This page of our online a to z glossary of DIY home improvement terms is for do-it-yourself terms beginning with the letter 'W'.
- Wainscot
- An interior wall surface usually 1m above the floor which contrasts with an upper wall surface.
- Wall plate
- A horizontal timber member placed along the top of a wall to support the ends of joists and spread their load.
- Wall ties
- Metal wires or strips used to bind masonry tiers in cavity wall construction or which bind brick veneer to a wood frame wall.
- Wallboard
- Board made out of compressed plant (usually wood) fibres or plaster sandwiched between paper and used as a surface for walls and ceilings and in insulation.
- Wane
- The wavy edge of a plank which has been cut directly from the log.
- Warp
- The threads that run along the length of fabric, parallel with the selvedges.
- Warping
- Twisting due to uneven shrinkage in timber or extremes of temperature.
- Water closet (WC)
- A lavatory that is flushed by water. or A room containing such a lavatory.
- Water hammer
- Vibration in plumbing caused by fluctuating water pressure.
- Water main
- The main water supply pipe.
- Watt
- A unit of power. There are 746 watts in one horsepower.
- Weather boarding
- Exterior house covering of wood paneling.
- Webbing
- A wide, woven braid, traditionally made from hessian, used in upholstery.
- Weft
- The threads that run across a length of fabric, at right angles to the selvedges.
- Welding
- A method of fastening metals by applying heat until the pieces fuse.
- Weep hole
- A small hole at the base of a cavity wall that allows absorbed water to drain to the outside.
- Wet and dry paper
- Abrasive paper (silicon carbide) used with or without lubricant.
- Wet rot
- Wood decay resulting from moisture and poor ventilation. Caused by various types of fungi, a condition in which wood decays. The surface of the wood feels 'clammy'.
- White spirit
- Colourless liquid derived from petroleum used as a thinner for oil paints.
- Whitewash
- A wall finishing material of slaked lime and water.
- Whiting
- Powdered and cleansed white chalk used, for example, in distemper and whitewash.
- Winders
- Those stairs used on curved portions of a staircase.
- Wing nut
- An easily-turnable nut having wing-like projections.
- Wiped joint
- A plumbing connection joining two pipes made by wiping solder around the joint.
- Wire brush
- Handbrush with steel wire bristles for removing paint and rust particles from metal.
- Wire glass
- Glass containing wire mesh which prevent fragments scattering or shattering.
- Wire strippers
- Tool for cutting through the sheathing of flex and cable to expose the wires.
- Woodgraining
- A painting technique which seeks to imitate - or at least to give the overall effect of - the grain of wood.
- Woodworm
- Condition in which wood is invaded by the common furniture beetle.
- Work triangle
- Triangle formed by location of preparation, cooking and washing zones of a kitchen.
- Wrecking bar
- A long steel bar used to pry up floorboards with a flat chisel point at one end and a curved claw on the other.
