Glossary

A

Ashlar 'Relief' detail cut into render creating vertical/horizontal lines, sometimes to mimic stonework. Also known as rustication/rustification
Approved Document B The Building Regulations document defining Fire Safety requirements for finished buildings for finished buildings and refurbishment
Approved Document E The Building Regulations document defining Resistance to Passage of Sound requirements for finished buildings and refurbishment
Approved Document L The Building Regulations document defining Conservation of Fuel and Power requirements for finished buildings and refurbishment

B

Backing Board A building board designed to be protected by a finishing system. See Sheathing board and Render carrier board
BBA British Board of Agrement
Bedding/Buttering Setting a bead with wet render
Bellcast A 'drip' bead that protects lower edges of render, whilst creating a point for water to run-off effectively. Can be shaped as a profile of a bell. Also known as Bellcast Bead
BSI British Standards Institute. Responsible for governing standards of manufacture and building, published on an ongoing basis
BSI Kitemark The Kitemark is a BSI certification mark, licensed for use on a product after independent testing has been carried out to establish conformity with the stated standard
BRE British Research Establishment, whom conduct consultancy, research and testing in relation to the 'built environment' and associated industries
BREEAM A method for design and assessment of sustainability
Building Regulations The Kitemark is a BSI certification mark, licensed for use on a product after independent testing has been carried out to establish conformity with the stated standard

C

Calcium Silicate Board A board containing calcium silicate, usually treated with silicone to mitigate the inherent weakness to water damage of calcium silicate material. Strong fire performance characteristics are the basis for extensive use as passive fire protection or firestopping material
Cavity The space between the inner and outer leaf of a wall construction. Usually vented or ventilated (see below) and may be retrospectively filled with insulant in older properties
Cavity Barrier A means of preventing or slowing the spread of fire within a cavity, usually an intumescent or mineral wool fibre material
Calcareous Chalky, containing or like calcium carbonate
CERT Carbon Emissions Reduction Target
CESP Community Energy Savings Programme
COSHH Control of substances hazardous to health regulations 1994
Compartment(alis)ation In fire protection is the creation of 'zones' that, in the event of fire, will prevent the spread of fire to other zones for a specified period of time
Conduction In heat transfer, heat moving from a warmer to a colder region in the same substance without mass transfer. This type of heat transfer depends on the thermal conductivity of the material (measured in W/m2). Conduction occurs toward thermal equilibrium over time
Colourtex Grained A thin coat Silicone Resin material designed for external use, with a 3mm grain size finished in a dragged texture, offering a high level of water resistance and flexibility.
Colourtex Uniform A thin coat Silicone Resin material designed for external use, with a 1.5mm grain size finished in a uniform texture, offering a high level of water resistance and flexibility.
Colourtex Primer A Colour primer designed for use with Colourtex Grained or Uniform to provide a pre-coloured substrate to avoid discolouration as well as a key to help adhesion.
Comb Scratcher Used to create a 'key' for subsequent thick-coat render finishes
Curing The process of render drying until full strength and bonding is reached

D

Density The mass unit of volume of material (kg/m³)
Deep Primer Primer for existing Sand and Cement – Poor substrates
DPC Damp proof course
DPM Damp proof membrane
Drywall A type of board made from plaster, wood pulp, or other material, used esp. to form the interior walls of houses
Dubbing To bring the surface, usually hollows, out to a desired, sufficiently flat level

E

EIFS External Insulation Finishing System
Envelope The building envelope is the physical separator between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. It serves as the outer shell to help maintain the indoor environment (together with the mechanical conditioning systems) and facilitate its climate control. Also known as "Building Enclosure"
Efflorescence Salt residue migrating to the surface of a render finish , through evaporation or hydrostatic pressure
Embedded To fix firmly in a surrounding solid mass
EPS Expanded Polystyrene
EWI External Wall Insulation
Expansion Beads A bead profile used at expansion joints
EML Expanded Metal Lathe
EST Energy Savings Trust
ETICS External Thermal Insulation Composite System
EWI External Wall Insulation

F

Façade Frontage of a building
Fibre Corner Tape Grey self adhesive water repellant flashing tape
FPDC Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors
Fire Break See Cavity Barrier
Fire Sock Refers to a slab of material, usually mineral wool fibre, designed to cloak an area of fire weakness or to create a cavity barrier for the purposes compartmentalisation/reduction of fire spread
Friable Soft, Loose or flakey render which is caused by incorrect hydration or poor mixing process

G

Green In render when the applied material has set, but is not cured

H

Handy Pack An order of 5 lengths of ProBead
Heat Capacity Heat capacity (usually denoted by a capital C, often with subscripts), or thermal capacity, is the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a material by a given amount. Also known as Thermal Capacity
Helping Hands Brackets An aluminium or steel subframe system consisting of two parts. A bracket is fixed at intervals to the substrate, a full length rail is then fixed to that bracket, providing a level support system for cladding
Homogenous Mix elements evenly to make into a single substance

I

INCA Insulated Render & Cladding Association
Intumescent The quality of swelling or puffing. In construction this usually refers to products that react in fire by swelling to close a void or cavity. See Cavity Barrier

J

Jamb A side 'post' of a doorframe or window frame

K

Key Prepare a surface to receive a top coat
kNA KiloNewton is a measure of force, abbreviated kN. 1 KiloNewton = 1000 Newtons

L

Lamella A mineral wool/fibre insulant. Lamella insulation boards have the wool fibres oriented perpendicular to the wall surface, allowing application to convex and concave substrates without compromising the integrity of the insulant
Lime bloom Residual lime leeching to the surface
Lime Cement Primer A Primer designed to reduce suction in highly porous substrates.

