British Columbia - Vancouver & Lower Mainland Southwest
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Text treeBricklayer Terminology

Glossary

accelerator
a material that speeds hardening of concrete or mortar
air barrier
a material used in the house envelope to retard the passage of air
alumina
a mineral contained in clay used for brickmaking
angle iron
a structural section of steel in the form of a 90 degree angle used, in certain situations, to support brickwork
ash dump
a trap door for ashes in the floor of a fireplace leading to a chute
ash pan
an opening under a fireplace for the removal of ashes
back-up wall
that part of a masonry wall behind the exterior facing
batter
recessing or sloping masonry in successive courses; the opposite of a corbel
bond beam
a horizontal reinforced concrete masonry beam designed to strengthen a masonry wall and reduce the probability of cracking
bond course
the course consisting of units which overlap more than one wythe of masonry
brick veneer
the outside facing of brickwork used to cover a wall built of other material.
buttering
placing mortar on a masonry unit with a trowel
cavity wall
a wall built of masonry units arranged to provide a continuous air space 50 to 75 mm (2 to 3") thick
cell
one of the hollow spaces in building tile
cement
a burned mixture of clay and limestone pulverized (crushed) for making mortar or concrete
chimney lining
fire clay or terra-cotta material made for use inside a chimney
concrete masonry unit
a hollow or solid unit made of Portland cement and suitable aggregates referred to by the type of aggregate used in their manufacture: for example, cinder block and lightweight block
control joint
a joint or space to allow for dimensional change of parts of a structure due to expansion, shrinkage, temperature variations or other causes
corbel
to build a projection or one of a series of projections, of masonry, brick, or concrete built into a wall or any standing member, each projecting progressively farther from its anchoring point and used to support an overhanging member above
corner block
a concrete masonry unit with a flat end for construction of the end or corner of a wall
course
one of the continuous horizontal layers of units, bonded with mortar in masonry
curtain wall
a non- load bearing wall built for the enclosure of a building
dampproofing
the process of coating the exterior of a block, concrete or wood foundation wall with a special material to retard the passage of moisture
dowels
straight metal bars used to connect two sections of masonry
Dutchman repair
a repair involving carefully fitting a new piece of stone into a pocket cut into the existing stone and finishing the new piece to match the surrounding existing stone
expansion joint
a joint in a concrete or masonry structure designed to permit expansion without damage to the structure
face
the exposed surface of a wall or masonry unit
firewall
a wall of non-combustible construction, which subdivides a building into limited fire areas or separates adjoining buildings so as to resist the spread of fire and combustion
flashing
shielding material put around building openings to prevent water penetration and/or provide water drainage
footing
the broadened base of a foundation wall or other superstructure
foundation wall
that portion of a loadbearing wall below the level of the adjoining grade, or below first floor beams or joists
grout
a glue like component of high water-cement ratio that permits it to be poured into spaces within masonry walls; grout consists of water, Portland cement, lime and aggregate
hearth
that portion of a fireplace level with the floor, upon which the fire is built
insulation
a material with above-average thermal resistance, that inhibits the flow of heat
joint
the narrow space between adjacent stones, bricks or other building blocks usually filled with mortar
joint, to
the process of facing or tooling the mortar joints
kerf, to
to slot into the edge of stone with a saw blade for the insertion of anchors
lateral support
means whereby walls are braced either vertically or horizontally by columns, pilasters, crosswalls, beams, floors and roofs
lime
the result of limestone burned in a kiln until the carbon dioxide has been driven off
lintel
a beam placed over an opening in a loadbearing wall
lintel block
U or W shaped concrete block used in construction of horizontal bond beams and lintels
loadbearing wall
one which supports a vertical load in addition to its own weight
masonry
brick, tile and stone or combination thereof, bonded with mortar
masonry cement
a mill-mixed cement to which sand and water must be added
mortar
a plastic mixture of glue-like materials, fine aggregate and water
mortar box
the box in which the mortar is mixed and softened by water
parging
the process of applying a coat of cement mortar on masonry
pier
an isolated column of masonry
pilaster
a pillar of brick work, rectangular in form, used as a supplement to a pier, usually projecting one-third of the thickness of the wall
point, to
pushing mortar into a joint after the masonry units are laid
reinforcing
steel bars, wire mesh and reinforcement wire which are embedded in concrete to give extra tensile strength to resist movement in concrete slabs, walls, beams and columns.
smoke chamber
the space in a fireplace immediately above the throat where the smoke gathers before passing into the flue
stone cladding
masonry units that are mechanically fastened to a structural back-up wall. Stone used for cladding are typically large and are pre-finished in a stone-cutting and finishing shop
stone veneer
stone used as a decorative facing material which is not meant to be load-bearing and is supported by a foundation or structural steel. They are small units laid up in a bed of mortar
surface bonded masonry units
thin masonry components applied to any surface; they are used for aesthetic purposes
template
any form or pattern, such as centring, over which brickwork may be formed
tie
any unit of material that connects masonry units or other materials
veneer wall
a non-loadbearing wall securely anchored to a non-masonry back-up wall
voussoir
wedge-shaped masonry units which form an arch ring
waterproofing
a coating used to treat the surface of the substrate, preventing liquid from entering, but allowing water vapour to pass
weep holes
small openings left in the outer walls of masonry construction as an outlet for water to move outside the wall and evaporate
winterizing
the process of organizing the work site for winter operation, which include heating and hoarding of work area, providing proper storage of materials, warming sand and water and protecting masonry work in progress
wythe
a continuous vertical section of masonry one unit in thickness

Abbreviations

NBC
National Building Code of Canada
CSA
Canadian Standards Association
MSDS
Material Safety Data Sheet
PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride
WHMIS
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
PPE
Personal Protective Equipment
Provided by the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program National Occupational Analysis (NOA) http://www.red-seal.ca