Path = Home : Glossary of DIY Home Improvement Terms - W

Glossary of DIY Home Improvement Terms - W

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

• Wainscot - An interior wall surface usually 1m above the floor which contrasts with an upper wall surface.
• Wall plate - A horizontal timber member placed along the top of a wall to support the ends of joists and spread their load.
• Wall ties - Metal wires or strips used to bind masonry tiers in cavity wall construction or which bind brick veneer to a wood frame wall.
• Wallboard - Board made out of compressed plant (usually wood) fibres or plaster sandwiched between paper and used as a surface for walls and ceilings and in insulation.
• Wane - The wavy edge of a plank which has been cut directly from the log.
• Warp - The threads that run along the length of fabric, parallel with the selvedges.
• Warping - Twisting due to uneven shrinkage in timber or extremes of temperature.
• Water closet (WC) - A lavatory that is flushed by water. or A room containing such a lavatory.
• Water hammer - Vibration in plumbing caused by fluctuating water pressure.
• Water main - The main water supply pipe.
• Watt - A unit of power. There are 746 watts in one horsepower.
• Weather boarding - Exterior house covering of wood paneling.
• Webbing - A wide, woven braid, traditionally made from hessian, used in upholstery.
• Weft - The threads that run across a length of fabric, at right angles to the selvedges.
• Welding - A method of fastening metals by applying heat until the pieces fuse.
• Weep hole - A small hole at the base of a cavity wall that allows absorbed water to drain to the outside.
• Wet and dry paper - Abrasive paper (silicon carbide) used with or without lubricant.
• Wet rot - Wood decay resulting from moisture and poor ventilation. Caused by various types of fungi, a condition in which wood decays. The surface of the wood feels 'clammy'.
• White spirit - Colourless liquid derived from petroleum used as a thinner for oil paints.
• Whitewash - A wall finishing material of slaked lime and water.
• Whiting - Powdered and cleansed white chalk used, for example, in distemper and whitewash.
• Winders - Those stairs used on curved portions of a staircase.
• Wing nut - An easily-turnable nut having wing-like projections.
• Wiped joint - A plumbing connection joining two pipes made by wiping solder around the joint.
• Wire brush - Handbrush with steel wire bristles for removing paint and rust particles from metal.
• Wire glass - Glass containing wire mesh which prevent fragments scattering or shattering.
• Wire strippers - Tool for cutting through the sheathing of flex and cable to expose the wires.
• Woodgraining - A painting technique which seeks to imitate - or at least to give the overall effect of - the grain of wood.
• Woodworm - Condition in which wood is invaded by the common furniture beetle.
• Work triangle - Triangle formed by location of preparation, cooking and washing zones of a kitchen.
• Wrecking bar - A long steel bar used to pry up floorboards with a flat chisel point at one end and a curved claw on the other.