Glossary of Terms

A - F   |  G - P  |  P - Y

Here is a list of terms that we feel are useful to understanding flooring.

Pile – Also known as the face of the carpet, it consists of the yarn that makes the surface of carpet. It is found in loops, cut loops, and a combination of both.
Pile Crush – A condition that occurs when areas of carpet experience heavy traffic or furniture, which causes the pile to become crushed and lose thickness. It can be permanent in some situations.
Pile Height – A measurement from the primary backing of carpet to the tip of the tufts. It is also referred to as the nap. Carpet with shorter pile height tends to hold up better.
Piling – A condition that occurs where fibers from different tufts become knotted together, forming masses or pills. These can usually be cut off with scissors.
Plank – Flooring boards that are usually 3" to 8" wide and are installed in parallel rows.
Plies – Layers of wood glued together in a cross-grain pattern, making them more resistant to expansion and contraction. They are used in engineered wood floors.
Plush – A luxury carpet that is smooth and velvety. It is normally made from cut pile carpet that is brushed or sheared.
Ply – Single ends of carpet yarn that are twisted together to form plied carpet.
Plywood – Boards constructed in cross-directional layers which provide more dimensional stability.
Polyester – A synthetic material that is often used in carpet yarn. It is not as resilient as nylon, but is fairly fade and stain resistant.
Polymer Stain – An acrylic-urethane based polymer solution that is used to finish flooring, available in a wide array of colors.
Polypropylene – A synthetic material that is often used to make carpet yarn. It is also known as olefin. Generally used for loop-pile constructions, it is fairly stain and fade resistant.
Polyurethane – Several units of urethane chemically joined together and able to solidify.
Porcelain Tile – Very dense and smooth dust-pressed mosaic or paver tile.
Porosity – The amount and size of tiny holes or pores in a flooring surface.
Pre-Finished – The usage of sealers or finish applied at the factory making floors ready for immediate installation and use.
Pre-Glued Flooring – An easy to install type of flooring that has adhesive pre-applied to the back or to the tongue and groove of each piece of flooring.
Pre-Grouted Tile – Tile that is pre-grouted in sheets and bonded together usually using an elastomeric material.
Prefinished – Flooring that is finished completely before being sold to a consumer and requires no sanding or finishing after installation.
Quarter Round – A piece of molding that is generally applied in the front of pre-existing baseboard covering the expansion gap needed for bamboo flooring. Differs from base shoe because quarter round is a quarter of a full circle and a base shoe is the quarter of an oval.
Radiant Heat – Also known as in floor heating, the term refers to a heating system which uses hot water that runs through tubes under the subfloor, warming the surface of the floor.
Random Width – Flooring that comes in several different widths in the same box.
Reducer – A molding piece that is used when there is a transition between two flooring types of varying height. An example of this would be when bamboo flooring is reducing down to a concrete or vinyl floor.
Reducer Strip – A molding accessory normally used at doorways and fireplaces or to divide a room that is grooved on one edge and tapered on the other.
Refinishing – The act of sanding a finished floor and apply a new layer of finish. Resilient – Elastic, flexible, or has "give".
Resins – A material used for impregnating and bonding flooring.
Rubber Flooring – A type of flooring that is extremely durable and elastic. It is also resistant to shock and moisture and will not conduct electricity. It is warm to the touch and quiet when walked on.
Sanded – Term used when a fine top layer is removed from a bamboo floor, usually during the manufacturing process. This allows the bamboo flooring to be prepared for finishing. Sanding a bamboo floor again in the future may or may not be needed due to how much or how little wear and tear the floor has seen. If scratches, dents or other damages are evident, sanding and refinishing are likely necessary. See also Refinished or Screen and Coat.
Saxony – A style of plush carpet that is very soft and smooth to the touch. It is made from uniform twisted cut-pile tufts. It does tend to show footprints and is not recommended for high traffic areas.
Sculptured Tile – Tile that has been sculpted or molded for decoration.
Sealer – A coat that is applied to the surface of a floor before applying additional coats of finish, which prevents them from being absorbed into the flooring itself.
Select Grade – Refers to a grade of wood flooring that has a minimum amount of knots and mineral streak.
Shading – A term used to describe what appears to be changes in the color of carpet but is actually different reflections of light due to the orientation of the carpet.
Side-Matched – A tongue and groove system used on the sides of strips and planks so that when butted together, the tongue of one piece fits into the groove of the next piece.
Sisal – A type of carpet made from natural plant fibers that has a woven rug look.
Slats – Small pieces of wood that are laid together in simple or intricate designs to form Parquet flooring.
Sleeper – Usually a 2"x 4" glued to a concrete subfloor which either a wooden subfloor or new flooring is nailed to.
Sliced Cut – One of several methods of cutting a piece of wood flooring, which tends to show a more uniform grain pattern. This method requires that the wood is presoaked, which can alter the natural color and also cause it to splinter.
Solid Floors – A solid floor is defined as flooring made using one solid section of a single hardwood species. Bamboo flooring is often considered a solid floor to differ itself for the traditional engineered floor; however, solid bamboo is engineered because it is made from many layers of strips of bamboo.
Sprouting – Small tufts or loops that protrude above the pile surface and can be easily clipped with scissors.
Square Joint – Flooring that does not have a beveled or eased edge.
