Glossary of
Home Improvement Terms
Common Construction Terms

The following construction terms are commonly used in
the U.S. home improvement industry.

A

Abram's Law   ABS   Acceleration   Actual Dimensions

Admixture   Aggregate   Air-Entrained Concrete

Air Entrainment   Angle Trowel

B

Backfill   Bat   Batch   Bedding   Bleeding   Blue Print

Broad Foot   Branch Circuit   Brick   Broom Finish

Built-Up Roof   Bull Float

C

Caisson   Cantilever   Cast-Iron Pipe   Caulking

Cement   Chalk Line   Change Order   Cinder Block

Concave Joint   Concrete   Concrete Block

Concrete Mix   Curing   Curing Blanket

D E

Darby   Edging Joints   Excavation   Expansion Joint

Exposed Aggregate

F G

Face Brick  Flagstone Pattern   Float   Floating

Footing   Formwork   Frost Heave

H I J K L

Header

M N O

Mason   Mason's Line   Mortar   Normal Dimensions

P Q

Plasticizer   Plumb   Plywood   Portland Cement

Precast

R

Ready-Mix Concrete   Rebar   Reinforced Masonry

Reinforcing Mesh

S

Screed   Sealant   Sealer  Segregation   Separation

Set-Retardation   Sheathing  Soffit   Span   Specs

Square Foot   Standard Practices

Steel Reinforcement   Stucco

T

Treated Wood   Trowel   Troweling

U V W X Y Z

Void   Yard of Concrete