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Glossary of DIY Home Improvement Terms - B

This page of our online a to z glossary of DIY home improvement terms is for do-it-yourself terms beginning with the letter 'B'.

• Back-siphoning - The siphoning of part of a plumbing system caused by the failure of mains water pressure.
• Backing - Rubble used behind a finished masonry facing.
• Backsaw - A small to medium size fine-toothed hand saw with a stiff steel or brass back used for accurate cutting.
• Bag graining - A traditional paint finish created by dabbing the freshly-painted surface with a bag full of old rags.
• Balanced flue - A ducting system that allows a heating appliance, such as a boiler, to draw fresh air from and discharge gases to the outside of a building.
• Ballast - Coarse gravel of sand, grit and stones of fairly small size.
• Ballvalve - Valve operated by a float that rises and falls with the water level in wc and cold water cisterns.
• Baluster - One of a set of posts supporting a stair handrail.
• Banisters - Also called balustrade. The protective barrier alongside a staircase or landing.
• Barge boards - Sloping boards fixed to the gable end of a roof to protect the ends of the roof timbers.
• Basecoat - A flat coat of paint over which a decorative glaze is applied.
• Basin wrench - Long-handled wrench designed for working in awkward spaces.
• Bat (brickwork) - A brick cut across its width.
• Batt - A short cut length of glass-fibre or mineral-fibre insulant.
• Batten - A narrow strip of softwood, often used as an invisible support.
• Batter - The slope of the face of a wall that leans backwards or tapers from bottom to top.
• Bay window - A window or group of windows of several shapes supported by a foundation outside the main wall of a building.
• Beading - A narrow decorative moulding with a variety of uses, traditionally machined from hardwood.
• Beam - A transversely-supporting structural member.
• Bedjoint - A horizontal joint upon which bricks are placed.
• Belt sander - A machine for removing old paint or finishing wood and metal.
• Bench hook - A device to hold work in place on a bench which is used while sawing.
• Bending spring - Long spring that fits inside or over copper pipes so they can be bent without collapsing the walls.
• Bevel - Angle ground on the blade of a chisel or plane: angle at which a saw file is held during sharpening.
• Bevel-edge chisel - Bevel-bladed chisel suitable for light woodworking.
• Bisect - To divide into two equal parts.
• Blind nailing - Nailing so that the heads are undiscernible on the work's surface.
• Blistering - The formation of bubbles on painted or varnished surfaces.
• Blockboard - Sheet material consisting of a core of wood strips, less than 25 mm wide, sandwiched between veneers. Made in various thicknesses and board sizes.
• Blowlamp - Hand-held propane or butane gas canister with flame used for soldering work and softening old paint ready for stripping. Needs to be used with care.
• Blown - Broken away, as when a layer of cement rendering has parted from a wall.
• Bolster chisel - Wide, spade-shaped cold chisel designed for cutting bricks but often used for lifting floorboards.

  
  
  A bolster chisel

• Bond - In brickwork, this is a decorative system used to mortar bricks together to form a strong and cohesive wall.
• Bonding - The joining of two surfaces or the agent which brings it about.
• Bore - The internal diameter of a pipe or cylinder, or to drill a hole.
• Bowing - Wood lengths bent out of true by uneven shrinkage or supporting heavy weights.
• Bracket - A projecting support for a shelf or a strengthening device.
• Bradawl - Small tool used to make starting holes for screws and nails and for piercing leather.
• Braze - To join metal by the application of molten brass.
• Brick veneer - A decorative exterior wall finish of one brick's depth against a wood frame.
• Bridging - Pairs of diagonal braces fitted between floor joists which distribute the floor load.
• BTU - British Thermal Unit - a measurement used in air conditioning. 1 BTU = 778.6 ft Ibs. Btu: British Thermal Unit. 1 Therm= 100,000 Btus.
• Buffing compound - A wax bonded soft abrasive in stick form.
• Burr - Some roughness or a small projection left on metal after it is cut.
• Butt - To join two items together end-to-end without overlap.
• Butt joint - The junction at which two pieces of timber meet.
• Buttercoat - The top layer of cement render.