Square Nosing – A trim used when a hard surface floor meets up to another surface where the edge will be exposed, such as carpet or a fireplace.
Stain – A transparent or semitransparent product that changes the color of wood but does not affect the texture or markings.
Stapled Down – A flooring installation method that used staples to affix the flooring to the subfloor.
Stitch – The act of making a tuft in carpeting.
Stitch Rate – A measurement of how many tufts of yarn are in a certain amount of carpet. It is usually measured in tufts per inch. 7-8 tufts per inch is ideal while 3-4 is low quality.
Strand Woven – A manufactured process of compressing long strips of bamboo together. Strand woven flooring is a durable and dense floor which is considered twice as hard as red oak and traditional bamboo flooring.
Stretch-In – A method of installing carpet that involves stretching it over a tack-less strip which catches and holds the carpet in place.
Strip Flooring – Flooring sold in various thickness and widths, which is usually less than 3" wide.
Strips – Strips are referred to the amount of individual bamboo slats making up the entire width of a bamboo floor board.
Structural Placement – Structural placement is defined as the different grades of a building or individual home where a floor is able of to be installed. An example of this would be "below grade" which is the basement level, "on grade" is known as the first floor, and "above grade" is the second floor or higher.
Suberin – A waxy material which is the key component in the makeup of the cells in cork and is responsible for the moisture resistance of cork flooring. Suberin is also what makes cork insect resistant and adds a level of fire resistance.
Subfloor – A subfloor is described as the base floor of a given structure. Typically subfloors are made up of concrete or wood products such as plywood, OSB board, etc. Bamboo floors are then installed over the subfloor.
Substrate – The surface that the flooring is installed on, generally the subfloor.
Surface – The exterior layer of flooring, and the area that you see and walk on.
Sustainability – Sustainability is a process that allows a resource to be used no more than it can be replaced in a reasonable period of time. Bamboo plants are sustainable as they regenerate in a relatively short period for future harvests.
Tack-less Strip – A strip generally made of wood or metal that is usually nailed to the subfloor around the perimeter of the room. It has row of pins that are angled towards the walls, which catch the carpet as it is stretched and secured in place.
Tannin – The chemical contained in wood that produces its color.
Textured Carpet – A type of carpet with a two-toned appearance made from cut piles with alternating twists.
Tongue and Groove – A process where one side of a plank or strip has a groove cut out and the other side has a tongue extending out. When the two sides fit together they form a unit.
Transition – A term used to describe two flooring surfaces that meet. A molding is often used to cover this transitional area.
Trim – The materials used to give the flooring a finished look and cover expansion gaps. This includes T-moldings, baseboards, quarter rounds, etc.
Tuft – Loops or cut loops of yarn that form the surface layer of carpeting.
Tuft Bind – The force that it takes to pull a tuft away from the carpet backing.
Tufting – Tufting is the process of weaving loops or cut loops of yarn onto a primary backing.
Tumbled Finish – A finish often used on tiles where they are placed in a machine and tumbled to deliver a tile that is chipped or broken around corners and does not usually have square edges as a result.
Tung Oil – A type of oil-based finish that penetrates wood, giving it a hand rubbed look when applied in multiple coats. It also slightly ambers the wood.
Twist – The winding of each individual tuft which gives the carpet more dimensional stability.
Un-Sanded Grout – A type of grout which is applied to joints and requires no sanding once dry, minimizing the risk of damaging the floor. Any excess grout is wiped clean with a sponge before the grout hardens.
Underlayment – A layer of material installed between the subfloor and new flooring to provide moisture resistance, insulation, and sound transmission resistance. It is often made of rubber, cork, foam, or plastic.
Unfinished – A type of flooring that is sanded and finished after installation.
Unglazed Tile – A hard tile which does not have a color or glaze over the surface and is often naturally or synthetically colored throughout the entire piece.
Units – A term generally used for Parquet flooring to describe three or more squares bond together.
UV Cured – The factory process of baking finish onto bamboo with ultra violet light. Each coat of applied finish must go through UV lamps immediately after it has been applied.
V. O. C. – Volatile Organic Compounds, a measurement of solvents that are not water in a product.
Vapor Barrier – A layer of material that is applied between the floor and subfloor which prevents the migration of moisture.
Vapor Retarder – Foil, plastic, specialty paper, or other material which is used to control the migration of moisture.
Varnish – A solution made of either natural or synthetic oils, used as a sealer.
Veneer – A thin facing applied to a surface for decoration, insulation, or extra protection. It is commonly seen in stone veneer applied to interiors and exteriors of homes to provide a stone wall look.
Vertical Grain – This type of bamboo flooring. Lacks the visible nodes of horizontal grain bamboo flooring, creating a more uniform look.
Vitreous Tile – A glassy, rather than crystalline, tile with low porosity that has a low water absorption rate between 0.5% and 3%.
Wear Layer – The layer on top of the core in wood flooring that can be sanded and refinished to make the floor appear new again.
Wool – A less common, very expensive fiber used to make carpet that comes from the wool of sheep. It can range in color from off-white to black and many neutral, earthen colors in between.
Woven – A method of manufacturing carpet that involves interlacing or weaving carpet on a weaving loom.
Yarn Dying – A uniform method of dying yarn before it is sewn onto the primary backing. It is also known as pre-dying.
Yarn Ply – The amount of single plies twisted together to form plied yarn.