Remodeling Terminology & Definitions · C

The following is a list of industry related terminology which we at The Remod Squad® thought might be helpful to both homeowners and professionals alike. Definitions will be continually added to this list.

cant strip

A triangular-shaped piece of lumber used at the junction of a flat deck and a wall to prevent cracking of the roofing, which is applied over it.

cap

The upper member of a column, pilaster, door cornice, molding, and the like.

carriage bolt

A bolt with a rounded head and a small square section under the head to prevent spinning during assembly. Used to hold structural members together, the rounded head gives a finished look to the bolt. Bolts should be checked annually and tightened if necessary.

casement frames or sash

Frames of wood or metal enclosing part or all of the sash, which may be opened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges.

casing

Molding of various widths and thicknesses used to trim door and window openings at the jambs.

checking

Fissures that appear with age in many exterior paint coatings, at first superficial, but which in time may penetrate entirely through the coating.

checkrails

Meeting rails sufficiently thicker than a window to fill the opening between the top and bottom sash made by the parting stop in the frame of double-hung windows. They are usually beveled.

cladding

Functional and aesthetic exterior facade of the home constructed from wood, stone, concrete, brick, steel, or vinyl.

collar beam

Nominal 1- or 2-inch thick members connecting opposite roof rafters. They serve to stiffen the roof structure.

column

In architecture: A perpendicular supporting member, circular or rectangular in section, usually consisting of a base, shaft, and capital. In engineering: A vertical structural compression member, which supports loads acting in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

combination doors or windows

Combination doors or windows used over regular openings. They provide winter insulation and summer protection and often have self-storing or removable glass and screen inserts. This eliminates the need for handling a different unit each season.

concrete plain

Concrete either without reinforcement, or reinforced only for shrinkage or temperature changes.

condensation

In a building: Beads or drops of water (and frequently frost in extremely cold weather) that accumulate on the inside of the exterior covering of a building when warm, moisture-laden air from the interior reaches a point where the temperature no longer permits the air to sustain the moisture it holds. Use of louvers or attic ventilators will reduce moisture condensation in attics. A vapor barrier under the gypsum lath or dry wall on exposed walls will reduce condensation in them.

conduit (electrical)

A pipe, usually metal, in which wire is installed.

coped joint

See Scribing.

corbel out

To build out one or more courses of brick or stone from the face of a wall, to form a support for timbers.

corner bead

A strip of formed sheet metal, sometimes combined with a strip of metal lath, placed on corners before plastering to reinforce them. Also, a strip of wood finish three-quarters-round or angular placed over a plastered corner for protection.

corner boards

Used as trim for the external corners of a house or other frame structure against which the ends of the siding are finished.

corner braces

Diagonal braces at the corners of frame structure to stiffen and strengthen wall.

cut-in brace

Nominal 2-inch thick members, usually 2 by 4's cut in between each stud diagonally.

cornerite

Metal-mesh lath cut into strips and bent to a right angle. Used in interior corners of walls and ceilings on lath to prevent cracks in plastering.

cornice

Overhang of pitched roof at the cave line, usually consisting of facia board, a soffit for a closed cornice, and appropriate moldings.

cornice return

That portion of the cornice that returns on the gable end of a house.

counterflashing

A flashing usually used on chimneys at the roof line to cover shingle flashing and to prevent moisture entry.

cove molding

A molding with a concave face used as trim or to finish interior corners.

crawl space

A shallow space below the living quarters of a basementless house, normally enclosed by the foundation wall.

cricket

A small drainage-diverting roof structure of single or double slope placed at the junction of larger surfaces that meet at an angle, such as above a chimney.

cross-bridging

Diagonal bracing between adjacent floor joists, placed near the center of the joist span to prevent joists from twisting.

crown molding

A molding used on cornice or wherever an interior angle is to be covered.