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Glossary of DIY Home Improvement Terms - H

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

• Half-wall finish - Where the lower part of a wall has a different decorative scheme from the top half.
• Halving joint - A simple wood joint, made by joining two halves. It can also be where rebates meet, each one half the thickness of the timber.
• Hardboard - Fibre building board generally used for covering framework. There are many different types.
• Hardcore - Broken bricks or stones used to form a sub-base below paving, foundations etc.
• Hardwood - Timber from broad-leaf, usually deciduous, trees. Not always hard.
• Haunch - An extension of a tenon to prevent movement in the wood above the joint.
• Hawk - A small board held by a handle and used to hold mortar.
• Head - The height of the surface of water above a specific point, used as a measurement of pressure - for example, a head of 2m (6ft).
• Head plate - Wooden member which forms the top rail of a stud partition.
• Header - Brick laid with its end exposed on the face of a wall.
• Heading tape - Curtain tape that forms the heading on a curtain.
• Heave - An upward swelling of ground caused by excessive moisture.
• Hem - Border on fabric made by turning back and sewing the edge.
• Hoggin - A fine ballast, usually with a clay content, used to form a sub-base for concrete pads or paving.
• Hone - To sharpen a cutting edge.
• Horns - Extended door or window stiles, designed to protect the corners from damage while in storage.
• Hot air stripper - Electric device for softening paint ready for stripping.
• Housing - Sometimes called a mortise, this is a rectangular piece cut out of timber, across the grain, into which a tenon or tongue is slotted.
• Hue - Bias of colour caused by the mixture of two or more.
• Hygrovents - Porous earthenware tubes inserted in walls to attract water, which then evaporates away through them.