil by soaking it and allowing it to dry. |
| Puddle Welded | Spot weld, made by arc welding process, in which coalescence proceeds from surface of one member into other; weld is made without preparing a hole in either member. |
| Puddling | A condition of mechanical dash textures resulting in glazing, texture deviation or discoloration caused by holding the plastering machine nozzle too long in one area. |
| Puffing Agent | A synthetic organic product used to produce increased viscosity in varnishes and paints. |
| Pugmill | A device for mixing aggregate, sand and binder. |
| Pull Box | An electrical rough-in box placed in a length of conduit, through which cables can be pulled. |
| Pull Chain | An electric switch at a fixture operated by a pull cord. |
| Pull Saw | A handsaw that cuts on the pull rather than on the push stroke. |
| Pull Wire | A wire installed in a conduit by an electrician by which additional wires are pulled through. |
| pull-ups | Curtains which pull up vertically (can be festoon, Austrian or other). |
| Pulley | A grooved wheel for a cord, chain, or belt to pass over, used for changing the direction of a force or for mechanical advantage. |
| Pulley Stile | The members of a window frame which contain the counterweights and pulleys, and between which the edges of the sash slide. |
| Pulling | See Floating. |
| Pulp | Wood fiber added as an aggregate to neat calcined gypsum. |
| Pulvinar | A cushioned seat. |
| Pumice | A light porous volcanic rock often used as an abrasive and as plaster aggregate. |
| Pumice Stone | A stone of volcanic origin, which is pulverized to produce a soft abrasive used extensively in rubbing finishing coats of fine wood finishes. |
| Pump | 1. A machine usually with a rotary action or the reciprocal action of a piston, for raising or moving liquids, compressing gases, spray painting, and inflating tires. 2. See Plastering Machine. |
| Pump Down | The act of using a compressor or a pump to reduce the pressure in a container or a system. |
| Pump mix | Special concrete that will be used in a concrete pump. Generally, the mix has smaller rock aggregate than regular mix. |
| Pump, Centrifugal | See Centrifugal Pump. |
| Pump, Fixed Displacement | See Fixed Displacement Pump. |
| Pump, Gas | See Gas Pump. |
| Pump, Reciprocating Single Piston | See Reciprocating Single Piston Pump. |
| Pump, Screw | See Screw Pump. |
| Pump, Sump | See Sump Pump. |
| Pumped Concrete | Concrete that is pumped through a hose or pipe. |
| Pumping Agent | A product used to increase the flow of plaster through hoses during machine applications. |
| Pumping of a Slab | The ejection of mud and water up through joints or cracks when a vehicle passes over an on-grade concrete slab. |
| Punch | A small hand tool formed from a short steel bar with one end in various shapes to suit the work, such as forming, perforating, embossing, or cutting, when struck by a hammer. |
| Punch list | A list of discrepancies that need to be corrected by the contractor. |
| Punch Out | A close fitting hole in gypsum board to allow penetration of plumbing lines; a pipe hole. |
| Punched Carpet | Carpet made by punching loose, unspun fibers through a woven sheet which results in a pileless carpet similar to a heavy felt; usually consists entirely of synthetic fibers. |
| Punitive Damages | Damages awarded to a private person against a wrongdoer by way of punishment, and to deter future misconduct. |
| Punkiness | Soft or spongy gypsumboard core. |
| Purchase Money Mortgage | A mortgage or trust deed given to a seller as part of the purchase consideration. |
| Purchases Account | The account in which merchandise purchased for resale is recorded. |
| Purger, Air | See Air Purger. |
| Purging | Releasing compressed gas to atmosphere through some part or parts for the purpose of removing contaminants from that part or parts. |
| Purlin | 1. A timber supporting several rafters at one or more points. 2. Beams or struts that span across a roof to support the roof framing system. |
| Push Plate | A metal plate on a door installed at hand level for pushing the door open, used for protection from damage and easier cleaning. |
| Push Stick | A pole or strip used to push a workpiece when cutting with power saws, jointers and other power tools; pushing a board by hand is unsafe with power equipment. |
| Putty | A type of cement usually made of whiting and boiled linseed oil, beaten or kneaded to the consistency of dough, and used in sealing glass in sash, filling small holes and crevices in wood, and for similar purposes. |
| Putty Coat | Final smooth coat of plaster. |
| Putty Knife | A broad-bladed hand tool which is used to dispense and apply putty to surfaces. |
| PV | Photovoltaic. |
| PV Cells | Photovoltaic cells. |
| PVA | Polyvinyl Acetate. |
| PVB | Polyvinyl Butyral. |
| PVC | 1. Polyvinyl Chloride. 2. Pigment Volume Concentration. |
| PVC Caulking | Caulking made of polyvinyl chloride. |
| PVC Cement | A solvent cement specifically used to join PVC pipe and fittings. |
| PVC Chamfer Strip | A triangular or curved insert constructed of PVC placed in an inside form corner to produce a rounded or flat, beveled edge. |
| PVC Conduit | Lengths of rigid plastic pipe made of polyvinyl chloride. |
| PVC Control Joint | Control joint made of polyvinyl chloride. |
| PVC Fitting | A fitting made of polyvinyl chloride used in joining PVC piping. |
| PVC or CPVC | Poly Vinyl Chloride-A type of white or light gray plastic pipe sometimes used for water supply lines and waste pipe. |
| PVC Pipe | Polyvinyl chloride pipe used mainly for drain lines and particularly resistant to chemicals. |
| PVC Sewer Pipe | Large diameter pipe used for the dispersal of waste material, constructed of polyvinyl chloride, a rigid plastic pipe. |
| PVC Waterstop | A waterstop made of polyvinyl chloride. |
| Pyramid | A polyhedron having for its base a polygon and for its faces triangles, meeting at a common apex. |
| Pyroligneous | Obtained by destructive distillation of wood. |
| Pyrolysis | Chemical change brought about by the action of heat. |
| Pyrometer | A thermometer for measuring very high temperatures. |
| Pyroxylin | See Cellulose Nitrate. |
| Pythagorean Theorem | The square of the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. |