M

Magnesium Oxide Board A board containing magnesium oxide offering fire, moisture and mold resistant properties. Used widely and primarily throughout Asia for fascias, soffits and as cement/render carrier board
Masonry A substrate consisting of concrete, brick, concrete block, cast concrete, stone or any other similar material
MMA Modern Masonry Alliance - the principle trade organisation for manufacturers and associated partners of masonry construction methods
Monocouche French for one coat render – one coat is occasionally known as Monocouche

N

NASH National Association of Steel Framed Housing
NIA National Insulation Association
NHBC National House Building Council - A major insurer of residential housing

O

Oxidisation Reaction of substance with air or water
OFGEM  The Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets is the appointed regulator of electricity and gas markets of the UK. OFGEM is responsible for the delivery of CERT & CESP

P

Permeability Water vapour permeability is a property of a substance which permits the passage of water vapour
Plaster/ Mortar Keys Staggered slots or mesh to hold the render
Phenolic Insulation A rigid, closed cell foam insulation product made with phenolic plastics, typically coated with foil or building paper for protection
Pick up Point at which the product begins to set
Poroton Poroton blocks are clay block used to build insulated walls without a cavity. The blocks have a honeycomb-like pattern when viewed top down
Pro Board Fibre glass reinforced cementitious board with integrated polystyrene, specified as a componet part of the ProWall Rainscreen Cladding System
Pro Rend Colour A through-coloured 'scrape' or 'scratch' render applied at 15mm minimum as one coat or 10mm minimum as part of a build up. Specficiation varies dependant on background read more in our ProRend section
Pro Rend Colourtex A silicone resin based finish. Part of a thincoat render system, usually incorporating a basecoat and a coloured primer. Finishes available are either Grained 3mm or Uniform 1.5mm. Read more in our Colourtex section
Pro Rend Float A Basecoat designed for use on most masonry substrates. Read more in our Float section
Pro Rend Lite Light weight render used within the ProWall Rainscreen and ProRend EIFS systems, as well as in the more general render only systems
Pro Mesh Reinforcing fibreglass mesh – Alkali resistant. Available in a grades 1 - 5, dependant on application
Pro Rend Rapid An enhanced formulation of ProRend Float, which sets from the outside in; allowing rapid finishing. Rapid is also ideally suited to dubbing work as it can be applied up to 50mm thickness in one coat without sagging
Pro Rend Prep A highly modified basecoat, suited to low adhesion and high suction backgrounds
Pro Wall An rainscreen cladding system designed for use on frame construction and incorporating firebreaking, movement and ventilation/drainage detailing. Read more about ProWall for timber frame or in general
Pull off test Where mesh is embedded into the render and allowed to dry. It is then pulled off to test the bond of the substrate and render

Q

Quoin External corner of a building or window. A cornerstone.

R

Rainscreen Cladding An external façade designed to carry wind loadings and provide protection to the substrate from the elements, such as ProWall. This may or may not include insulants
Rule In rendering and cladding, used for tapping in boards or ruling off render or tamping down plastic end stops
Rustification See Ashlar

S

Scabble The process of applying aggressive mechanical force to a façade with the intention of removing loose or unsuitable materials before recoating the building
SCI Steel Construction Institute
Scratch Plaster A render that is finished with a nail float to achieve an open grain texture
S.B.R Styrene Butadiene Resin – used as a primer
Sheathing A layer of boards, usually wood or fibre based, applied to the outer studs, joists, and rafters of a building to strengthen the structure and serve as a base for an exterior weatherproof cladding. OSB and ply are common examples of sheathing board
SIPS Structural insulated panels, consisting of an insulating layer of rigid polymer foam sandwiched between two layers of structural board
Sound Free from damage and injury
Spall To peel away from
Stop Bead Used at junctions of walls and ceilings
Strikotherm A high quality external insulation system
Substrate The word substrate comes from the Latin sub - stratum meaning 'the level below'. In render or cladding this refers to the existing background, to which a nominated finish will be applied
SWI Solid Wall Insulation, refers to a refurb measure of insulation inside or outside existing 'solid walls' such as they type commonly seen in properties built in our before the 1920's. Most SWI takes place under funding schemes such as CESP & CERT

T

TCC The Concrete Centre
TCR Through Colour Render
Thermal Capacity Usually denoted by a capital C, often with subscripts, is the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a material by a given amount
Thin Coat Typically refers to a render system of less than 10mm total finished thickness, such as ProRend Colourtex. Thincoats are commonly applied to render carrier boards (as in ProWall) and external insulation systems (as in ProRend EIFS)
Thick Coat Typically refers to a render system of greater than 10mm total finished thickness, such as ProRend Colour. Thickcoats are commonly applied to masonry and concrete backgrounds
Through Colour Render External thick-coat render that is pre-coloured with no need to paint. Also described as mono-couche (one-coat) or scratch renders due to the process of finishing with a nail float
Top Coat The final application on an external rendering system
TRADA Timber Research and Development Association
Tyrolean Gun Used to apply a coat of rough cast render

U

UKTFA UK Timber Frame Association. For timber frame rainscreen systems see ProWall
Upstand Any vertical area on a building
U-Value The measurement of the rate of heat loss through a material, indicated in units of watts per square metre per degree Kelvin or W/m2K

V

Vented Cavity A vented cavity refers typically to masonry construction where vent holes are presented at the bottom of the wall to allow free drainage of any ingressed moisture
Ventilated Cavity A ventilated cavity is where free air movement is promoted to ensure avoidance of interstitial condensation. This is a common principle in rainscreen cladding system

W

Wastage Waste material during the process of installation as determined in advance by responsible contractors
Wind Load The pressure or suction exerted on the outer surface of a building due to the direct effect of wind, generally expressed in pounds per square foot (psf)