Flooring Glossary

Word or Phrase Definition
Acclimation The time given to laminate flooring to adjust to the room temperature and humidity level where it will be laid.
Backing Material added to the back of the carpet to give it stability and durability.
Binding A fabric strip sewn over a carpet edge to protect it from unraveling.
Broadloom A term originally used to denote carpets wider than six feet. Today carpet is usually 6 foot, 12 foot, or 15 foot wide.
Ceramic Tile Tiles made from clay or a mixture of organic materials, hardened by kiln firing. Tiles come in a variety of sizes and colors that lend an atmosphere of rustic warmth to rich elegance to a room. Ceramic floor tiles are set in place with a cement or mortar type mixture.
Contemporary Style Contemporary design style features a clean look with hard, sharp lines. Contemporary rooms are generally uncluttered and incorporates sophisticated accents and sleek furnishings.
Country Style Warm and comfy, a country style room uses natural materials and colors that usually evoke a rustic feel, but can also be refined and sophisticated.
Cut Loop A multilevel loop carpet where the taller loops are sheared off (cut). The uncut loops and sheared loops create a subtle sculptured pattern.
Dimension Stability The ability of a laminate floor to keep it's original shape and size over the lifetime of the floor in regards to changes in temperature and humidity.
End Matched In strip or plank flooring, one end of each piece has a tongue milled into it, and a groove milled into the opposite end. When the strips or planks are butted together the tongue on one end fits into the groove on the next piece, adding stability and strength to the flooring.
Floating Floor A floor that is not attached to the sub floor, but instead sits unattached on top of the sub floor. This allows for expansion and contraction due to temperature and humidity changes.
Laminate Flooring Flooring made with a dense fiberboard core and a decorative paper pattern layer on the top, then sealed under high pressure with a very durable clear coating. Made in enough visual styles to suit any taste, such as wood, stone, ceramic tile and others. Long lasting and affordable, laminate flooring is surging in popularity.
Linoleum One of the first resilient floors made, linoleum is no longer manufactured in the United States. Often used incorrectly to describe modern vinyl flooring.
Loop Pile Carpet having a surface made up of uncut loops.
Marble Highly polished limestone flooring known for its elegant and rich appearance.
Mosaic Tile Small ceramic tiles usually made of porcelain or glass that are mounted on a backing for ease of installation. Mosaic tiles are often used to create patterns on walls and floors, or as accent trim around room edges.
Oriental Rugs A genuine oriental rug is a handwoven or hand knotted rug native to the Middle or Far East. Oriental rugs are known for intricate patterns and variety of color combinations. Today, many machine-made rugs using Oriental rug designs are incorrectly referred to as Oriental rugs.
Padding Padding is usually a foam or rubber pad placed under carpeting to provide cushion and prolong the life of the carpet. Padding is also called carpet cushion, underlay, or lining.
Parquet Floor Flooring made of wood that is laid to create (usually) geometric patterns.
Pickled Floor A pickled floor is achieved by rubbing white paint into previously stained and finished wood flooring to create an informal, casual, or antiqued look. Goes well with hamburgers. ;-)
Plank Floor Wood flooring made of long boards more than 3 inches wide.
Pile The face of a carpet, the part you see when you walk into a carpeted room.
Quarry Tile Any glazed or unglazed ceramic tile made using an extrusion process, such as terra-cotta squares used in Southwest designs.
Remnant Usually refers to the last piece of carpet from a roll and is less than nine feet long.
Sculptured Carpet A carpet pattern created during the manufacturing process by varying the height of the pile.
Slate A naturally laminated rock used in regular and irregular shapes, embedded in cement or mortar to create a rugged pattern.
Soil Retardant A chemical finish applied to or manufactured into carpet that inhibits soil from clinging to the carpet fibers.
Stain Resistant A chemical finish applied to or manufactured into carpet fibers that inhibit staining.
Strip Flooring A popular wood flooring, it is made of long strips of tongue-and-groove boards 3 inches wide or less.
Sub Floor Generally referred to as the floor's structural layer. This could be a concrete slab, or a layer of some type of wood or particle board directly attached to the floor joists.
Traditional Style Traditional style can be elegant and refined or informal and cozy - the style is defined by classic, time-tested design rather than by following fads and recent trends.
Tufted Carpet Carpet manufactured on tufting machines. Tufting machines insert carpet fibers into a backing material with needles, thus forming tufts. Most North American carpet is tufted.
Underlayment The material that is laid underneath a laminate or ceramic floor. For example, plastic underlayment allows a laminate floor to float freely, while cement board provides a good surface for ceramic tiles.
Vinyl Flooring A smooth, plastic floor made of vinyl resins, plasticizer, fillers and stabilizers. Available in square tiles, sheets, or rolls.
Wear Layer The top layer of laminate flooring, designed to protect the pattern and design of the floor. This layer is crucial to the durability of the flooring surface.
Woven Carpet Looms interlace carpet yarns, much like clothing material is woven, to create a sturdy floor covering with a large variety of colors and patterns.