Remodeling Terminology & Definitions · K

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.

Keene's cement

A white finish plaster that produces an extremely durable wall. Because of its density, it excels for use in bathrooms and kitchens and is also used extensively for the finish coat in auditoriums, public buildings, and other places where walls may be subjected to unusually hard wear or abuse.

kerf

The area removed from a board by a saw, determined by the thickness of the blade plus the amount of set to the teeth. The wider the kerf, the harder the saw is to push while cutting.

kick–out flashing

The first in a series of step flashings installed at the roof termination of a continuing wall plane. Typically this is a larger step flashing bent to divert water from getting behind the wall cladding below.

kiln-dried lumber

Lumber that has been kiln dried often to a moisture content of 6 to 12 percent. Common varieties of softwood lumber, such as framing lumber are dried to a somewhat higher moisture content.

knot

In lumber, the portion of a branch or limb of a tree that appears on the edge or face of the piece.

kraft paper

Heavy, moisture resistant, brownish building paper, reinforced with bonded fibers for structural strength, which has a variety of uses. Wider paper is used under the finish exterior siding, either stucco or framing. The narrower rolls are often called paper flashing and used around the rough openings of doors and windows, overlapped from the top on down to shed moisture. Alternate use is in the installation of plastic laminate. For this use, contact cement is used to coat the base with the kraft paper laid on top of it. The kraft paper is slipped out once the contact cement is dry, leaving the base and the laminate to make contact and bond together.