Sign*A*Rama :: Knowledgebase
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Glossary
  • Asphalt
  • A dark brown to black, highly viscous, hydrocarbon produced from the residue left after the distillation of petroleum. Asphalt is used on roofs and highways as a waterproofing agent.

    A dark brown to black cementitious material in which the predominating constituents are bitumens, which occur in nature or are obtained in petroleum processing. Asphalt is a constituent in varying proportions of most crude petroleum and used for paving, roofing, industrial and other special purposes.
  • BAS
  • The Business Activity Statement (BAS) is a form submitted to the Australian Taxation Office by all businesses to report their taxation obligations.

    These include Pay As You Go (PAYG), Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) and Luxury Car Tax (LCT).

  • Beam
  • A supporting member that transfers weight from one location to another.

    A structural member, usually horizontal, whose main function is to carry loads transverse to its longitudinal axis.

    A structural member, usually horizontal and narrow in proportion to its depth, which supports superimposed loads primarily by its internal resistance to bending. The bending effect at any point in a beam is found by calculating the bending moment. The principal structural materials for beams are: steel, light alloy, timber, reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete or composite materials.
  • Bolt
  • A metal rod that has a head on one end and threads on the other and is used to fasten together timber, metal or other materials.
  • Business
  • An economic system in which goods and services are exchanged for one another or money, on the basis of their perceived worth.

    Every business requires some form of investment and a sufficient number of customers to whom its output can be sold at profit on a consistent basis.
  • Caulk
  • To make watertight or airtight by filling or sealing.

    To apply caulking (example: he caulked all around the door frame)
  • Caulking
  • A usually impermeable substance used for caulking. Also called caulking compound.

    A soft pliable material used to seal cracks (such as around windows and door frames) and is normally applied from a tube in a caulking gun.
  • Cleat
  •  A short horizontal member that ties opposing rafters together immediately below the ridge board.

    A strip of wood fastened across a door to add strength. Also a strip fastened to a wall to support a shelf, fixture, or other objects.

    Support member ie To support cabinet construction or support open countertop.
  • Clout
  • A short nail with a flat head.

    A nail with a large flat head used for securing roofing felt, plasterboard, sheet metal to wood etc.
  • Coach Bolts
  • Round headed bolts with square shoulders that resist rotation when located or driven into place. They can be called coach bolts or carriage bolts depending on which part of the world you live in. The head end of the bolt does not need a washer, but the other end of the bolt (the nut end) usually does.
  • COGS
  • In financial accounting, cost of goods sold (COGS) includes the direct costs attributable to the production of the goods sold by a company. This amount includes the materials cost used in creating the goods along with the direct labor costs used to produce the good.
  • Concrete
  • A strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water.

    A mixture of sand, gravel, water and portland cement which hardens to a stonelike condition when dry.
  • Customer Quote
  • Customer Estimate outlining the scope of work and agreed price for the job.  This is signed off as agreement to complete defined work as per the terms and conditions, these are ideally printed on the back of the estimate/quote.

  • Dimensions
  • Any of the three linear measurements, length, breadth and depth.

    metric system
    When using the metric system for building, millimetres (mm) are the common unit to use. One millimetre is about the thickness of a pin. There are 10 millimetres in a centimetre and 1000 millimetres in a metre.

    standard system
    When using the standard system for building, inches are the common unit to use. One inch is about the thickness of a pack of playing cards. There are 12 inches in a foot and 3 feet (36 inches) in a yard.

    use of " and ' symbols
    1' = 1 foot
    1" = 1 inch
    1 x 3 = 3/4" x 2 1/2"
    1" x 3" = true 1" x 3"

    both standard and metric
    1 inch = approx 25 millimetres
    1 foot = approx 305 millimetres
    1 yard = approx 915 millimetres
  • Dovetail
  • A method of joining wood at corners by the use of wedge-shaped interlocking pins and tails.

    A joint in which wedge-shaped parts are interlocked to form a tight bond. This joint is commonly used on furniture parts, such as the corners of drawers.

    A tenon (pin) that is shaped like a dove's spread tail to fit into a corresponding mortise (tail).
  • Dowel
  • A round wooden pin that is used to reinforce a wood joint.

    The round wooden pin fits into corresponding holes in adjacent pieces of wood and helps fastens them securely together.
  • Estimate
  • Customer quote outlining the scope of work and agreed price for the job.

  • Fascia
  • Exterior horizontal visible flat front trim board that caps the rafter tail ends.

    Runs horizontally across the ends of the roof rafters ends, creating the "edge" of the roof.

    The front facing surface of trim on a house above the soffit but below the roofline.
  • Fineline Tape
  • This tape is particularly suitable for pin striping, multicolor and other custom painting applications. It is a thin, conformable green polypropylene film tape with a special finish that resists paint runoff. The adhesive adheres instantly and offers good holding power, resists lifting and curling.

    Excellent to be used for masking vinyl for trimming on vehicles.
  • Flashing
  • Any piece of material, usually metal or plastic, installed to prevent water from penetrating the structure.

    Sheet metal or other material used in roof and wall construction to protect a building from water seepage.

    Sheet metal or roll roofing pieces fitted to the joint of any roof intersection, penetration or projection (chimneys, copings, dormers, valleys, vent pipes, above windows and doors, etc.) in order to prevent water leakage.
  • Flush
  • Being even with, of a surface exactly even with an adjoining one, forming the same plane; "a door flush with the wall"; "the bottom of the window is flush with the floor".
  • Footing
  • A base (in or on the ground) that will support the structure.

    A masonry section, usually concrete, in a rectangular form wider than the bottom of the foundation wall or pier it supports.

    The base or bottom of a foundation pier, wall, or column that is usually wider than the upper portion of the foundation. The added width at the bottom spreads the load over a wider area.
  • Galvanized
  • Covered with a protective coating of zinc.

    Coated with zinc to prevent rusting of iron or steel.

    Metal (usually steel) coated with a thin layer of zinc to provide corrosion resistance; i.e., rust proofing.
     
    Galvanizing methods are:
    (1) "hot-dipped galvanizing", which consists of passing the continuous length of sheet, wire, rod, or shape through a molten bath, followed by an air stream "wipe" that controls the thickness of the zinc finish; and
    (2) "electro-galvanizing", which continuously zinc-coats an uncoiled sheet or unwound wire or rod electrolytically. Galvanized sheet also is known in the market as "coated sheet".
  • GST
  • The Goods & Services Tax (GST) is a broad tax of 10% on most goods and service transactions in Australia.  It is a value added tax, not a sales tax, in that it is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer.

  • Hex Bolt
  • Bolts with a hexagonal shaped head (six sided) which enables a wrench or spanner to grip it. A washer is usually required at both ends of the bolt.
  • Hexagon
  • A plane figure with six straight sides. A regular hexagon is one with all six sides and all six angles equal, the angles all being 120�. Congruent regular hexagons can be fitted together to cover completely a plane surface. Apart from squares and equilateral triangles, these are the only regular polygons with this property.
  • Joint
  • The space or opening between two or more adjoining surfaces.

    The gap or space created when two building materials come together, such as where two pieces of molding join or where the bathtub and bathroom wall meet.
  • Joist
  • The horizontal framing members that support the floors.

    One of a series of parallel framing members used to support floor and ceiling loads, and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls.

    A secondary structural member used repetitively to support floors or ceilings, usually spanning between beams or walls.
  • Lineal
  • In a straight unbroken line.
  • Magnetic
  • Substrate that has magnetic properties for use with vehicles & whiteboards.
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